Tievena House, 50 Knockanroe Road, Dungannon, Co Tyrone, BT71 5LXY

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

This is a large symmetrical detached two-storey over basement five-bay late Georgian farmhouse, built c.1810, with associated farmyard and outbuildings. The house faces east towards the road. The lane is to the south of the house and terminates in the yard to the north side of the property. There is a gate lodge at the end of the lane (HB 09/08/019).

The front east elevation is painted render with a projecting central single storey porch. This is square with a parapet roof having moulded cornice detail. The doorway is square-headed and located in the south side elevation of the porch. It is timber panelled with glazed panels in the upper half. Painted pilasters flank the doorway and decorate the corners of the porch. The front and north side elevations of the porch have tall square-headed replacement timber windows with painted stone sills. There are two windows as before to each side of the porch, and five more symmetrically placed on the upper floor. The proportions are shorter to the upper windows. The porch is raised on five steps. The right-hand side of the elevation and the north of the porch have a covering of ivy. The south gable elevation has a wide chimney at its apex and two windows as before, one to each level. The ground falls towards the rear.

The rear west elevation has four windows as before to each level, and a deep plinth. The red brick farmyard wall (the rear of one of the west outbuildings) stretches to the north in line with this elevation. The north gable elevation is similar to the south, but with a timber door with glazed panel as its lower opening. This elevation faces into the farmyard. Ground level is considerably lower than the floor level and a flight of concrete steps with metal guarding leads down from the door.

External walls are a mixture of smooth painted render throughout. The roof is slate and pitched to front and rear with a flat section running between the chimneys. There is a chimney to each gable, with space for about eight pots in a line on each. Some pots are missing and the north chimney appears to have had an extension built over part of it. Rainwater goods are cast-iron.

Outbuildings:

The yard to the north of the house is enclosed by the house on its south side and a variety of outbuildings to the remaining sides. The west block is single-storey with a lean-to asbestos roof and dashed walls to the east elevation, red brick to the west. It has a variety of square-headed timber windows and tongue and groove doors. The north block is two-storey with a pitched slate roof and rendered walls. It has a central segmental-headed carriage arch and a variety of openings including a large segmental-headed tongue and groove carriage door, several smaller square-headed doors and windows and a series of small square ventilation openings in the upper floor. The east block has dashed walls with several doors and a corrugated metal roof. There are further buildings including modern Dutch barns through the carriage arch to the north.

Setting

The house sits on an exposed site in the countryside well back from the road. It has a long lane approaching from the south, with a gate lodge situated at the end (HB09/08/019). The lane has timber fences and fields to each side. There is an area of garden to the south and west of the house, with mature deciduous trees to the south.

Historical information

According to Canon Leslie, his house, originally Artrea rectory, was built ‘about 1810’ at a cost of £1,800, ‘£92 6s 0d being a gift and £969 4s 0d being a loan from the Board of First Fruits’. It is shown on OS map of 1833-34, mentioned in the OS Memoirs of 1833 (but not described) and recorded in the valuation of 1834 as the home of the Revd Dr. James Kennedy (later known as Rev. Dr. Kennedy Baillie), a ‘newly-built’ house, rated at £26-3-0. The measurements are noted in the same valuation as 55ft x 39½ x 21, with ‘cellars as servants’ rooms and stores’ 55 x 39½ x 7½ and offices of 32 x 15½ x 8, 29 x 15½ x 8, 87 x 20 x 15, (deduct gateway 8½ x 20 x 9½), 36 x 15½ x 7 and 33 x 17 x 7½, the last building thatched.

Rev. William Edward Meade succeeded Dr. Kennedy Baillie as Rector of Artrea in 1869, followed by Rev. Charles Leslie Garnett in 1894, and Rev. W.E.A. Scott in 1917. Sometime between 1929 and 1935 the building was sold by the Representative Church Body, and in the latter year a John Lees is recorded as the owner, with a William R. Stewart following him in 1953.

See also HB09/08/017A Ardtrea House

References- Primary sources
1 PRONI VAL/1A/6/39 OS map, Co Tyrone, sheet 39 with valuation
references, 1833-34
2 ‘Ordnance Survey Memoirs of Ireland…vol.20’ eds. Angelique Day and Patrick McWilliams, (QUB, 1990), p.10 (1834)
3 PRONI VAL/1B/619 First valuation, Artrea parish, 1834
4 PRONI VAL/2A/6/39C OS map, Co Tyrone, sheet 39 with valuation references, 1853-57(-58)
5 PRONI VAL/2B/6/19 Second valuation, Artrea parish, 1858
6 PRONI VAL/12B/37/4A Annual valuation revision book, Coagh ED, 1860-63
7 PRONI VAL/12B/37/4B Annual valuation revision book, Coagh ED, 1864-79
8 PRONI VAL/12B/37/4C Annual valuation revision book, Coagh ED, 1880-81
9 PRONI VAL/12B/37/4D Annual valuation revision book, Coagh ED, 1882-91
10 PRONI VAL/12B/37/4E Annual valuation revision book, Coagh ED, 1892-98
11 PRONI VAL/12B/37/4F Annual valuation revision book, Coagh ED, 1899-1912
12 PRONI VAL/12B/37/4B Annual valuation revision book, Coagh ED, 1913-29
13 PRONI VAL/12B/37/8A Annual valuation revision book, Grange ED, 1923-29
14 PRONI VAL/3C/7/5 First general revaluation of Northern Ireland, Grange ED, 1936-57

Secondary sources
1 Leslie, James B., ‘Armagh clergy and parishes’ (Dundalk, 1911), pp.107-113

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

Not listed

Criteria for listing: historic interest

Not listed

Evaluation

This is a large symmetrical detached two-storey over basement five-bay late Georgian farmhouse, built c.1810, with associated farmyard and outbuildings. Due to its exposed setting and quite grand proportions this large house has an imposing appearance s and is of some importance in the locale. Overall it has a late Georgian appearance. However, the alsterations have compromised its value and it is does not meet the statutory and policy tests as a building of special architectural or historic interest. The gate lodge and farmyard are preserved along with the original front gardens.