180 Mullalelish Road

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

The house occupies a site to the north of a road that leaves the Portadown/Armagh road about two and a half miles from Portadown to join the Richhill/Tandragee road less than one mile from Richhill. It is necessary to travel about two miles along Mullalelish road from the first intersection to reach the building. It is positioned gable to the road a short distance within the plot and is enclosed by timber fencing with a pair of elaborate timber gates.

The single storey building faces east following the contour of the site with the barn at the lower end. The central portion of the building is thatched and is without visible skews as the natural slate roof of the barn abuts it on the south side and a further natural slate roof, in this case covering part of the dwelling, abuts it on the north side. There are remains of decoration along the ridge and the square cut eaves are plain.

The wall construction is of mud and stone at the centre with stone or brick used on the end sections. Stone is used also on the projecting entrance porch. The mud construction is exposed at four locations.

At the southern end the barn has a small unglazed opening in the gable and is entered by a stable door. The thatched part of the dwelling exhibits a windbreak porch with curved jambs and a sheeted door at the northern extremity. The thatch covering extends over the porch. There are two rendered chimneystacks with corbelled and slate cappings. One serves the kitchen hearth between the thatched part and the slated section to the north and the other stack rises from the north gable above the position of the parlour fireplace. The gutters of the slated parts are of metal on drive-in hooks.

The entrance is flanked on the left (south) side by three vertically sliding windows with plain sashes. There are no sash stops and sills are of traditional depths. The second and third windows have reduced sill levels. The slated part to the right (north) has two similar windows. All of these windows have exposed framing. The north gable is blank but the ends of a sawn purlin project slightly below either slope of a timber bargeboard.

Starting from the north end at the rear there is a top-hung timber window lighting the back bedroom, then a pair of galvanised water tanks followed by a multi - paned metal casement window lighting the kitchen in the thatched part. There is a a gabled projection with natural slate roof. The timber-sheeted door on the north side of this part is flanked by a fixed metal window of three horizontal panes. On the opposite side there is a top hung timber window. The remaining wall face of the dwelling is taken up by a small top hung window still in the thatched part, a timber sheeted door giving access to the barn and then a toilet projection with lean-to corrugated iron roof, timber sheeted door on the north side and a plain top hung timber window on the west side. Sills are generally of traditional depths at leading faces. However those lighting the north side of the kitchen and the toilet that are without sills.
On this side of the building gutters are also of metal and carried on drive-in hooks.

Historical information

A building matching the present is shown on this site on the OS map of 1835, along with a small outbuilding t the west side. A similar situation is shown on the revised map of 1860, however the outbuilding is considerably larger. The property is recorded in the valuation of 1862 as the home of one Alexander Lappan, with a Mrs Bacon the immediate lessor and the rateable value calculated at £1-5-0. At some point after 1860 a barn was built to the south of the house. Both the barn and the outbuilding were demolished some time after 1967.

References- Primary sources
1 PRONI VAL/1A/2/13 OS map, County Armagh sheet 13, with valuation
references (1835)
2 PRONI VAL/2A/2/13B OS map, County Armagh sheet 13, with valuation references (1860 [-c.62])
3 PRONI VAL/2B/2/26B Second valuation, Kilmore (1862)
4 OS map, 1st edition 1834-5, Co Armagh sheet 13 (house and small outbuilding at rear shown)
5 OS map, 1st revision 1860, Co Armagh sheet 13 (house and rear building of equal size to house shown)
6 OS map, revision of 1967, plan 200-14 (as 1860 map with addition of barn fronting road)

Secondary Sources
Monitoring of Thatched Buildings, report by Colin Hatrick 18 June 1994.
Survey of 18th. June 2003, outbuildings demolished only dwelling remains.

Other references

1 EHS Monitoring of Thatched Buildings, report by Colin Hatrick to EHS, 18 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

Criteria for listing: historic interest

X. Local Interest
Z. Rarity

Evaluation

This single storey building is picturesquely sited on sloping ground. It faces east following the contour of the site with the barn at the lower end.The use of mud wall construction is important and the arrangement of the elements is of interest incorporating natural slate roofs on either side of the thatched section. It is a good example of the vernacular and whilst it is formally recorded as existing in the early 19th. C it could be considerably older.