Outbuilding complex to rear of Alexander House

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

Large, two storey, U-shaped limestone-built gabled outbuilding of 1830, set to the rear of Alexander House, a large gentleman’s ‘village’ residence of possible mid to later 18th century construction. The whole ensemble is situated close to the south end of Caledon Main Street.

The outbuilding complex lies to the rear of the service section of Alexander House. It is a large two storey structure, basically U-shaped but with two minor projections to the E side. It is in limestone rubble with scabbled dressings to openings and as quoin; the roof is gabled and slated.

The E elevation of the E wing of the complex has a single storey projecting section to far left and far right, both with steep mono-pitched roofs. That to left (S) has a small window opening to its E face and a corrugated metal roof, whilst that to right has a door and window opening and is roofless. To centre and left are two large vehicle archways with very shallow (almost) segmental heads and stone dressings. Both these arches are open with that to the centre continuing through this section of the building to the courtyard beyond. Above this arch is a red sandstone date panel (‘1830’). To the right of the centre arch is a timber sheeted door with a Georgian-paned sash window (6/6). To the first floor are three square windows, with multi-pane frame to that to left and recent double glazed frames to the rest. To the left hand edge of this elevation there extends a tall rubble wall- there is a doorway to the E end of this wall.

To the S gable of this section there is a slit window to the ground floor. To the N gable a former ground floor doorway has been blocked up in brick. To right hand side of the W elevation is the back end of the archway (see above). To the first floor are two slit windows with a (much larger) sash window (6/6) to far right. To the left hand edge of this elevation there extends a tall rubble-built wall. This wall appears to have had a large gateway opening to its W end but this has been filled in rubble enclosing this side of the courtyard (though a defunct gate pier remains).

The S portion of the building has four doorways filled with various timber sheeted doors (of which one is a stable door). To far right is a slit window. To the first floor are two square-ish window openings (with frames), with a timber sheeted loft door in between. The rear (S) elevation has two slit windows to right on the ground floor.

The W portion of the building has three timber sheeted stable doors to the ground floor of its E elevation with a plain sash window and slit window in between the 2nd and 3rd doors. To the first floor there are two square-ish windows (that to left louvered, that to right completely open), with a loft doorway (without door) in between. The S gable of this portion is blank. To the N gable there is a single storey stone gabled building, now converted to a garage, belonging to the neighbouring property to the north. The W elevation could not be seen in its entirety but internal evidence suggests it is blank.

The whole of the outbuilding complex is in grey / light-brown limestone rubble with smoother stone in-out dressings to openings. Some small sections of the façade are covered in plant growth (much of which appears to be dead). Stone cills. The gabled roof is slated and has stone parapets. The eastern portion has a rendered chimneystack to S of centre of the ridge. No rw goods.

To the S and W of the outbuilding complex is a large garden. To the S the garden is enclosed by a tall rubble-built wall.

Historical information

Alexander House
The earliest direct reference to the house would appear to be Robert Barn’s 1813 map of Caledon, which depicts a large two storey house on this site with what appears to be a flight of steps leading to the door. We have no proof, of course that this is indeed the present house, however, for though the property is undoubtedly that shown on the valuation map of 1838, the accompanying valuation book (unusually) gives no details as to its age. Nonetheless there are some important pieces of information which suggest that the building dates from well before 1813, and who it may have been built for.

Barn’s map tells us that the property belonged to a John Pringle in 1813. The Pringle family held the leases of much property within Caledon from at least 1737 to the early 1800s, mostly on the western side of the street. A lease of 1737 specifically stipulates that an earlier John Pringle ‘build six dwelling houses each 35ft long…20ft wide and 10ft high and office houses comfortable’. As with many such stipulations, the dimensions given were usually minimum requirements, with the dwellings actually built exceeding them. Thus it is possible, that the present Alexander House was built in or closely after this date. This suggestion is supported by other evidence. Firstly, successive members of the Pringle family acted as agents for the owners of Caledon from the 1776 at least, as agents usually lived in a relatively high status residence- it is feasible to suggest that the house was standing at this date. Secondly, certain elements of the detailing to the house appear early to mid 18th century, most notably the staircase and the architraves. Thus it is probable that this house was built by the Pringle family, that it served as the agent’s residence from the beginning (as it definitely did for much of the 19th century), and that it may date from the mid 1700s.

