Ballagh Cottage

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

A charming two-storey cottage orné, one of a series of similar buildings aligned NW-SE along road to Armagh Manor (HB12/01/041). It has an H-plan-form and comprises of four bays. For the purposes of this description bays 1-4 are as viewed from façade.

Roofs are pitched artificial slate with overhanging eaves with exposed rafter tails and decoratively carved ‘teardrop’ bargeboards with point-headed finial to front and rear elevations – others are plainly detailed. There are three chimneystacks - that to left gable of Bay 1 is brick with terracotta pots. Bay 3 and 4 each has a cement-rendered brick chimney with tall octagonal shafts with moulded caps. That to Bay 3 is placed to its left gable and has three shafts - that to Bay 4 is set perpendicular to ridge and has four shafts.
Metal rainwater goods almost gone.

Walls are random rubble stone with dressed sandstone stepped quoins and window dressings to canted bay of main block. Other openings have brick dressings. The apex of this Bay 4 is brick. A number of walls have been repaired with concrete blocks.

The principal elevation faces SW and most of the external emphasis is placed on Bay 4.

1. Bay 4
This is the tallest and most decoratively detailed block. It has a ¾ height canted bay with artificial slate roof with lead flashings and plain timber bargeboards. Each face has a window to each floor with stone cills; those to ground floor have timber hood moulds. All are pairs of 3x3 side-hung timber windows, those to first floor are diminished in height. A canopy supported by timber columns between first and second floors of canted bay has now collapsed. Left gable is abutted by Bay 3 which is set back slightly; the exposed section is blank. Right gable is abutted to centre by a single-storey entrance porch with pitched roof – the exposed left section has an infilled door opening. Left cheek of porch has been rebuilt using concrete blocks and formerly contained a door. Its end gable has window opening with stone cill and the remains of a fixed 2x6 timber window. The right cheek is blank.

2. Bay 3
One-and-a-half storey block with central oriel window supported on four chunky moulded stone brackets. It has a hipped roof tying into front pitch with wavy timber bargeboards and timber sheeted cheeks; it formerly contained a three-paned fixed timber window. It has a door opening to ground floor. Its left gable is abutted by Bay 2 and the exposed section is blank.

3. Bay 2.
A narrow single-storey block with three narrow window openings with stone cills to principal elevation. They formerly contained 1x4 fixed paned timber windows. Left gable is abutted by a taller single-storey carriage-house.

4. Bay 1
Single-storey carriage-house with lower front section projecting forward and free on all three sides. The right cheek of the front section has a horseshoe opening with stone voussoirs now infilled with rubble stone and containing a narrow window opening to centre with stone cill. Principal elevation has a pair of sheeted timber doors with brick jack arch over; above is a point-headed brick dressed window opening with brick mullion. Left cheek has a window opening with the remains of a 2x4 field stone cill. The rear block of the carriage-house is completely abutted to right by Bay 2 and to front by the lower section. Its left gable has an advanced rubble stone chimneybreast to centre; to either side is a window opening – that to right contains a 2x4 fixed timber window with stone cill; that to left is infilled with concrete cill.

The rear elevation of the cottage has been extended by unfinished concrete block additions with timber casement windows – all of no interest. The rear of Bay 1 has a door opening with brick dressings set to the right. Above to first floor centre is a side-hung casement window. The rear of bay 2 has a door opening to right; Bay 3 is blank. The rear of Bay 4 has an infilled window opening to centre.

Historical information

Erected 1857 by James Haire of nearby Armagh Manor.

Secondary sources:
1. A. Rowan, ‘North West Ulster’ (Harmondsworth 1957), p.236.

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

A. Style
B. Proportion
C. Ornamentation
D. Plan Form
J. Setting
K. Group value

Criteria for listing: historic interest

X. Local Interest

Evaluation

A charming cottage orné, one of a series of buildings associated to the nearby Armagh Manor (HB12/01/041). Despite its present condition the building retains much of its original character. Along with the related estate structures (HB12/01/039, /042) the cottage forms part of a coherent and striking group of buildings.