'The Hill' 11 Curlyhill Road, Strabane, Co Tyrone BT82 8LP

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

Substantial two-storey hip-roofed detached house with various square and canted bays, which -evidence suggests- was largely built in 1894, possibly around the fabric of an earlier single-storey dwelling. The property is located within spacious grounds to the south of Curlyhill Road and accessed from a long curving drive to the west.

The property is basically square in plan, but with a large two-storey ‘lean-to’ projection to the rear, and various bays to the N, S and W. The front elevation faces roughly W and is symmetrical. To the centre of the ground floor is the main entrance. This is now surrounded by a modern, multi-faceted PVC-u porch / conservatory, with a hip-roof and tall rendered base. There is a doorway to the S side of the porch, which is accessed via a flight of splayed stone steps with a metal handrail.

Either side of the porch (and positioned quite closely to it) there is a single-storey, square, flat-roofed bay with a large six-light timber mullioned and transomed window to the front face and a much narrower two-light transomed window to the N and S faces. Both bays have cill courses and pronounced cornices. The roofs of the bays appear to be covered in lead.

To the first floor of the front elevation there are three windows with horned timber sash frames (one pane over one).

To the N façade of the main section of the house there is a window to left on the ground floor, as those on first floor front but with the lower half of the window covered by a crudely made security ‘grill’. To the right of this a wall abuts the façade. To right again there is a single-storey canted by, with a slated hipped roof and a window, as before, to each face. To the first floor there are two widely-spaced windows, as previous.

To the right of the S façade of the main section there is a bay, as front, with a window directly above it, also as front. To the right there is a full height canted bay, similar to that to the N façade, but slightly larger and with cill courses (and, of course, two-storey). To the far right the façade merges with the S face of the rear ‘lean-to’ projection. This has a squat window, with a recent-looking timber casement frame, set at a high level to the first floor, with a window to the upper level, much as first floor front, only smaller.

To the rear (E) face of the ‘lean-to’ there are two windows to the right on the ground floor, similar to previous, only slightly larger and with security grills / boards over. To the first floor there are two similar windows (without security grills etc.). To the far right this façade of the ‘lean-to’ is abutted by a large square gate pier. To the N face of the ‘lean-to’ there is a doorway with timber door to the ground floor, with a window, as previous, to the first floor. To the exposed portion (right hand side) of the rear façade of the main section of the building there is a window with recent timber frame.

The whole façade is finished in plain painted render. The hip-roof has a slight overhang and is slated. There is a hip-roofed dormer to the E side (set into the roof of the ‘lean-to’) with a timber casement window. There are two rendered chimneystacks. Cast-iron and aluminium rainwater goods.

To the N of the house there is a relatively large yard with single –storey outbuildings, with whitewashed rubble walls and slated gabled roofs. To the W and S of the house there is a large garden with some mature trees.

Historical information

A house of different plan is shown on this site on the OS map of 1833-34, marked ‘Curly Hill’. The valuation returns of 1832-34 tell us that this house was single-storey, measuring 39ft x 18 x 8½, with an ‘addition’ of 28 x 19 x 9 and returns of 7½ x 4 x 7 and 28½ x 12 x 6½. The property was slated, rated at the respectable sum of £7-14-0, and, by the valuers’ reckoning, (or to their knowledge), at least over twenty-five years old at that point. The plan of the house on the aforementioned OS map suggests it may have been orientated to the east rather than the west, however a drive following the line of the present one is shown on the revised map of 1857, perhaps indicating that this may not have been the case; if it were not then the building must have had an irregular frontage.

The occupant in 1832 is recorded as a James McCullough. The same person, or a son / relative of the same name, is listed as the resident in the valuation of 1860 also, with the representatives of Mrs. Skipton recorded as the lessor. Strangely, however the 1857 valuation appears to list a Gustavus Syan as the occupant- indicating that the property was not in McCullough hands for a period.

The ‘1860’ James McCullough was succeeded in 1873 by a Miss McCullough. In this year also, the rateable value jumps almost £5 from £7-15-0 to £12-5-0. This leap in value would appear to suggest the addition of a not insubstantial extension or a rebuild of some kind, however, the valuers are silent on the matter, and in 1885 the value drops back slightly to £10-5-0.

Some rebuilding did take place in 1894, however, when the valuers refer to the house as ‘down’ with the ownership of the offices, (i.e. the outbuildings), transferred to a new building, held by an Andrew J. Brown. On the face of it, this seems to imply that the original house was swept away and one built in its place, however, in an entry in the valuers’ notebook for 1910, the main portion of the ‘new’ dwelling is specifically referred to as ‘old’, with one valuer adding ‘house old and badly built’. This would seem to imply that part of the original dwelling was incorporated into the new house. The thick walls of the ground floor of the present building, a sure sign of rubble masonry construction, indicates that this could be true.

