7 Mellon Road

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

Detached three-bay single-storey direct-entry thatched dwelling, built c.1810, located to the south side of Mellon Road, part of the Ulster American Folk Park open-air museum. Roof is scallop thatched with stone verges and two external sod chimneys, scallops exposed at ridge and eaves only, otherwise concealed by overlying thatch (restored c.2009.) Walls are lime-rendered random rubble; windows are 4/4 timber sliding sashes with timber lintels and projecting masonry cills.

Principal elevation faces west with projecting windbreak porch off centre at left; single 6/6 window at left; two windows at right, (that at left is 6/6, second is diminished 4/4). Windbreak porch contains half-door hinged outside vertically sheeted timber inner full-door, accessed externally by semi-circular cobbled surface.

Left gable is abutted at centre by lower single-storey outbuilding, detailed as dwelling. Exposed section contains window at left (now painted.)

Rear elevation contains door off centre at right; single window at right; two windows at left.

Right gable is blank.

Part of the Ulster American Folk Park, this dwelling remains within its original location and farmyard
setting, with thatched granary and cart shed at north and later byre and stables at south; these buildings are similarly detailed but with pitched natural slate roofs.
Entrance from Mellon Road at north through original wrought-iron gate, supported on two circular random rubble lime-rendered piers. Stone drinking trough and cow-tail pump to north of house.

Roof Scallop thatched
Walling Lime-rendered random rubble
Windows 4/4 timber sliding sashes
RWG N/A

Historical information

The main house is shown on the first edition OS map of 1833, however most of the outbuildings are not shown at this stage, except a small rectangular building to the left of the south elevation orientated west to east. The 1854 map records the outbuilding to the north west of the main house, and the 1905 edition shows the larger outbuilding at the south elevation.

Griffiths Valuation records the occupier of a ‘house, offices and land’ as Catherine Colhoun, the building valuation is £1. Valuation Revisions record the occupier revised to John Ferguson, and to Joseph Steel in 1872. In 1905 a house valued at £0.5s on the same plot, is deleted from the fieldbook. No other changes are noted.

Information from the Ulster American Folk Park states that the house was home to the Mellon family, who built the house shortly before 1813 when Thomas Mellon was born. The family emigrated to America in 1818, where Thomas Mellon was to rise to power as an industrialist and Judge. Descendants of Thomas Mellon restored the house c.1968, where it became the centrepiece of the Ulster American Folk Park in 1976.

References:

Primary Sources

1.PRONI OS/6/6/25/1 –First Edition OS Map (1833)
2.PRONI OS/6/6/25/2 –Second Edition OS Map (1854)
3.PRONI OS/6/6/25/3 –Third Edition OS Map (1905)
4.PRONI VAL/2/B/6/47B –Griffith’s Valuation (1858)
5.PRONI VAL/12/B/41/24A-F –Valuation Revisions (1860-1923)

Secondary Sources:

1. Website of the Ulster American Folk Park, accessed at http://www.folkpark.com/ (22/05/09)

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

A. Style
B. Proportion
C. Ornamentation
D. Plan Form
I. Quality and survival of Interior
J. Setting

Criteria for listing: historic interest

V. Authorship
X. Local Interest
Z. Rarity

Evaluation

Detached three-bay single-storey direct-entry thatched dwelling, built c.1810, located to the south side of Mellon Road. Largely intact in plan form and internal detailing; including a well preserved wall hearth with lime rendered wattle canopy supported on masonry jambs with cobbled open hearth. This is one of the only dwellings in the Ulster American Folk Park to remain in its original location and it has historical importance as the original homestead of Thomas Mellon, who as a child emigrated with his family to Western Pennsylvania. The Mellons are significant in the emigrant trail to America, where Thomas became a lawyer and the family an important part of American society. The overall restoration has taken care to retain original fabric and character and the house is a very good example of a rare type of rural dwelling.

General comments

New listing.