Bloomvale House

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

A one and a half storey, three bay, direct entry thatched house with the front elevation constructed of roughly coursed galleted rubble blackstone and plastered alternating quoins and plinth

The house is positioned behind a metal fence and small forecourt overlooking the road that travels in a south-westerly direction from Lurgan to Gilford about three miles from the former town. The building faces north-west.

The thatch roof covering is contained within tiled parapet gables each of which rise to a rendered corbelled chimneystack with one pot. A further stack rises over the position of the kitchen hearth and contains three pots. The scollops at the ridge, and below the middle stack, are patterned and there is another row slightly lower down the slopes and also one row exposed at the eaves. The four-panelled entrance door, with a semi-circular Gothic-glazed fanlight, plastered surround and brick arch is flanked on either side by two 6/6 vertically sliding windows with plastered reveals and brick arches. There are moulded sash stops and the sills are narrow.

The remainder of the exterior of the house is finished in coloured render.

The north-east gable has a vertically sliding window at low level with sashes divided vertically into two panes, curved sash stops and is without a sill. At the upper level there is a plain sashed window with a sill of traditional depth and curved sash stops. A similar window lights the upper accommodation on the opposite (south-west) gable.

At the rear starting from the south-west corner the arrangement is as follows: -

A vertically sliding window with sashes divided vertically into two panes and without sash stops or sills, a raked buttress with a concrete coping, and then a similar window, but with exposed sash boxes, above the position of two concrete walled sumps.
Next there is a lean-to extension with natural slate roof and metal rainwater goods. The window at the left (south west) side is vertically sliding with sashes divided vertically into two panes and without sash stops or a sill. The front (south-east) side of the extension has firstly a timber framed, ledged, braced and sheeted door and then a 6/6 vertically sliding window that is without a sill.
To the right of this window there is a cast iron handle pump.

The north-east side of the main house is connected to the adjoining building by means of a round-headed archway containing a timber ledged, braced and sheeted door.

The main window openings retain shutters.

Historical information

C.E.B. Brett, in the ‘Buildings of North County Down’ (published 2002), states that Bloomvale House was built in 1785. This assertion appears to be based upon papers held by a descendant of a previous owner, and information supplied by another descendant and by the present owner. He further states that the house was ‘probably built, or at any rate owned from 1815 onwards by Robert Gaskin’. No documentary evidence is supplied to support this, however a map of 1826 (reproduced in the same publication) shows the house, ‘let by Alexander Stewart Esq. to Robert Gaskin’.

The 1826 map has a naïve illustration of the building which shows a second (flat-arched) doorway in place of the window to the immediate right of the entrance. The disappearance of this doorway at some point after this does not appear to have been the first major alteration to the property, as differences in the stonework to the front elevation suggests two phases of construction, and that the original structure was possibly a much smaller two-bay gable hearth dwelling.

Whatever the case, the house is shown as today on the OS map of 1834 and recorded in the contemporary valuation as a building of more than twenty years old, (quality letter 2B+), with a ‘good situation’, and measuring 49½ft x 23 x 11½ (not 19½ x 23 x 11½ as quoted by Brett). Robert Gaskin is listed as the occupant and a range of single-storey outbuildings, shown as a U-shaped complex to the rear on the 1826 map and on that of 1834, are also recorded. The valuers also mention a ‘pig house’ and a ‘house at rear’ measuring 18½ x 14 x 8, presumably a dwelling for a farm hand.

On the 1859 OS map the property is marked ‘Bloomvale’ and a small extension is shown to the NW, linking the house to outbuildings. The map also tells us that the outbuildings contained a threshing machine by this point, no doubt driven by the horse walk indicated in the field to the south-east. The valuation of 1861, which for some unknown reason refers to the property as ‘Brookvale’, records the owner as William Dobson, who, according to Brett, was the son-in-law of Robert Gaskin. Dobson may have succeeded Gaskin in 1846, for the valuers tell us that a new lease was granted in that year. The valuer’s use of the quality letter ‘2B+’ once again tells us that the property was in good condition, and, written in the margin beside the valuers’ main entry is the faint pencil annotation ‘well built’.

