1 Baronscourt Road, Newtownstewart, Co Tyrone BT78 4EX

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

A two-storey three-bay house, dated 1938 and located at the junction of Baronscourt Road and Strabane Road, Newtownstewart. The house is cruciform on plan, facing east, with additional single-storey extension to south west re-entrant angle. All gables are extended outward at the apex over a full-height bowed bay.

Pitched articficial slate roof with central red brick chimneystack with projecting bands. Apexes to principal elevations have bargeboards and decorative half-timbering, also terracotta finials. Slightly overhanging timber sheeted boxed eaves support cast-iron rainwater goods (uPVC replacement to rear). Walling is painted pebbledashed render over a smooth rendered contrasting plinth. Windows are uPVC casements (suggesting mullioned windows to first floor, transomed and mullioned to ground floor) with contrasting painted concrete sills.

Principal elevation faces east and has a centrally projecting bay with corner windows to ground floor and flanked by a window to either side. The central bay has a bowed bay as other elevations, however the first floor is supported on circular cast-concrete columns with pronounced entassis, further supported on oblique pedsestals which are set on the second of a set of concrete platform steps; this forms a porch with diagonal side walls enclosed by painted plinth walls and having an encaustic tiled threshold; the door is uPVC. The side walls each have a datestone framed with contrasting render band: that to left reads: 'N. DREW TIPPING / 1938'; that to right reads: 'N. DREW 1775'.

The south gable has a central bowed bay containing two windows at ground floor and a continuous bowed window to first floor.

The rear elevation consists of a central return, which is almost completely abutted at it's south cheek by an extension; it is lie by a wall-head dormer at either cheek and the gable has a uPVC door flanked by windows and having a large window to first floor. Left bay has a plain square window; extension is detailed as house and has a window at south.

The north gable is as south.

The house is prominently located on a slightly elevated site at a junction, and is set in a garden bounded by roughcast boundary walls with segmental concrete coping. Decorative mild steel gates are hung on brick piers with pyramidal caps. The farmyard is accessed at south via a pair of modern timber sheeted gates.

To rear are a group of random rubble stone outbuildings enclosing a farmyard on three sides; the south range also bounds Baronscourt Road; the north range has been converted to a dwelling (see surveyor's comments) and is of little interest. All have natural slate roofs and red brick eaves course with cast-iron rainwater goods. The south range is two-storey and has a datestone to east gable inscribed 'N. TIPPING 1885'. All openings have brick dressings and concrete sills. Windows are fixed multi-lights and doors are timber sheeted; a flight of external stone steps leads to a loading door at first floor north; window openings to the south (road-facing) are equally spaced and infilled with concrete block. The west range is single storey; all openings are infilled with concrete block including two central window openings inserted into a segmental-headed red brick panel with yellow brick head. The right end has beeen roughcast cement rendered as part of the dwelling conversion.

Roof: Artificial slate
Walling: Painted pebbledashed render
Windows: uPVC
RWG: Cast-iron

Historical information

A property is present on the first Ordnance Survey map of 1833. A main house and an outbuilding to the south west are shown. By the third edition of 1905, further outbuildings to the west and north west have formed, together with the main house, an enclosed courtyard. The complex is captioned ‘Rustic Cottage’ and continues to be so captioned on the fourth edition. On the present edition (1976) the main house to the east has gone, to be replaced by a new farm house.

The property appears in the Townland Valuation (1828-40) as a dwelling, three offices and a piggery, occupied by Arthur Drew. Measurements are given and the buildings are valued at £9.17s.1d. A plaque bearing the date 1775 and the name ‘N. Drew’ may have survived from these original buildings.

In Griffith’s Valuation of 1858, Nathaniel Tipping leases the property from Daniel Baird. It is a house, offices and land with the buildings valued at £4.

A plaque bearing the date 1885 which appears on the most southerly outbuilding, together with the map evidence, indicates that considerable extending and rebuilding took place around this date. This is reflected in Annual Revisions, a marginal note of 1889 stating, ‘Complained valuation very low’. Consequently the valuation is raised to £8. Several buildings are also listed in the margin; ‘house thatched’, ‘offices thatched’ and three slated ‘offices’. Dimensions are given for these.

