16 Soarn Road, Curglassan, Cookstown, BT80 8SS

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

A detached two-storey three-bay house with square porch, built in the early nineteenth century and added to in the later part of the nineteenth century. To the rear there is a stone outbuilding. The house faces northeast towards the road and has a rectangular plan with a pitched slate roof.

The front northeast elevation is wetdash with a central flat-roofed projecting square porch. The segmental-headed doorway is to the centre of the porch. The door is a replacement of timber with fanlight and sidelights. There is decorative plasterwork in geometric patterns to the front of the porch, which may be a more recent addition to the house. The porch is flanked by two square-headed windows with one-over-one timber sash windows and plain painted surrounds and sills. The windows have border panes divided by astragals. There are three similar windows to the upper storey. The southeast gable elevation is dashed render with a single window opening at the upper storey and a decorative bargeboard to the eaves. There is a dashed chimney to the apex.

The rear southwest elevation is dashed render. It has a central square porch similar to that at the front. The windows are a mixture of sash windows as before and replacement timber windows. The northwest gable elevation is similar to the southeast.

External walls are wetdash throughout. The roof is pitched with slate. There are four chimneys evenly spaced along the ridge. Rainwater goods are plastic.

Outbuildings:

To the rear of the house and perpendicular to it is a slightly dilapidated two-storey stone outhouse in coursed rubble with red brick detailing. It has a pitched slate roof and several square-headed door and window openings to the front southeast elevation.

Setting

The house is set back from the road, with a small garden to the front and outbuildings and a yard to the rear. A storey-height stone wall in coursed rubble extends from the eastern corner. The boundaries of the site are partially planted with mature trees. A pathway extends from the front door towards the road, terminating at a decorative cast-iron pedestrian gate with painted square piers.

Historical information

There is a house shown on this site on the OS map of 1833-34. This building is not recorded in the contemporary first valuation, suggesting a relatively modest single-storey structure. In the second valuation of 1857 the property is listed as having a rateable value of £3-10-0, which again indicates a single-storey dwelling; a Thomas Wilson is noted as the occupied with ‘S.D. Cromelin Esq.’ [probably Samuel Delacherois Crommelin] the immediate lessor. The property appears to have remained within the Wilson family until 1907 when a William McCrea became tenant. It may have at this time that the property assumed its present two-storey appearance, although the valuations are silent on the matter (as they are with many vernacular dwellings within this area. A James Morrow took over the tenancy in 1952, with a Robert McCrea recorded as the immediate lessor.

References- Primary sources
1 PRONI OS/6/3/39/1 OS map, Co. Tyrone sheet 39, 1833-34
2 PRONI VAL/2A/6/39B OS map, Co Tyrone, sheet 39- with valuation
references, 1853-57
3 PRONI VAL/2B/6/25C Second valuation, Ballyclog parish, 1857
4 PRONI VAL/12B/37/1A Annual valuation revision book, Ballyclog ED, 1860-63
5 PRONI VAL/12B/37/1B Annual valuation revision book, Ballyclog ED, 1864-80
6 PRONI VAL/12B/37/1C Annual valuation revision book, Ballyclog ED, 1881
7 PRONI VAL/12B/37/1D Annual valuation revision book, Ballyclog ED, 1882-96
8 PRONI VAL/12B/37/1E Annual valuation revision book, Ballyclog ED, 1897-1911
9 PRONI OS/6/3/39/3 OS map, Co. Tyrone sheet 39, 1906
10 PRONI VAL/12B/37/1F Annual valuation revision book, Ballyclog ED, 1912-29
11 VAL/3C/7/5 First general revaluation of Northern Ireland, Ballyclog ED, 1936-57

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

Not listed

Criteria for listing: historic interest

Not listed

Evaluation

A detached two-storey three-bay house with square porch, built in the early nineteenth century and added to in the later part of the nineteenth century. The proportions are pleasing and are typical of many quite prosperous Irish country houses of the period and the whole composition is simply detailed and architecturally pleasing. It is likely to be a typical example of a former cottage that was improved with the addition of an upper floor in the later nineteenth century. However, it is not of special architectural or historic interest.