Site of houses

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

Site –to the southwest of Drumgor Lane, off Drumgor West Road, just west of Craigavon- formerly occupied by a part pre 1835 vernacular grouping consisting of two houses and a collection of outbuildings, all demolished post 1972.

The first survey report of January 1972 reads:
‘Group of two houses and store buildings. A- [To the northwest] Single-storey cottage, gable ends, corrugated-iron roof, rendered chimneys. Walls rubble, rendered and whitened. Front has drop-hung [i.e. sash] window, no astragals, [then a] sheeted door, [next a] drop-hung window as before, dead sash [with] Georgian panes, [then another] drop-hung window, vertical astragals. Two outbuildings at back. Condition poor. About 58ft long.
Blocks B and C [to the immediate southeast of block A] in three sections. Left hand section ‘C’ two-storeys. Roof slated gabled ends. Chimneys rendered. Walls- left hand gable rubble, front rendered and whitened, quoins. First floor has loft door opening [and] three small window openings, blocked. Ground floor has sheeted door and blocked [and] broken windows. Mid section single-storey. Roof slated right hand gable end. Projecting porch [with] shed roof [and] panelled door. Four blocked windows. Walls rubble, rendered and whitened, quoins. Right hand roof lap boarded, gable end. Doorway in wall rendered and whitened. Whole about 90ft long.
Block D- [To the southeast corner of the site] Single-storey store building. Ropf part slated, part corrugated-iron. Walls brick and rubble, whitened with sheeted gable. Doorway in wall. About 35ft long.
Block E- [To the immediate northwest of block D] Single and two-storey building. Single-storey [section],roof boarded, gable end. Doorway in whitened rubble wall. Two-storey [section], roof slated gable ends small window opening and doorway in ground floor. About 32ft long. Condition of all buildings poor and derelict’.

Historical information

A group of buildings is shown on this site on the OS map of 1835, however blocks ‘A’ and ‘E’, (i.e. the free-standing cottage to the northwest and the single and two-storey outbuilding to the southeast- see above), do not appear to have been built, a structure set at a different angle shown on the site of the former. Both houses (blocks ‘A’ and ‘B-C’) appear on the revised map of 1860, although block ‘E’ is not present.

No part of the group is included in the first valuation of c.1835, but in the second valuation of 1861 the smaller house, ‘A’, is recorded as occupied Richard Thompson and ‘B-C’ by James McNab, with both dwellings leased from the representatives of William Mather and rated at £2 and £2-10-0 respectively. The valuation for the larger property rises by £2 to £4-10-0 in 1864, suggesting that it may have been extended at this point (part of the roof may have been raised to create the two-storey section). James McNab continued to reside in this larger house until 1870 after which the lease passed in the hands of his ‘representatives’, who held it until at least 1929. The smaller property remained occupied by the Thompson family during the same period.

By the early 1970s both properties had been abandoned. The whole grouping was demolished some time after 1972.

References- Primary sources
1 PRONI VAL/1A/2/6 OS map, County Armagh sheet 6, with valuation
references (1835-c.38)
2 PRONI VAL/2A/2/6A OS map, County Armagh sheet 6, with valuation references (1860-61)
3 PRONI VAL/2B/2/19B Second valuation, Seagoe parish (1861)
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)

Secondary sources
1 Oram, Richard, et al., ‘Historic Buildings…Craigavon’ (Belfast, 1969), part III, p.8

Other references
1 EHS HB14/04/019 First survey record card (13th January 1972)

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

Not listed

Criteria for listing: historic interest

Not listed

Evaluation

Site formerly occupied by a by an early to mid 19th century, part single, part two-storey, vernacular grouping consisting of two houses and a collection of outbuildings, all demolished post 1972.