Parochial House

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

Detached asymmetrical three-bay two-storey parochial house, dated 1903, located to the east side of Chapel Lane, Gortin.
L-shaped plan with projecting gabled left bay and full-height (narrower) gabled entrance bay to re-entrant angle. Double (M-profile) rear return further abutted by single-storey hipped roof extension.

Roof is pitched natural slate with clay crested ridge tiles and filigree cross finials; three stepped smooth-rendered corbelled chimneystacks with clay pots; fourth to two-storey extension to rear. Timber bargeboards to gables with deep overhanging timber sheeted eaves supported on exposed rafter ends; eaves supported on stone corbel table; ogee cast-iron rainwater goods; some replacement aluminium to rear. Walls are smooth rendered with projecting string course and tall projecting plinth. Windows are square-headed 1/1 uPVC casements with projecting masonry cills.

Principal elevation faces west; left bay contains two-storey canted bay with hipped natural slate roof and window to each face at each floor surmounted by datestone “1903”.
Entrance bay has a window to each floor; that to ground floor with label mould, surmounted by half-round oriel on bell corbel having three stained glass windows. Left cheek contains six-panel timber door with fanlight; recessed within round-arched-headed chamfered surround with hoodmould and label-stops. Accessed by five perpendicular masonry steps with bull-nose tread and wrought-iron handrail to each side (left handrail abuts west elevation of central two-storey return). Right bay contains paired windows at each floor (ground floor windows in projecting bay with continuous cill and curb roof with moulded cornice).

Left elevation (north) contains two windows at ground floor (left within projecting left bay). Single window at first floor.

Rear elevation is abutted at centre by two-storey gabled return; right cheek abutted by two-storey gabled extension. Exposed section at left contains single window at each floor, (that at first floor diminished in height). Two-storey return gable contains single window at each floor, (that at ground floor diminished); left cheek contains single window at ground floor, two windows at first floor. Two-storey return gable is abutted by single-storey hipped extension; exposed section is blank. Right cheek, ground floor, contains paired window at left, single window at right; two windows at first floor.

Single-storey hipped extension contains square-headed timber-sheeted entrance door at south elevation with single window at left; two windows at east elevation; single window at north.

Right gable (south) is detailed as left gable with single window to left at first floor.

Setting:-
The house is located on an elevated site to the east of Chapel lane; bounded by random rubble wall to all north, south and west sides; accessed from west through square plan random rubble piers with stone pyramidal caps. The rear of the house is accessed from a lane running east-west along the northern boundary of the site. St Patrick's Roman Catholic Church (HB11/16/009A) is located to the south of the parochial house; the two are accessible through pedestrian gate on the connecting boundary wall through a wrought-iron gate supported on square ruled-and-lined rendered piers with stone pyramidal caps and cast-metal finials. A second wrought-iron pedestrian gate is located at the north-east corner of the house, and leads to the rear yard. Recent hall, built c.2007, to north-east (of no interest). Graveyard (HB11/16/009C) to north of Chapel Lane.

Roof: Natural slate
Walling: Smooth render
Windows: uPVC
RWG: Cast-iron / aluminium

Historical information

The Parochial house is first shown on the third edition OS map of 1905-6.
A date stone gives the date of construction as 1903. The building is close to St Patrick’s RC Church which was constructed circa 1898.

References:

Primary Sources

1. PRONI OS/6/6/18/1-First Edition OS Map (1833)
2. PRONI OS/6/6/18/2-Second Edition OS Map (1854)
3. PRONI OS/6/6/18/3-Third Edition OS Map (1905-6)

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

Not listed

Criteria for listing: historic interest

Not listed

Evaluation

Detached asymmetrical three-bay two-storey parochial house, dated 1903. It remains in use as the parochial house for St. Patrick’s Church (HB11/16/009A). The house retains some original design features of the period and original fabric. However, while of local interest, it is of a late date and not among the best examples of the type and has been compromised by the loss of original fenestration.

General comments

This record has been renumbered as part of a group - previously HB11/16/009.