57 Derrycarne Road

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

A single-storey/ four bay building situated at the end of a short tree-lined lane running east to the River Bann. The house is orientated east-west. A dwelling, which is of hearth-lobby configuration, occupies the east three bays; at the west end is a single bay storeroom. It measures 21.0m x 5.8m (averaged) in overall plan, of which the house is 14.2m long. The wall head rises to 3.0m at its southeast corner.

Pitched painted corrugated metal roof with half-round plastic gutters on a plain eaves board. As will become evident internally, the roof was formerly thatched. The few iron pegs which project from the wall heads suggest rope-thatch. On the party wall between the middle and right-hand bays of the house (looking north) is a concrete block chimney with two plain ceramic stacks.

The walls are of partly of rubble stone and partly of compacted mud bonded with straw. The latter are set over a shallow base course. The mud walls are finished with lime render (in places fallen away), and all were once whitewashed over a tarred base.

The main facade faces south and appears to be of mud throughout. At the right end of the middle bay of the house is a small porch with lean-to corrugated metal roof. The walls of this porch are rendered and whitewashed (probably over masonry) with projecting eaves course. No gutter. Its front wall (to south) has a fixed three-pane window (vertical divisions) with three vertical security bars over. The right hand cheek has a painted t+g entrance door with cottage latch. The left cheek is blank.

The middle bay on the main wall to the left of the porch has a small 6/6 sliding sash window (no horns) with two vertical metal bars over. This and all other windows are of timber, with timber heads and cills unless otherwise stated. The left-hand bay of the house has a 3/6 sliding sash window (no horns) with two vertical and two horizontal bars over. The right-hand bay of the dwelling is lit by a 6/6 sliding sash window (with horns) flanked by a 2/2 sash on each side (without horns). No bars to this window. Immediately below, to the outside, a flat boulder has been positioned to form a seat.

The store, which forms the left-hand bay of the building has, at right, a plain-sheeted entrance door. The wall between the store and house appears to be continuous, indicating that both are contemporary.

The left gable (to west) if of random rubble stone. Hand-made brick has been used for the apex and along the gable heads. It has two window openings, both with brick jambs. Only the frame of the left-hand one survives (it may have contained a shutter rather than a window originally). The right-hand opening has been infilled with concrete blocks.

The rear elevation (to north) has walls of both stone and mud. The left and right bays of the house are of mud, and its remaining bay and that of the store of rubble stone. The right side of the middle bay of the dwelling is abutted by a post-war scullery annex. This has a felted flat roof and painted smooth-render cement walls (probably over concrete blocks). Its rear wall (to north) has a fixed single-pane window with concrete cill. Its left cheek has a timber entrance door, panelled to its lower half and with margin-paned glazing above. It is older than the annex and has obviously been relocated. The right cheek of the annex is blank.

On the main wall of the middle bay, immediately left of this annex, is a small 5x3 paned window, to the left of which is a small three-paned window; neither have a cill. The left bay is blank. The right bay has, immediately right of the annex, a 2/2 sliding sash (with horns; to rear bedroom). The wall to the store is blank. None of the rear windows have security bars.

The right gable (to east) is of mud and devoid of openings. Its southeast corner has been repaired with concrete blocks.

Directly opposite the main entrance is a byre aligned parallel with the main building. It has a shallow lean-to corrugated metal roof. Its walls are partly of compacted mud and partly of man-made brick, but they have been extensively repaired with concrete blocks and are now of little interest. The property is entered through a pair of modern painted steel gates hung from modern masonry posts of crude (non-traditional) design.

Elsewhere on the site are other miscellaneous outbuildings, including a barn, all of relatively recent date.

Historical information

This house and “Robb’s Ferry” (to its east) are shown immediately east of this house on the 1835, 1859 and 1905 OS 6” maps. Precisely when it was built is unknown, but Gailey suggests that purlin-supported roofs of this type predate the 19th century.

The house is not described in the 1837 Valuation Book as its valuation is less than £5. However, a ferry of the same name is cited in the 1835 Ordnance Survey Memoir. Its close spatial proximity to the ferry and name imply that the ferryman lived in this house. There is, however, no independent confirmation of this as yet.

The first and subsequent valuation books show the Robbs to have a considerable land holding in this townland (under lease from Lord Lurgan). According to the 1862 Valuation, the house was occupied by James Robb. It was valued at £2.10s.0d. at that time and, along with the associated land, was rented at £37 p.a. from Lord Lurgan. James died around 1887, and was succeeded by another James Robb who continues to be cited in the valuations until at least 1929.

There is evidence of some internal alterations, particularly the infilling doorway on the party wall with the store, partitioning of the bedroom bay, and the sheeting of the ceilings using sawn timber cross joists room. Exactly when these changes were made is uncertain, but it was probably in the last century.

The building was reroofed about 20 years ago; a new chimney was also built and electricity installed. The premises were occupied until the mid 1990s and now lie abandoned.

Primary sources:
1. PRONI OS 6” map 1834-35 (OS 6/2/5/1).
2. PRONI OS 6” map 1859 (OS 6/2/5/2).
3. PRONI OS 6” map 1901 (OS 6/2/5/3).
4. PRONI 1837 Valuation map and book (VAL 1A/2/5; VAL 1B/226A, p.7).
5. PRONI 1859 Valuation map and book (VAL 2A/2/5B; VAL 2B/2/24A, p.79).
6. PRONI Valuation revision books, 1866-1929 (VAL 12B/14/6A-E).
7. Ordnance Survey Memoir, Drumcree Parish, Co Armagh

Secondary sources:

1. A. Gailey, Rural Houses of the North of Ireland (Edinburgh, 1984), p.90.

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

A. Style
B. Proportion
D. Plan Form
F. Structural System
H-. Alterations detracting from building
I. Quality and survival of Interior
J. Setting

Criteria for listing: historic interest

X. Local Interest

Evaluation

A relatively unaltered vernacular building of special interest because of its compacted mud wall construction, partial survival of its thatched roof, hearth-lobby plan form and relatively unaltered interior (apart from the fireplace). The purlin-supported roof is of particular interest, being a typical feature of mud walled houses in central Ulster, and specifically designed to transfer the roof's weight from its non load-bearing side walls to its cross walls (this could also be achieved using cruck trusses). The possibility of finding traces of thatch would repay further investigation, and this may also resolve the conflicting evidence for rope and scolloped thatch. The building is enhanced by its location near the river and of local interest because of its association with the ferry.

Unfortunately, the building is now under threat of increasingly rapid deterioration as the external render falls away from the mud walls.