Whatever the case, the house -marked ‘Sans Souci’- is shown much as present on the OS map of 1905, but without the square bays to the front and the canted bay to the south. The aforementioned valuers’ notebook of 1910 tells us that the two-storey side bay was added in that year, but, oddly, describes the front bays as being ‘improved’ rather than classing them as completely new additions. The same entry in the notebook also tells us that house contained ‘three reception [rooms], four bedrooms, servant’s room, bath, WC and out offices’

Andrew J. Brown sublet the property to an H.W. Pollock from 1894 to 1896, and then to a J. Chambers. In 1901 the lease was back in the hands of the representatives of Mrs Skipton again, with a Thomas Dillon the tenant. A Jonathan Stewart Harpur succeeded him in 1909, acquiring the freehold in 1917. In 1935 the house was sold to a W. Stevenson, with whose descendant it remains.

At some point after 1935, but before 1968, the name of the property was changed to ‘The Hill’.

References- Primary sources
1 ‘Pigot & Co’s City of Dublin and Hibernian Commercial Directory (Manchester 1824)
2 PRONI VAL/1B/638A First valuation, Camus parish (1832-c.38)
3 PRONI VAL/1B/638B First valuation, Camus parish (1832-c.38)
4 PRONI VAL/1B/638C First valuation, Camus parish (1832-c.38)
5 PRONI OS/6/5/5/1 OS map, County Tyrone sheet 5 (1833-34)
6 Lewis, Samuel, ‘Topographical history of Ireland’ (London, 1837)
7 ‘Slater’s National Commercial Directory of Ireland (Manchester, 1846)
8 ‘Slater’s National Commercial Directory of Ireland (Manchester, 1856)
9 PRONI VAL/2B/6/41 Second valuation, Camus parish (1857)
10 PRONI VAL/2D/6/18A Valuation town plan of Strabane (1857 [-59])
11 PRONI VAL/2D/6/18B Valuation town plan of Strabane (1857 [-59]) [PRONI also holds a microfiche copy of this plan, catalogued under the ref. T/2933/4/252.]
12 PRONI VAL/12B/42/31A Annual valuation revision, Strabane ED(1860-64)
13 PRONI VAL/12B/42/31B Annual valuation revision, Strabane ED (1864-73)
14 ‘Slater’s Royal National Commercial Directory of Ireland’ (Manchester, 1870)
15 PRONI VAL/12B/42/31C Annual valuation revision, Strabane ED (1874-81)
16 PRONI VAL/12B/42/31D Annual valuation revision, Strabane ED (1882-91)
17 PRONI OS/8/25/1/1-17 OS town plan of Strabane (1883)
18 PRONI OS/9/22/2/1-17 OS town plan of Strabane (1883)
19 PRONI VAL/12E/187/1/1-12 Valuation town plan of Strabane (1884 [-1908])
20 PRONI VAL/12B/42/31E Annual valuation revision, Strabane ED (1892-96)
21 PRONI VAL/12B/42/31F Annual valuation revision, Strabane ED (1892-96)
22 PRONI VAL/12B/42/31G Annual valuation revision, Strabane UD (1897-1910)
23 PRONI VAL/12B/42/31H Annual valuation revision, Strabane UD (1897-1910)
24 PRONI OS/8/25/2/1-3 OS town plan of Strabane (1905)
25 ‘Belfast and Province of Ulster Directory’ (Belfast, 1905)
26 PRONI VAL/12B/42/31J Annual valuation revision, Strabane UD (1911-22)
27 PRONI VAL/12B/42/31K Annual valuation revision, Strabane UD (1911-22)
28 PRONI VAL/12B/42/31L Annual valuation revision, Strabane UD (1922-31)
29 PRONI VAL/12B/42/31M Annual valuation revision, Strabane UD (1922-31)
30 PRONI VAL/3B/7/14 First General Revaluation of Northern Ireland, Strabane UD (1935
31 PRONI VAL/3C/7/23 First General Revaluation of Northern Ireland, annual revisions, Strabane UD (1936-57)
32 PRONI VAL/3G/159/1/1-3 Valuation town plan of Strabane (1936-55)
33 PRONI VAL/3G/159/2/1-3 Valuation town plan of Strabane (1951-55) [Sheets 1 and 3 are currently missing.]
34 EHS OS map (1:10,000 scale), sheet 72 (1983)

Secondary sources
1 Bradley, Jim, et al, ‘The Fair River Valley: Strabane Through the Ages’ (Belfast, Ulster Historical Foundation, 2000)

Other
references
1 EHS HB10/14/024 First Survey report (11 Feb 1970)

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

Not listed

Criteria for listing: historic interest

Not listed

Evaluation

Substantial two-storey hip-roofed detached house with various square and canted bays, which -evidence suggests- was largely built in 1894, possibly around the fabric of an earlier single-storey dwelling. In terms of its development, this house seems to have an interesting history, but architecturally it is of little interest.