Ultimo House, 16 Ballymoyle Road, Cookstown, Co Londonderry, BT80 0AD

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

This is a detached two-and-a-half-storey house, built in the early twentieth century. It is roughly rectangular in plan with a two-storey return to the rear.

The front Southeast elevation is symmetrical and is three windows and width. There is a doorway to the centre of the ground floor flanked by a projecting canted bay to each side. The door is segmental-headed with plain pilasters to each side. Pilasters have decorative carved console brackets and cut-stone padstones. Console brackets are supporting a projecting carved stone cornice. The door is timber with timber and glazed side panels. It is set on three cut-stone steps. The ground floor bay windows are 1/1 timber sliding sash set on unpainted cut-stone sills. There is a projecting carved stone cornice to the top of the canted bay.
The first floor has segmental-headed windows with carved stone surrounds. Windows are 1/1 timber sliding sash set on cut-stone sills.

The side Southwest and Northeast elevations are gable-ended. There are square-headed windows to the ground floor, and segmental-headed windows to the first floor. The attic level has two small square-headed windows set on cut-stone sills. There is a continuous projecting carved stone string course at eaves level.

The rear Northwest elevation has an assortment of square-headed and segmental-headed 2/2 and 1//1 timber sliding sash frames.

External walls are unpainted render with quoin stones to corners. The ground floor has banded rusticated render. The roof is pitched with natural slate and clay ridge tiles. Paired eaves brackets support the cast iron gutter. There are two polychromatic brick chimneys to the roof, one at each gable. Rainwater goods are replacement uPVC.

Returns

The two-storey rear return has an assortment of square-headed timber sliding sash frames. There are no openings to the gable-end. The roof is pitched and slated. There is a rooflight to the roof and rainwater goods are cast-iron.

Outbuildings

The single-storey outbuilding to the rear is partially rendered and rubble stone. It has square-headed timber casement windows and door. There is a single-storey lean-to attached to the South The roof is pitched with natural slate.
There are two plain rendered chimneys to the roof.

There is a further large concrete shed to the North, with a pitched metal roof.

There is a further two-storey rubble stone building to the Northwest. The Northwest elevation is gable ended with a square-headed door to the first floor. The Southeast elevation is gable ended and is partially obscured by a rendered lean-to addition at ground floor level. The side Northeast elevation has a large timber sheeted barn door to the right; there are square-headed openings to the left. The side Southwest elevation has square-headed openings to the ground floor.

Historical information

A building is shown on this site on the OS map of 1832 and all others thereafter, with the present dwelling shown on that of 1904-06, and marked ‘Ultimo House’. Unfortunately (and rather oddly) the valuers give no indication of when the building was actually constructed, however, judging from its appearance it may be of c.1890. Interestingly there is a house in nearby Coagh of the same name, and similar (but not identical) design, which was built in 1879.

The house may have been built by the Ekin (or Aiken) family, who occupied the previous house on the site. After 1935 it is noted as the home of a Matthew Henry, and after 1953, a William and John Henry.

References- Primary sources
1 PRONI VAL/12B/34/24A Annual valuation revision book, Salterstown ED, 1860-63
2 PRONI VAL/12B/34/24B Annual valuation revision book, Salterstown ED, 1864-78
3 PRONI VAL/12B/34/24C Annual valuation revision book, Salterstown ED, 1879-83
4 PRONI VAL/12B/34/24D Annual valuation revision book, Salterstown ED, 1884-98
5 PRONI VAL/12B/34/24E Annual valuation revision book, Ballyronan ED, 1899-1915
6 PRONI OS/6/5/49/3 OS map, Co Londonderry, sheet 49, 1904-06
7 PRONI VAL/12B/34/24F Annual valuation revision book, Salterstown ED, 1915-29
8 PRONI VAL/12B/34/22A Annual valuation revision book, Ringsend ED,
7 PRONI VAL/3C/6/16 First general revaluation of Northern Ireland, Salterstown ED, 1936-57

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

Not listed

Criteria for listing: historic interest

Not listed

Evaluation

A detached two-and-a-half-storey house, built in the late nineteenth century. Externally, it is well proportioned and typical of the genre in this era with external decoration quite restrained but it is not in original condition and of a relative late date and common type. The survival of what may be the original farm house is of some interest.