Bridge Hill

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

A three-bay two-storey early-nineteenth century house with attic, located on the west side of Drumquin Road, Castlederg. Rectangular on plan with attached L-shaped lean-to store at west, single storey porch to north, and a later two-storey return to south.

Roof is pitched natural slate with roll-moulded clay ridge tiles, and three rendered gable chimneystacks with terracotta pots. Replacement ogee metal rainwater goods on rendered eaves course. Walling is painted ruled-and-lined cement render over a projecting contrasting plinth course. Windows are timber sliding sashes without horns, 6/6 to ground floor, 6/3 to first floor, with exposed sash boxes and cylinder glazing (unless otherwise stated); cills are concrete.

Principal elevation faces north and has an opening to each bay at each floor, arranged about a flat roofed porch. The porch is detailed as the house (windows have horns); it has a window to north face and right cheek; left cheek has a t&g sheeted door with kickboard, beaded frame on painted stone plinth blocks, cast-iron door furniture, all accessed by two concrete steps. To extreme right is the store, which is screened at this elevation by a raised screen wall to eaves level, having a simple chimneystack at the outer corner and a diminutive central bipartite 4/4 sash window with horns.

East gable has a central window to ground floor and similar diminished attic window.

Rear elevation is centrally abutted by the return, which is detailed as house. Left and right bays have a window to each floor. The return has two 2/2 sashes with horns to each cheek, except to ground floor left, which has a 6/6 sash and a vertically sheeted timber door; there is a 6/6 sash to ground floor at gable.

West gable is abutted by the lean-to store and has an attic window (render is unpainted). The store is L-shaped, enclosing a small stone flagged rear yard; the south portion abutting the house has a timber sheeted door surmounted by a uPVC casment imitating a sash. The east elevation enclosing the yard has a 2/2 sash and a timber door; the west elevation is blank with whitewashed coursed squared rubble stone walling. The store is abutted at south-west corner by a two-storey barn (see later).

The house is set on an elevated site surrounded by farmland with a plantation and rath to west. The house has lawns to north with gravel forecourt and peripheral paths, all enclosed by a rendered garden wall with saddleback coping. The site is accessed at east by a farm lane bounded with hedges and flanked at the entrance by splayed plinth walls each terminated at either side by square piers with gableted caps; the inner piers support replacement metal gates; the outer piers support identical wrought-iron field gates accessing pasture at either side; a similar gate at the head of the lane gives access to the gravel forecourt of the house. To south is a secondary farm lane accessed from the adjacent Lettergarn Road at south and bounded at either side by ranges of split-level limewashed rubble stone outbuildings.

The outbuildings consist of a two-storey barn at west, two-storey stable range with cast-iron cow-tail water pump at east side of the lane, and a two-storey coach house to the west side of the lane; both ranges are extended to south by additional single-storey stable ranges. All have pitched natural slate roofs with cement rendered chimneystacks and lime-washed rubble stone walls (unless otherwise stated).

The barn is set on a slope and is two-storey at east, one-and-a-half-storey at west. It has a number of ventilation openings, some now infilled and lime-washed, t&g sheeted doors and window openings, all with timber lintels. There is a square-headed vehicular opening with timber lintel to south. East gable has two sheeted timber doors, that to upper level accessed from yard by a set of external stone steps. North elevation has a bi-partite 4/4 fixed window surmounted by a uPVC casement; also three horizontal three-light windows.

The east stable range has a chamfered corner and a set of external steps leading to a loading door with gablet. All openings are t&g sheeted, including window openings, and have stone sills and painted timber lintels. Original timber doors have ventilation slots, and most have wrought iron hinges. The lower stable range at east has a pitched corrugated asbestos roof and a series of stable doors, each one flanked to left by a 3-light horizontal window opening. The west range has a double timber-sheeted door to elliptical headed coach-arch with brick head, also a square-headed coach house with heavy timber lintel immediately surmounted by a loading door.