The last Pringle owner of the house appears to have been the aforementioned John, who died c.1815. He was followed as resident (and as agent) by Henry Leslie Prentice, who is listed as such in the valuation of 1838 and whose family remained there until the 1870s. The Prentices were followed in the later 19th and early 20th century by various members of the Alexander family, relations of the Earls of Caledon.

The property is shown on the 1838 valuation map along with the service section to the north and the outbuilding complex to the rear. The service section is also indicated on Barn’s 1813 map, but we know from its datestone that the outbuilding (which mainly contained stables) appeared in 1830. By 1860, when the second valuation map was produced, the porch had been added to the front of the house.

In the later 1800s significant alterations were made to property with the large return added to the rear of the service section, some windows to the front of the house enlarged and the square bay added to the rear. Judging from the style of these changes (i.e. the mullioned and transomed window frames, the fretted gables to the service section etc.) and the information supplied by the annual valuation revision books, it would appear that they were carried out in 1898. The large return, however, has the appearance of being slightly earlier (it seems to be completely built of rubble), but there is no documentary evidence to support this. It is probable that the 1898 changes involved the heightening of the service section, for its front windows are awkwardly close to the eaves, its roofline cuts across an attic window to the house, and the uppermost portions of the walls are in brick rather than stone.

Subsquent changes to the property appear to have been largely internal with the large opening in the living room wall (linking it with the kitchen) inserted some time in the mid 1900s and most of the fireplaces removed. In recent years the service section has been used mainly as a store.

References- Primary sources
1 PRONI D.2433 Caledon Papers [See individual
references]
2 PRONI D.2433/A/5/3 Caledon Papers ‘Transactions relating to the Caledon Estate since the grant thereof to William Hamilton Esq. by King Charles 2nd’ (Summaries of various, mainly early to mid 18th century, leases.)
3 PRONI D.2433/A/1/85/1 Caledon Papers Lease from the Earl of Cork & Orrery to William Pringle of a tenement and garden in Caledon, 1 June 1773
4 ‘Taylor’s and Skinner’s Maps of the roads of Ireland’ (Dublin, 1777)
5 PRONI D.2433/A/13/7/1 Caledon Papers ‘A map and survey of tenements and gardens in the town of Calidon by Robt. Barns’, 1813
6 PRONI OS/6/6/67/1 OS map 1st ed. 1834, Co Tyrone sh.67
7 ‘Ordnance Survey Memoirs of Ireland vol.20: Parishes of County Tyrone II’, ed. Angelique Day and Patrick McWilliams
(QUB 1993)
8 PRONI VAL/1D/6/8 Valuation town plan of Caledon (c.1833-38)
9 PRONI VAL/1B/66c First valuation, Parish of Aghaloo (1836-38)
10 ‘Belfast and Province of Ulster Directory’ Vols.1-21, 1852-1900, (Belfast, Henderson [1852-65], Belfast News-Letter [1865- ])
11 PRONI OS/6/6/67/2 OS map 1st rev c.1857, Co Tyrone sh.67
12 PRONI VAL/2B/6/6C Second valuation, Parish of Aghaloo (1859) [in print]
13 PRONI VAL/2D/6/14 Valuation town plan of Caledon (1859)
14 ‘Slater’s Royal National Commercial Directory of Ireland’ (Manchester 1870)
15 PRONI VAL/12B/38/8b-f Annual valuation revision books, 1864-1929
16 PRONI VAL/12E/164/1 Valuation town plan of Caledon, 1905 [-1909]
17 PRONI OS/65/1 OS town plan of Caledon (1907)
18 PRONI D.2433/A/13/51/1 Caledon Papers Plan for ‘alterations to Alexander House, Caledon’, ?c.1910-20
19 PRONI VAL/3G/136/2 Valuation town plan of Caledon (1935-54)
20 EHS Records of the first survey of buildings of historical and architectural interest in Caledon ward (1971)

Secondary sources
1 John Johnston Marshall ‘History of the territory of Munterburn and town of Caledon’ (Dungannon, Tyrone Printing Co., 1923)

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

A. Style
B. Proportion
H-. Alterations detracting from building
J. Setting
K. Group value

Criteria for listing: historic interest

X. Local Interest

Evaluation

Large U-shaped limestone-built gabled outbuilding to Alexander House dating from 1830. Well proportioned, consistent in its style and considered relative to to the setting of nearby buidings.