Laurel Cottage, 34 Annaghanoon Road, Waringstown, Craigavon, BT66 7RZ

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

Detached lofted single-storey three-bay hearth-lobby plan thatch-under-tin vernacular longhouse, built c.1720, located on to the south-east side of Annaghanoon Road, south of Waringstown. Rectilinear plan with attached two-bay byre and perpendicular single-storey outbuilding attached to west; gabled breakfront porch offset at left of centre and attached two-storey annexe (c.1960) to centre of rear elevation.

Roof is thatch-under-tin having rendered skews and three rendered chimneystacks to north-east gable and party walls, one offset to left of entrance porch; annexe has half-hipped artificial slate roof. Rainwater goods are plastic fixed to timber fascia. Walling is mud and rubble, generally covered in pebbledash render to front elevation although partially exposed to west end, having painted smooth render corner banding and plinth with iron ventilation grille inserted; wall head is partially raised in crudely formed cinder-based slurry to west side of front elevation. Gables, west end of rear elevation and annexe are roughcast rendered; east side of rear elevation is faced with rudimentary painted concrete blocks over a roughly rendered cement plinth. Porch is painted smooth render with profiled timber bargeboards. Windows are generally uPVC sashes to original configuration (6/2 and 8/8) except where otherwise stated, smooth painted render reveals with shallow angled heads to front elevation, plain reveals elsewhere; painted stone sills to front elevation only, otherwise no sills.

Principal elevation faces north-west having two windows, to either side of porch, extended to west by a two-bay byre having three blocked original timber-framed openings screened by the perpendicular outbuilding, which sits slightly in front creating a narrow entry, enclosed by wall at east corner.

North-east gable is blank with the exception of fixed-pane four-light uPVC window to right side of loft (window to left visible internally, rendered over externally).

Rear elevation is centrally abutted by the annexe and has three windows to right and one inserted metal-framed casement window with stained glass top panes to left; it is extended by the byre to south, having two t&g sheeted timber stable doors and top-hinged six-light timber window. Extension has four variously-sized windows to north-east and south-west; accessed via projecting gabled porch to south-west having hardwood door, of no interest.

South-west gable lights byre and has a six-paned fixed metal-framed window.

Set at the end of a long lane from Annaghanoon Road, with working farmyard to front and rear having a variety of twentieth-century outbuildings; mature planted garden to front bounded by simple four-bar wrought-iron railing and having axial path to front door accessed via a wrought-iron gate; garden bounded to south-west by perpendicular outbuilding, having tin roof, roughcast rendered walls and metal-framed windows. Rear garden accessed to north-east by wrought-iron gate; cobble-lined drain channel to north-east perimeter of garden. Concrete yard to rear, modern bungalows to north-east and south-west.

Roof: Thatch under tin
Walling: Pebbledashed render over mud and rubble stone
Windows: uPVC
RWG: Plastic

