Flatfield Hall

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

Large and plain two-storey gabled farmhouse of 1853. The building is set on the west side of Sugar Island Road, next to what was originally a crossroads, less than a mile south of Craigavon.

The houses consists of a large two-storey gabled block with a small single-storey return to the rear. The return links to a two-storey outbuilding, with further two and single-storey outbuildings further to the W arranged around a large farmyard. Between the house and the roadside is a large garden surrounded by a rendered wall, with a pedestrian gate and a carriage entrance to south.

The entire façade is covered in dry dash render with painted stone quoins. There is a projecting [?painted stone] base course to front, with a cement render base course to the other faces (with that to the N gable recessed). Eaves course to front and rear. The roof is covered in what appears to be an artificial slate to the front of the main block, with natural slate to the rear and to the return. The parapets appear to be rendered. There are three dry dash rendered chimneystacks, two to the gables and one to the ridge, (to the south of centre). The RW goods appear to be largely aluminium.

The front (E) face of the main block is asymmetrical. To the left of centre on the ground floor is the main entrance, which consists of a panelled timber door with rectangular fanlight over with margin panes and coloured glass. To the left of the entrance is a flat-arched window with timber sash frame with horizontal panes (4/4), and a painted stone cill. To the right of the doorway is an identical window with another to right again. To the first floor there are four more identical windows, directly in line with the ground floor openings. Near the eaves, between the second and third first floor windows is a small date stone (‘1853’).

The S gable has no openings. The N gable has a single window to the right on the first floor. This is smaller than those to the front and has a timber sash frame with margin panes and coloured glass.

The small return abuts the left hand side of the ground floor of the rear face of the main block. To the right of this is a large window with Georgian-paned timber sash frame (10/10). To far right is a slightly narrower window with 6/6 timber sash frame. To the first floor there are three unevenly-spaced windows as that to right on the ground floor; (two of these windows are roughly in line with the ground floor openings). Set at half-landing level between the second and third window is a large window to the stairwell. This has a timber sash frame with (typically early/mid Victorian) alternating narrow and broad panes, semicircular heads to the uppermost panes and coloured patterned glass.

The S face of the return has a large flat-arch shed doorway to left, then a house doorway with timber sheeted door then a small window with four-pane timber frame. To the far left (W) the return abuts an outside stair belonging to the attached two-storey outbuilding.

OUTBUILDIINGS

The outbuildings to the rear are arranged around a large concrete surfaced yard. The block to the SW side is the largest, it is stone-built with brick dressings, and has a slated gabled roof. To the front (N) face there is a vehicle doorway and three pedestrian doorways (all with timber sheeted doors) and some square window openings (some partly boarded, some with the remains of timber frames). There are a series of similar window openings to the first floor. The vehicle doorway appears to be an enlargement of a smaller opening. Attached to the NW end of this block the is a large single-storey extension with part rubble/part concrete block walls and a gabled roof covered in corrugated asbestos. The windows of the extension have mid 1900s metal frames.

The outbuilding to the NW side of the yard is single-storey with rubble walls with brick dressing and a slated gabled roof. This building has been much altered in recent years with a large vehicle doorway and two pedestrian doorways blocked up (in concrete block and render) and window openings inserted. To the NE gable of the building there is a brick-built lean-to. To the SE face of the lean-to there is a window with 2/2 timber sash frame, and a doorway with timber sheeted door.

The outbuilding to the NE side of the yard is one and a half-storey and has walls and a gabled roof as those above. To the SW face there is a large central elliptical-arched carriage entrance. To the right of this is a pedestrian doorway with timber sheeted door. To the upper floor directly above this there is a window, partly boarded. To the NW gable there is a mid-20th century extension with part rubble/part concrete block walls with a corrugated asbestos gabled roof. To the SE gable there is an upper level doorway (as that to right at front) accessed via an outside stair with stone and concrete steps.

To the SE side of the yard, just SW of the house, is a small single-storey outbuilding with pedestrian doorway (with timber sheeted door) to the NW face.

The pedestrian gateway to the front of the house has rendered piers with pyramidal caps, and a early 20th century wrought iron gate. The carriage gateway has similar piers and gates and is flanked by quadrant walls.

Historical information

The date stone on the front of this house states that it was built in 1853. Prior to this the site does not appear to have been occupied, nothing is shown on the OS map of 1835, and the present Sugar Island Road was not laid out until some years after this. The house, outbuildings and all, are shown on the revised OS map of 1860 with the 1862 valuation recording the occupant as a Moses Cummings, and stating that the property was ‘brick built with stone quoins’ and contained a shop. The presence of a shop probably explains the odd ground floor layout of the building.

Moses Cummins was succeeded by John Cummins in 1895, who remained there until at least 1929. The valuers make no mention of the building containing a ‘shop’ after 1862.

The property appears to have been acquired by the Craigavon Development Committee [presumably in the late 1960s], but was later bought back by the present occupant.

References- Primary sources
1 PRONI VAL/1A/2/10 OS map, County Armagh sheet 10, with valuation
references (1835-c.38)
2 PRONI VAL/2A/2/10A OS map, County Armagh sheet 10, with valuation references (1860-62)
3 PRONI VAL/2B/2/19B Second valuation, Seagoe parish (1862)
4 PRONI VAL/12B/14/7A Annual valuation revision book, Kernan ED (c.1864-78)
5 PRONI VAL/12B/14/7B Annual valuation revision book, Kernan ED (c.1879-91)
6 PRONI VAL/12B/14/7C Annual valuation revision book, Kernan ED (c.1892-1906)
7 PRONI VAL/12B/14/7D Annual valuation revision book, Kernan ED (c.1907-19)
8 PRONI VAL/12B/14/7E Annual valuation revision book, Kernan ED (c.1920-29)

Other references
1 EHS HB14/04/007 First survey record card (13th January 1972)

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

Evaluation

Large and relatively plain two-storey gabled farmhouse of 1853. This building is a good example of a substantial early/mid Victorian farmhouse that has a varied history as a significant building in the area. It retains most of its historic fabric and detailing and is well-situated in a surviving yard.