Altamuskin Post Office,

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

Detached three-bay two-storey house, built c.1900, located to the west side of Altamuskin Road, Sixmilecross. Rectangular-on-plan with single-storey windbreak off-centre at right.

Roof is pitched natural slate, blue/black clay ridge tiles; three brick corbelled chimneystacks; timber eaveboards, u-profile cast-iron rainwater goods. Walls are ruled-and-lined rendered random rubble, smooth rendered to principal east elevation with shell and pebble insets. Windows are square-headed 2/2 timber sliding sashes with projecting masonry cills and decorative architraves which match rendering technique (Rear windows are replacement timber casements with projecting masonry cills).

Principal elevation faces east and contains single-storey windbreak porch off-centre at left; single window at right, two windows at left, first floor window fenestration identical to that at ground floor. Over the entrance porch is a wall plaque which reads; 'ALTAMUSKIN/ POST OFFICE'. Left of the ground floor windows a cast-metal painted post box is set into the wall.

Entrance porch comprises central replacement timber door at south accessed by single masonry step; left and right cheeks are blank.

Left (south) gable is blank.

Rear (west) elevation contains timber sheeted entrance door at right, three windows at left; three windows at first floor.

Right (north) gable is blank.

Setting:-
The site is bounded on the road side by random rubble walling; house accessed via four stone steps from road edge to cobbled path which leads to the principal entrance. Adjacent to the main house/post office at north and south are random rubble outbuildings, each aligned east-west with corrugated metal sheeted roofs. Directly opposite on the east site of Altamuskin road is a two-storey random rubble outbuilding also with corrugated metal sheeted roof and external stone steps. All the outbuildings appear to date from the time of the earlier house, c.1830. An original cast-metal painted telephone kiosk is located east of the post office inside the boundary wall.

Roof: Natural Slate
Walling: Pebble dash/ rendered
Windows: Timber
RWG: Cast-iron

Historical information

A building is present on the site on the first edition of the OS Map (1834). However, the building is first captioned “Altamuskin Post Office” on the third edition (1906-7).

Griffiths Valuations (1858) records a “house, office and land”, occupied by Daniel O’Donnell, leased from Sir William Verner Bt, and with buildings valued at £2. In 1864 the occupier is revised to Patrick Shiels and in 1895 the valuation is raised to £4, probably corresponding to a rebuilding of the property. James Shiels becomes the owner in fee in 1906.

Valuers’ notes of 1933 list a ‘house, shop, post office, offices, land and bog,’ owned by Patrick Shiels (occupier from 1929). The house is described as “a roughly finished rubble masonry farmhouse, medium-poor position, 1 room used as Post Office and shop.” Accommodation includes three bedrooms, one reception room, kitchen and P[antry?]. Dimensions and a plan are given and the house is two storeys and 150 square yards; while the shop occupies only a single floor and is 13 square yards. The value of the house is subsequently raised to £4.5s (undated change).

References:

Primary Sources

PRONI OS/6/6/44/1 OS Map First Edition (1834)
PRONI OS/6/6/44/2 OS Map Second Edition (1854)
PRONI OS/6/6/44/3 OS Map Third Edition (1906-7)
PRONI OS/6/6/44/4 OS Map Fourth Edition (1935)
PRONI VAL/2/A/6/44C Griffiths Valuation Map
PRONI VAL/2/B/6/4B Griffiths Valuation Book (1858)
PRONI VAL/12B/36/15A-F Valuation Revisions Book (1860-1929)
PRONI VAL/3D/7/2N/1 - Valuers’ R.V. Binder (1933-1957)

The property was again inspected on 8 Sep 1953, when owner Patrick Shiels built a new house and shop, which does not mention a post office and was separately valued Shiel’s own residence with shop and post office. The new structure was valued at L5 for a total of L5. Occupied by Peter McCrory, it was “a plain lock-up shop has been built by [the] imm[ediate] lessor at a cost of some L175 and labour suppier. The shop is let to the present occupier at 8/ rent[?]. District is remote and trading facilities are not yet known. Est. 1939 rent = 3/6 p/w + say L9 p.a.t Scale N.A.V. L5.5.0 fix at L5.

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

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

Evaluation

Detached three-bay two-storey house, built c.1900. An early twentieth-century house/ post office composed on a symmetrical rectangular plan, exhibiting unusual external detailing with decorative elements. Internally well preserved with many features remaining largely intact, including the post office. Although there have been minor alterations, the house retains much of its original fabric and character including wall inset post box and adjacent telephone kiosk. It is an unusual survival representing a rural service with social importance and in virtually original condition.

General comments

New Listing