In 1895, the Tipping family also became the owners of ‘Bellevue’ house (HB10/04/018) on a site very close to this property. After 1934 Nathaniel W. Tipping, becomes the owner in fee of the cottage. It comprises at this date, two rooms, a kitchen and three small rooms, and the valuer comments, ‘House fair. Water from spring laid on to kitchen.’ The house and return were both of rubble masonry and thatched.

On 26th July 1939 a valuer returns to inspect a ‘new house’ as the former cottage has burned down. The valuer comments, ‘House is vacant and owner trying to let. Very superior for farm house. Contains: three rooms, lounge, hall with cloaks off with wash hand basin, kitchen, pantry, store and outside W.C. Up:- three bedrooms, maid’s bedroom, bath and W.C. combined. Moderately well finished. Water and electric light’. The value of the property is subsequently raised to £28 and £2.5s for outbuildings. A plan and dimensions are given, showing that the main house is composed of brick and reinforced concrete with an asbestos roof. A motor house of rubble masonry and slate is also shown and three further outbuildings including a two storey barn.

The parish history notes that the Tipping family owned extensive land and property, including Bellevue (HB10/04/018) and Deerpark (to the south west of the present house), in and around Newtownstewart and were progressive farmers. (p.101)

“Four generations of the Tipping family, who resided at Deerpark and Bellevue...Newtownstewart gave long and distinguished service to the Parish of Ardstraw. Nathaniel Tipping (1802-1844) was for many years a member of the Select Vestry. His son Nathaniel (1837-1896)...was likewise prominent in the work of the Select Vestry...a third Nathaniel Tipping, Nathaniel William (1863-1937)...gave distinguished service as a Parochial Nominator, Diocesan Synodsman, Churchwarden and Select Vestry member for over 30 years...and the Select Vestry paid tribute to him as a ‘staunch supporter of his church and a liberal subscriber to church funds’”. (p.100)

His daughter Mary (1897-1975)...was appointed Honorary Secretary from 1940 and Honorary Treasurer from 1951. One of Ardstraw church’s six stained glass windows, made by the distinguished Caldermac Studios in 1979, was erected in memory of her. (p.100)

References:

Primary Sources

1. PRONI OS/6/6/17/1 – First Edition OS Map (1833)
2. PRONI OS/6/6/17/2 – Second Edition OS Map (1854)
3. PRONI OS/6/6/17/3 – Third Edition OS Map (1905)
4. PRONI OS/6/6/17/4 – Fourth Edition OS Map (1936)
5. PRONI VAL/1/A/6/17 – Townland Valuation Map
6. PRONI VAL/1/B/637B – Townland Valuation (1828-40)
7. PRONI VAL/2/A/6/17 – Griffiths’ Valuation Map
8. PRONI Printed Griffith’s Valuation, Union of Strabane (1858)
9. PRONI VAL/12/B/42/27A-H – Annual Revision Records (1860-1929)
10. PRONI VAL/3/D/7/10F/1 – Valuers’ RV Binder (1933-57)

Secondary Sources

1. Ferguson, G[eorge] Eric, June Cochrane, John Dunbar, Joan Ferguson, Victor Laughlin, Lily Loughlin, Carol McKelvey, eds. “The Changing Years in the Grouped Parishes of Ardstraw, Baronscourt and Badoney Union. Omagh, Co. Tyrone: Graham Printers, 2001.

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

Not listed

Criteria for listing: historic interest

Not listed

Evaluation

A three-bay two-storey house, dated 1938 and prominently located on an elevated site at a Y-junction in Newtownstewart. The house is a curious blend of Modernist and Domestic Revival elements, with half-timbered ornamentation and bowed bays softening an overall angularity expressed in the corner windows and jutting gables. The house occupies the site of an older house, as evidenced by the substantial farm range to rear, and the three prominent datestones suggest that the site may have been in occupation from the eighteenth century. Although an interesting group of late 19th and early 20th century buildings, unfortunatley the original door and windows in the main house have been replaced with uPVC and the buildings are not of sufficient interest to merit listing.