Historical information

The first edition OS map (c.1835) shows the current building, comprising an L-shaped footprint that corresponds to the existing rectilinear structure with a perpendicular wing projecting from the west end of the north-west (front) elevation, where the existing outbuilding is situated. The current outbuilding is a twentieth-century structure that is slightly detached from the rectilinear block, and although there is no such division on the first edition map, openings to the front of the byres suggest that it was not an attached structure at any time. The value of all buildings on the plot is recorded at £2 – there is also a building to west (now demolished), and a ‘School House’ captioned a short distance to the south. Laurel Cottage appears on the second edition OS map (c.1864) in its current configuration, although there is now a break between the perpendicular block to north. Laurel Cottage is assigned plot number 41a in the townland of Annaghanoon, in Griffiths Valuation of 1861. At this time, the property was occupied by James Garrett, and leased from Henry Waring of Waringstown House. The plot leased covered an area of 20 acres 1 rood and 25 perches, and the house and offices were valued at £5 and 10 shillings, revised from an initial £4 and 5 shillings. This went on to be revised up to £8 and 5 shillings in 1873. By 1900 James Garrett appears to have died and the tenancy taken on by two female relatives, Mary and Jane Garrett. In 1902 the revaluations indicate that the house was occupied by Thomas Beckett who purchased the building from the Waring family under the Land Purchase Act (1903) sometime before 1909. Thomas Beckett, listed as a 'Farmer', appears on the Census of Ireland 1911, aged 68, resident with his wife Sarah, two sons, and two servants. The accompanying House and Building Return records the property as a second class dwelling having five out-offices, thatch roof and walls made of mud or other perishable material. At this time it has four or five rooms, four windows in the front of the house. The Out-Offices and Farm-Steadings Return lists the five out-offices as a stable, cow house, calf-house, turf house and potato house. By the time of the 25” OS map revision in 1905-09 the house is captioned ‘Laurel Cott.’. In 1920 the house passed from Alfred Beckett to George Ruddock. From the revisions of 1885-1900 Laurel Cottage was valued with various other lots as one farm let by the Garretts and in 1920 this property was valued at £41 and 15 shillings. The house remains in the Ruddock family, formerly grocers in Waringstown. R. Ruddock was listed as a spirit and general grocer in the town from 1877, he may be the same as Robert Ruddock, listed as a farmer in Waringstown in the directories of c.1900.
QUB Dendrochronology Laboratory Report 8/202 concludes Date of Construction as 1670-1672, as follows:
Seven oak and one pine roof timber were cored to provide samples for dendrochronological analysis (QUB). Three of the oak samples had an adequate number of annual growth rings. One of these samples provided a dendrochronological date and another sample provided a radiocarbon date.
A radiocarbon date was also obtained for grass rope holding thatch.
Timber- The dendrochronological date provided a felling date of late AD1672; early AD1673.
Timber- the radiocarbon date provided a felling date media of AD1100 (AD1035- AD1159)- Presumed to be bog oak.
Grass Rope- the radiocarbon analysis provided a median age AD1774. (AD1660- AD1774)

References:

Primary sources:
1. PRONI OS/6/3/20/1 – First Edition Ordnance Survey map (1834)
2. PRONI OS/6/3/20/2 – Second Edition Ordnance Survey map (1858)
3. PRONI OS/6/3/20/3 – Third Edition Ordnance Survey map (1903)
4. PRONI OS/6/3/20/4 – Fourth Edition Ordnance Survey map (1903-16)
5. PRONI VAL/1/A/3/20 – Townland Valuation field map
6. PRONI VAL/1/B/340 – Townland Valuation field book (1838)
7. PRONI VAL/2/A/3/20A – Griffiths Valuation field map (1861)
8. PRONI VAL/2/B/4/44A – Griffiths Valuation field book
9. PRONI VAL/12/B/21/9A-F – Valuation revisions(1866-1929)
10. Census of Ireland (accessed at http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/pages/1911/Down/Waringstown/Annaghanoon/253022/)
11.Queens University Belfast, School of Natural and Built Environment, Dendrochronology Laboratory Report 8/2020, David M. Brown

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

R. Age
Z. Rarity
S. Authenticity
W. Northern Ireland/International Interest

Evaluation

Laurel Cottage is a lofted single-storey vernacular house, pre-dating 1835, and likely to date from the early- to mid- eighteenth century. It is laid out on a rectilinear hearth-lobby plan form with attached byres at one end, and retains an intact original thatch roof structure under tin. The house is of considerable technical interest, and most unusually retains a part of the house, including the attics and section of the former living quarters, preserved in its original state and disused. Despite some alterations, the house exhibits a wealth of traditional materials and construction techniques, including mud walling and what appears to be a cruck truss embedded within one of the party walls. Vestiges of original decorative finishes are also in evidence, as well as fragments of original fabric such as shutters and window linings. The house is enhanced by survival of original boundary features such as cobbled drains and wrought-iron gates and railings, and represents a particularly rare survival of an early building typology, of national interest.