15 Main Street

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

Detached asymmetrical three-bay one-and-a-half-storey house, former police station, now a house, built c.1840, located to the south side of Main Street, Beragh. L-shaped on plan, facing north; right bay is gabled with perpendicular ridge over one-and-a-half-storey gabled return to rear; single-storey gabled entrance porch to north.

Roof is half-hipped natural slate; blue/black clay ridge tiles; three stepped chimneystacks, (lower part rendered, upper part red brick) with clay pots; deep overhanging eaves with serrated fascias and scalloped bargeboards supported on exposed decorative rafter ends; half-round cast-iron rainwater goods, cast-iron hoppers (replacement uPVC rainwater goods to rear). Walls are roughly coursed squared-and-snecked rubble stone with stepped quoins and projecting chamfered plinth (unless otherwise stated). Windows are replacement double-glazed square-headed 1/1 timber sliding sashes within stepped chamfered droved and stugged finish sandstone surrounds with splayed cills unless otherwise stated. Windows at first floor diminished, all ground floor windows with the exception of those on the principal elevation have painted vertical cast-iron railings.

Principal elevation faces north and is abutted to centre by single-storey entrance porch with pitched roof. Right bay is gabled and contains tripartite window at ground floor, divided by plain chamfered sandstone mullions; dipartite window at attic-storey. Left bay contains dipartite window at ground floor and attic-storey, (that at attic contained within wall-head dormer.) Central bay has single window within wall-head dormer. Entrance porch is detailed as main block with pitched natural slate roof. North elevation contains round-arched-headed timber sheeted entrance door with original ironmongery intact including decorative strap hinges; projecting flat archivolt over. Left cheek is abutted to right corner by projecting decorative plinth wall with saddleback coping, single replacement double-glazed casement window to centre. Right cheek detailed as left.

Left (east) elevation is ruled-and-lined rendered with sandstone quoins and window surrounds exposed. Single window to left at each floor.

Rear elevation is abutted to left by one-and-a-half storey return with pitched natural slate roof. Exposed section at right is painted and abutted to re-entrant angle by single-storey entrance porch with natural slate lean-to roof. Exposed section is blank. Entrance porch contains Replacement uPVC ogee rainwater goods; east elevation contains timber sheeted entrance door with original ironmongery including decorative strap hinges; south elevation contains single window.

Right (west) elevation is detailed as left, with single window at right at first floor, elevation extended to south by (flush) adjoining return (description below).

Return south elevation is detailed as main block with smooth rendered walls; square 2/2 timber sliding sash window at left at ground floor; two windows at first floor, (square 1/1 timber sliding sash at left , uPVC casement window at right). East elevation is abutted by lean-to entrance porch at right surmounted by wall-head dormer containing single 1/1 timber sliding sash window, exposed section at left contains three windows. West elevation detailed right elevation of main block contains two chimneystacks within pitched slated wall-head gables with decorative bargeboards; single window at ground floor; two windows at first floor.

Setting

Located in a small village, set back from the main line of development; narrow garden to south. Series of single-storey outbuildings to rear, those at west with pitched natural slate roof; blue/black ridge tiles; timber sheeted doors and casement windows; those at west also have original timber fenestration intact and corrugated metal sheeted roof. Pedestrian access to rear of property through painted cast-iron gate supported on sandstone pier abutting north-east corner of house. Yard bounded to east by painted random rubble wall with random rubble coping.

Roof Natural slate
Walling stone
Windows timber
RWG cast-iron & uPVC

Historical information

The property first appears in Griffith’s Valuation Lists of 1856-64 and is listed as a “Police barracks, yard and garden” leased from the Earl of Belmore and valued at £12 0s 0d but exempt. There are no changes in use, value or lessor in the Annual Revision Records. However in 1896 there is an amendment from police to constabulary barracks and in 1917, an amendment to R I Constabulary.

A marginal note of 1891 records the state of the building: “Yard wall enclosed and the fences and garden in good order. The barrack is in good repair and the sergeant says the landlord promptly attends to every complaint. There is a pump in the yard but drinking water must be obtained from the public pump, the water in which is good. The drainage may be said to be good. It occasionally gets…(illegible)…flushing power. There is a pipe running from the Barrack to a stream at foot of garden.”

A parish history records; “This sandstone-fronted house…was built 1830 by the… Earl of Belmore…the land-owner. It was built to be leased to the RIC as a barracks and remained so until their disbandment in 1920. The RUC used it as their barracks until they moved to the present barracks in 1939.” (p.175)

The First survey card states 'Replaces former bldg on site. Suggest mid 19c. Former bldg shown on OS map of 1834'

References:

Primary Sources

1. PRONI VAL/1/B/627– Townland Valuation Records (1828-40)
2. PRONI VAL/1/D/6/7 – Townland Valuation Town Plan
3. PRONI VAL/2/B/6/29 – Griffith’s Valuation (1856-64)
4. PRONI VAL/2/D/6/15 – Griffith’s Town Plan
5. PRONI VAL/12/B/41/4 A-G – Annual Revision Records (1860-1929)
6. PRONI VAL/12/E/163/1 and 2 – Annual Revision Town Plans

Secondary Sources

1. Dougherty, Rev R ‘Parish of Clogherney’, 1938

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

A. Style
B. Proportion
C. Ornamentation
H-. Alterations detracting from building
I. Quality and survival of Interior

Criteria for listing: historic interest

X. Local Interest
Y. Social, Cultural or Economic Importance

Evaluation

Detached asymmetrical three-bay one-and-a-half-storey house, built c.1840. The house retains many original and important design features of the period and much original fabric, including original cast-iron security bars to windows. The picturesque design is unusual for a police station and for being built by the landlord for the purpose. As such it is also of interest as part of the development of police stations and barracks.