William Dobson appears to have died in 1882, for Mary Dobson (presumably his wife) is recorded as the occupant in that year. In 1890 an extension was added to the outbuildings, and in 1901 the lease passed to George Dobson. George Dobson seems to have added another new outbuilding in 1912, for the valuers mention a ‘new office to be valued’. Dobson acquired the freehold of the property in 1916, shortly after which he sold it to James Blane Jnr.

The house was abandoned in the early 1970s, but re-thatched and reoccupied in 1979. Further repairs to the thatch were carried out in 1985, 1987 and 1989 (by Gerry Agnew using straw), with another re-thatching carried out, (according to Brett), in 1995.

References- Primary sources
1 ‘A map and survey of Bloomvale in Bleary…by John Wells’ (1826), in the possession of Mr George Dobson Hunter, London, and reproduced in Brett, C.E.B., ‘Buildings of North County Down’ (Belfast, 2002)
2 PRONI VAL/1A/3/19 OS map, County Down sheet 19, with valuation
references, (1834-c.38)
3 PRONI VAL/1B/350 First valuation, Tullylish (1833-34)
4 PRONI VAL/2A/3/19B Revised OS map, County Down sheet 19, with valuation references, (1859-c.61)
5 PRONI VAL/2B/3/48B Second valuation, Tullylish (1861-63)
6 PRONI VAL/12B/21/8A-F Annual valuation revision books, Clare ED, (1866-1929)

Secondary sources
1 Brett, C.E.B., Oram, R., et al, ‘Lists of Historic Buildings…Craigavon’ (revised edition, Belfast, [?1979]), p.3 (Lurgan area)
2 Pierce, Richard, Cooey, Alistair and Oram, Richard, ‘Taken for Granted…’ (Belfast, 1984), p.69
3 Brett, C.E.B., ‘The Buildings of North County Down’ (Belfast, 2002)

Other references
1 EHS Report by Garnet Mills to EHS, 28 October 1988
2 EHS Report by Garnet Mills to EHS, 15 February 1989
3 EHS Survey of Thatched Buildings by Colin Hatrick to EHS
4 EHS Monitoring of Thatched Buildings, report by Colin Hatrick to EHS, 10 June 1994

The owner supplied a date of erection of 1785 but documentary evidence was not available.
Examination of the stonework of the front elevation revealed that it is of two building periods with the section to the left (north-west) representing an earlier two bay gable hearth house in place before the Ordnance Survey of 1834.
Re-thatching was carried out by Gerry Agnew using wheat straw in 1979.
Further repair of the thatch was carried out in 1985, 1987 and in 1989 by Gerry Agnew using straw.

References – Primary Sources

1. OS map, 1st edition 1834, Co. Down sheet 19. The house appears on this map together with outbuildings enclosing a yard at the rear.
2. OS map, 1st revision 1859, Co. Armagh sheet 19. The property is named “Bloomvale” on this map. In addition to the outbuildings that appear on the 1834 map a small structure appears at the roadside immediately to the south-west

Secondary Sources

Ulster Architectural Heritage Society, Craigavon, Moira Rural District, 1969, page 3, item 7.
Report by Garnet Mills to EHS 28 October 1988.
Report by Garnet Mills to EHS 15 February 1989.
Survey of Thatched Buildings 1992, report by Colin Hatrick to EHS.
Monitoring of Thatched Buildings, report by Colin Hatrick to EHS 10 June 1994.

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

A. Style
B. Proportion
C. Ornamentation
D. Plan Form
F. Structural System
I. Quality and survival of Interior
J. Setting

Criteria for listing: historic interest

X. Local Interest
Z. Rarity

Evaluation

A one and a half storey, three bay, direct entry thatched house with the front elevation constructed of coursed rubble blackstone and plastered alternating quoins and plinth. The building has been restored to an acceptable standard with attention given to detailing including the thatched roof, chimneystacks, external and internal finishes doors and windows.