30 Carnkenny Road

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

A two-storey three-bay house, built c.1820 and located on the east side of Carnkenny Road, Newtownstewart. Rectangular on plan, facing west, with twentieth-century addition to rear and outbuilding to north.

Roof is pitched natural slate with roll-moulded black clay ridge tiles and three rendered chimneystacks. Cast-iron rainwater goods are supported on drive-in brackets over rendered brick eaves. Walling is painted roughcast lime-render with contrasting smooth render corner banding and smooth plinth. Windows are square-headed 6/6 timber sashes (3/6 to first floor) without horns, having cylinder glass and set in contrasting smooth rendered surrounds over painted stone sills.

Principal elevation faces west and is asymmetrical. The left and right bays each have a window at each floor, those to the left being set at some distance from the others. The central bay has two closely spaced openings to each floor, including a door opening with contrasting rendered surround and modern panelled door with narrow transom light, accessed by a stone step.

The north gable is blank.

The rear elevation is abutted at first floor by a two-storey sanitary extension bridging the rear entrance. Right bay has a modern sheeted loading door to first floor and a modern window insertion to ground floor. Central and left bays have windows as principal elevation but having painted reveals only. The sanitary extension has a monpitched asbestos sheeted roof and timber casement windows.

The south gable is blank.

The house is set back from the road in a lawned garden, bounded to the road by a roughcast lime-rendered boundary wall with concrete saddleback coping. A wrought iron pedestrian gate on painted rendered piers with pyramidal caps and flanked by mature shrubs, leads to a small gravel path accessing the principal entrance. The site is otherwise bounded by mature trees. There is a two-storey outbuilding to north, with pitched corrugated asbestos roof and lime-washed rubble walling with tooled ashlar quoins. Timber sheeted openings have red brick dressings and there are two circular openings with cast-iron spoked windows. The outbuilding is fronted by a meadow and is partially overgrown by ivy.

Roof: Pitched natural slate
Walling: Painted roughcast lime-rendered
Windows: Mainly 6/6 and 3/6 sashes without horns; cylinder glazing
RWG: Cast-iron

Historical information

The house is present on the first edition of 1833. A barn to the east of the main house appears on the second edition of 1854.

A house and offices is listed in the Townland Valuation (1828-40) as occupied by Matthew Nelson and valued at £4.8s.

In Griffith’s (1859) the valuation is lower at £3.15s and the lessor is the Marquis of Abercorn. Post 1864 the valuation is increased to £5.15s (undated change). This may reflect the addition of the barn as an outbuilding on the plot. Matthew Nelson (presumably a son) becomes the owner in fee in 1914.

In 1934 Robert J Neilson is the owner and the valuation of the house is subsequently raised to £10 and 2s for outbuildings. The size of this change indicates changes to the house in the preceding years. Field evidence would suggest that the house may have been extended to the east by the incorporation of a former byre into the main building (size and shape of window and door openings to rear elevation) and may have been raised a storey.

At this time, the building has a 54ft 6in frontage. It comprises a kitchen, pantry, five bedrooms, two rooms, a box room and an agricultural store on the first floor of the house. The valuer comments that the house is good, but has ‘no bath or W.C. Clean water carried some distance for house.’ A plan and dimensions are given for the house, a two storey barn and a further one storey outbuilding. All is of rubble masonry and slated apart from an extension to the barn which is roofed with corrugated iron.

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/637A – Townland Valuation (1828-40)
7. PRONI VAL/2/A/6/17 – Griffiths’ Valuation Map
8. PRONI Printed Griffith’s Valuation, Union of Strabane (1859)
9. PRONI VAL/12/A/6/1 – Valuers’ Note Book (1895-1904)
10. PRONI VAL/12/B/42/12A-F – Annual Revision Records (1860-1924)
11. PRONI VAL/3/D/7/10J/1 – Valuers’ RV Binder (1933-57)

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

A. Style
B. Proportion
C. Ornamentation
H-. Alterations detracting from building
J. Setting

Criteria for listing: historic interest

X. Local Interest

Evaluation

An asymmetrical two-storey three-bay house, built c.1820 and located on the east side of Carnkenny Road, Newtownstewart. The house is largely in original condition, with timber sash windows complete with cylinder glazing and traditional lime-rendered walling with contrasting smooth plaster bands at openings. The asymmetrical fenestration and proportions reflects its vernacular origins and it represents a good example of a developed house from the early ninetenth century. The house benfits from an unspoiled rural setting, and is enhanced by a fine outbuilding enlivened with cast-iron occulus windows, and an unusual wrought iron pedestrian entrance gate.