House to south of 14 Ballynaloan Road

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

A three-bay two-storey late nineteenth-century house located on the west side of Ballynaloan Road, Castlederg. Rectangular on plan with lean-to windbreak porch.

Pitched natural slate roof with rendered gable chimneystacks. Rainwater goods are gone. Walling has vestiges of roughcast lime render over random rubble stone with projecting stone eaves course. Windows are vestiges of 6/6 sliding sashes, 3/6 to first floor, all with exposed boxes and stone sills; windows to principal elevation have a smooth lime-rendered architrave.

Principal elevation faces west and has an opening to each bay at each floor including central timber sheeted entrance door with four-light transom, all contained within a stone windbreak porch having half-round cast-iron rainwater goods and a lean-to natural slate roof.

Left gable is blank.

Rear elevation is heavily overgrown, but sash windows to outer bays and offset timber door with plank frame and vertically sheeted panels are visible (top panel has a circular 'porthole' aperture).

Right gable is blank.

The house opens directly onto the roadside, and is surrounded by mature trees.

Roof: Pitched natural slate
Walling: Lime-render over rubble stone
Windows: Vestiges of 6/6 and 3/6 timber sashes with exposed boxes.
RWG: Half-round cast-iron (porch only).

Historical information

A building appears on the site on the first edition ordnance survey map of 1833. It is aligned and positioned as the current house but it is unclear whether it is the same structure.

A ‘house and offices’ is listed in the Townland Valuation (1828-40) as occupied by Timothy Porter. The valuation is £2.11s. Griffith’s Valuation (1858) lists a house, offices and land occupied by John Porter Senior and leased from the Marquis of Abercorn. The buildings are valued at £1.15s. After 1864 the occupier becomes Samuel Leitch (undated change). In 1885 the former house is deleted and a new entry is made, a ‘public house, shop and offices’ leased by John McCaskey from Samuel Leitch and valued at £1. It is not clear from the records whether this amounts to a complete rebuilding of the property or simply a change in usage. However, certain internal fittings including the joinery and roof structure suggest that the present structure may date from this later date. Further investigation would be required in order to be certain.

James Leitch is the occupier in 1913. After 1933 Robert Dunbar leases the property from James Leitch (undated change). It is now a house and offices only, the licensed house and shop being deleted, and the valuation is raised to £3.15 (undated changes). It now comprises a kitchen, one room, p[orch?], two small rooms and two attic bedrooms (walls unplastered). The valuer comments that the rent is £5.4s per annum free and one row of potatoes planted by the landlord. The tenant has been in occupation for 21 years at this time. The two-storey house is of rubble masonry and slate and measures 34x24x20. A one-storey store is also listed, which is of rubble masonry and corrugated iron and measures 8x20x10.

References:

Primary Sources:

1. PRONI OS/6/6/16/1 – Ordnance Survey Map (1833)
2. PRONI OS/6/6/16/2 – Ordnance Survey Map (1855)
3. PRONI OS/6/6/16/3 – Ordnance Survey Map (1905)
4. PRONI OS/6/6/16/4 – Ordnance Survey Map (1939)
5. PRONI VAL/1A/6/16 – Townland Valuation Map
6. PRONI VAL/1B/637A-F – Townland Valuation Records (1828-1840)
7. PRONI VAL/2/B/6/40A – Griffith’s Valuation Records (1858)
8. PRONI VAL/12/B/35/19A-F – Annual Revision Records (1862 -1929)
9. PRONI VAL/3/D/7/1R/2 – Valuers’ RV Binder (1933-1957)

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

Not listed

Criteria for listing: historic interest

Not listed

Evaluation

A two-storey three-bay late nineteenth-century house located on the west side of Ballynaloan Road, Castlederg, in Magheracorran Townland. The house retains its traditional construction methods and has a number of interesting internal features such as timber sheeted partitions, traditional hearth and an unusual corner fireplace. Historical information suggests that the house was once in use as a public house and shop. Although of interest, deterioration of the original fabric detracts form its character and it does not meet the criteria for listing.