There are two additional single storey structures to south, a byre with chimneystack, detailed as others, and a roofless range with doors intact and abutted by a circular pier with wrought iron field gate accessing a cobbled yard. There is a one and a half storey rubble mill type structure to the north of the house and south of the river course; corrugated metal roof; small single storey rubble structure adjacent to mill building with pitched natural slate roof. The farm lane is tarmaced with gravelled borders, and is bounded beyond outbuildings by dry rubble stone walls.

Roof: Pitched natural slate
Walling: Painted ruled-and-lined rendered
Windows: Timber sashes without horns, exposed boxes and cylinder glazing
RWG: Replacement metal.

Historical information

Buildings are present on the first edition Ordnance Survey map of 1833, comprising a main house and outbuildings to the west and south east. The current owners say the house dates from c.1815. A ‘Mill’ is shown nearby to the west. On the second edition (1855) the complex is captioned ‘Bridge Hill’ and a ‘Flax Kiln’ is also shown on the site. A ‘Flax Mill’ and ‘Corn Mill’ are shown nearby. By the third edition (1905) a further long outbuilding is shown to the south east. On the fourth edition (1939-50) a ‘Hy[draulic] Ram’ is shown on the site.

The house is listed in the Townland Valuation (1828-40) as the dwelling house of Samuel Sproule, later changed to William Gamble. Among the outbuildings are a ‘car house’, stable and hayloft, barn and corn kiln. Measurements are given for the buildings on the site and the whole is valued at £9. Griffith’s Valuation (1856-64) shows that the lessor is the Earl of Castlestuart. The value is raised slightly to £10 and the valuer comments, “This farm has been considerably improved by thorough draining land reclamation”. The Annual Revisions (1860-1924) see the value raised once more to £12. The property passes to James Fulton Gamble in 1906 and he becomes the owner in fee in 1913 under land purchase legislation of the early twentieth century.

Post 1933 the valuation is raised to £20 for the house and £4 for the outbuildings (undated change). On the ground floor at this time are three receptions, a kitchen, scullery and p[antry?] and on the first floor, five bedrooms, bathroom with hot and cold water and separate W.C. On the second floor are two attic rooms. There is no electric light or gas and water is hand pumped. The valuer comments that the ceilings are low on the ground and first floors.

References:

Primary Sources

1. PRONI OS/6/6/24/1 – First Edition OS Map (1833)
2. PRONI OS/6/6/24/2 – Second Edition OS Map (1855)
3. PRONI OS/6/6/24/3 – Third Edition OS Map (1905)
4. PRONI OS/6/6/24/4 – Fourth Edition OS Map (1939-50)
5. PRONI VAL/1/A/6/24 – Townland Valution Map (1828-40)
6. PRONI VAL/1/B/6/35A – Townland Valuation (1828-40)
7. PRONI VAL/2/A/6/24 – Griffiths’ Valuation Map
8. PRONI VAL/2/B/6/37B – Griffith’s Valuation (1856-64)
9. PRONI VAL/12/B/35/4A-F – Annual Revision Records (1860-1924)
10. PRONI VAL/3/D/7/1F/2 – Valuers’ RV Binder (1933-57)

Secondary Sources

1. Information from owner

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

A. Style
B. Proportion
C. Ornamentation
D. Plan Form
H-. Alterations detracting from building
I. Quality and survival of Interior
J. Setting

Criteria for listing: historic interest

X. Local Interest

Evaluation

Bridge Hill is an early nineteenth-century two-storey three-bay farmhouse with outbuildings, located on the west side of Drumquin Road, Castlederg. The house and outbuildings have been exceptionally well-maintained and retain an early appearance and form a substantially intact historic grouping prominently sited between three public roads. The house is simply detailed and well proportioned, retaining original fenestration with exposed box sashes and cylinder glazing. The outbuilding ranges are arranged in a linear grouping, flanking a secondary farm lane and cobbled yard, and displaying a wealth of tradtional features such as lime-washed rubble stone walls, ventilation loops, external steps and some original early stable doors. The rural setting is unspoiled and enhanced by the presence of a rath, contained within a mature plantation. Bridge Hill remains as an excellent and relatively intact example of a medium sized rural farmstead.