151 The Rock Road

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

Gabled-ended two-storey vernacular farmhouse with two attached outhouses extending along a north-south axis. The dwelling, which lies at the north-end, was remodelled c.1880 and a first floor added. The buildings are placed on a gentle west-east slope and lie at the end of a very long lane. They are enclosed within an old tree-lined enclosure (now largely under gravel) that forms part of a network of small fields and paddocks, most of which survive from at least the 1830s. The building does not appear to have been occupied since at least the 1980s.

The Dwelling: This is a two-storey gabled-ended two bay lobby-entry vernacular farmhouse. It has a centrally placed brick chimney with no chimney-pots, a sound double-pitched slated roof, plain verge and no gutters along the eaves. The walls are harled and whitened, the lower storey being of random rubble and the upper storey walls, which are less thick, being composed of brick. The centrally placed entrance, facing east, is symmetrically flanked by two rectangular windows with sliding-sashes; each sliding-sash contains two horizontal panes. There is a reduction in height on the two upstairs windows on the front elevation; the upper sash, with two horizontal panes, is fixed, and the lower sash, composed of one horizontal pane, is sliding without weights. All four windows of the rere elevation are of the same type as the first floor front windows, save the rere window of kitchen which is a modern replacement. The house has no back door. The front door is centrally placed in the front elevation and is protected by a narrow windbreak built around the outside edge of the door, with a front brick eaves corbel and a lean-to slate roof. The rere elevation of the house is supported by four buttresses, all spaced at equal distances - all are rendered with cement and of 20th century date. There are no openings in the north end gable.

Central Outhouse: Two storey one bay unit, two windows wide on each side with double-pitched corrugated iron roof. The roof rises in height above both the dwelling to the north and the byre house to south. The north gable wall contains a short brick chimney, which services the fireplace in the parlour of the adjacent dwelling house. The west wall of the unit, whitened and partly harled, is largely composed of brick, save for parts of the lower wall, which are of random rubble. The ground floor of the interior of this unit lies about two feet below the outside grounf level. The first floor is approached by a flight of concrete and concrete block steps, giving access to a batten door at the north end. At the south end on the first floor is a matching opening with batten half-doors, now blocked internally. Beneath lies a small window, now without a frame, and beneath the steps a low batten door giving access to the ground floor. The east front of the unit, in contrast to the west front, is composed largely of random rubble, with the upper part only being of brick. Door on north side gives access to building (with modern batten door); flanking window and two windows on first floor are small long rectangular openings, all without window frames.

End Outhouse: Two storey gable-ended one-bay byre unit with double-pitched corrugated iron roof and parapeted verge. Walls are entirely of randomly coursed rubble and the whole structure appears of one-build. The east facing wall is whitened and harled, but both the west wall and gable wall are not whitened and have not been harled for a considerable time. In the centre of the end gable at first floor level is a blocked door opening, with a small timber-framed opening in the upper part. The east front of the unit contains a centrally placed door opening flanked by a very small rectangular opening on its north side, with light timber-frame; a short rectangular window with no surviving frame lies immediately above door opening. A ghost-impression of a lean-to structure can be seen against the wall face. The west wall of the unit has only one opening at ground floor level, this being a door placed south of centre. At the first floor level the is also only a single opening - a door at the north end.

Historical information

There is a house indicated in this vicinity on Rocque’s map of 1760, however it is difficult to be certain whether this equates in any way to the present structure. On the OS map of 1835 a building with a footprint approximating that we see today is shown. This is not recorded in the near contemporary valuation, suggesting it was probably single-storey at that point. In the second valuation of c.1862 it is listed, with a Patrick McKenna the occupant, Colonel Pringle the immediate lessor, and the rateable value of the property itself £1 5s; the valuers also note that the building was in ‘very bad repair’, but unfortunately do record any dimensions. In 1880, (following the death of Patrick McKenna), the house came into the hands of Thomas McKenna. In the same year the rateable value rose by 10 shillings, strongly suggesting that some improvements were carried out around that date, most likely the addition of the upper storey. A small lean-to extension appears to have been added to the east side of the house in the early 20th century; this was not of sufficient importance to be remarked upon in the valuations, however.

The freehold of the property was acquired by the McKenna family in the 1930s or 40s, and a Thomas McKenna was still occupying the house up until at least 1972.

The surrounding fields and enclosures are mostly original to the those shown on the 1830s OS map.

References- Primary sources
1 Linen Hall Library ‘Survey of the County of Armagh by John Rocque’ 1760
2 PRONI VAL/1B/27 First valuation, Lisnadill parish, 1834-38
3 PRONI VAL/1A/2/16 OS map, Co Armagh sheet 16, with valuation
references, 1835
4 PRONI VAL/2A/2/16A OS map, Co Armagh sheet 16, with valuation references, c.1861-62
5 PRONI VAL/2B/2/12A Second valuation, Armagh RD, c.1861-62
6 PRONI VAL/12B/10/9A Annual valuation revision book, Ballyards ED, 1866-79
7 PRONI VAL/12B/10/9B Annual valuation revision book, Ballyards ED, 1880-82
8 PRONI VAL/12B/10/9C Annual valuation revision book, Ballyards ED, 1883-93
9 PRONI VAL/12B/10/9D Annual valuation revision book, Ballyards ED, 1893-1909
10 PRONI VAL/12B/10/9E Annual valuation revision book, Ballyards ED, 1910-23
11 PRONI VAL/12B/10/36A Annual valuation revision book, Milford ED, 1923-29
12 PRONI VAL/3A/2/16A OS map, Co Armagh sheet 16, with valuation references, 1933-52
13 PRONI VAL/3C/2/5 First general revaluation of Northern Ireland, Armagh RD, 1936-57*
14 PRONI VAL/4B/2/7 Second general revaluation of Northern Ireland, Armagh RD, 1957-72

*This valuation book was unavailable at the time of writing

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

A. Style
B. Proportion
C. Ornamentation
D. Plan Form
H+. Alterations enhancing the building
I. Quality and survival of Interior
J. Setting

Criteria for listing: historic interest

X. Local Interest
Z. Rarity

Evaluation

A good and increasing rare example of a vernacular house and attached outbuildings in a unspoiled rural setting complete with original enclosure/field boundaries.. Particularly noteworthy because it retains many original features, notably the wainscot dado and logie window in lobby, the staircase, hearth and the windows. The purlin roof is also intact.