Adjacent to 15 Sabbath Hill

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

A complex comprising farmhouse and miscellaneous outbuildings.

1. Farmhouse

A one and a half storey/two-bay dwelling facing south with two storey barn forming third bay.

Pitched natural slate roof with some artificial slates to ridge at rear. No rainwater goods. Natural slate wall-head dormer window (with timber finialed barge boards) to façade and cat slide roof over rear scullery outshot. Cement rendered chimney on party wall between first and second bays (from left). Walls are of whitewashed random rubble granite with advanced eaves. Unless stated, all windows are 2/2 sliding sash with granite cills.

South elevation has painted t+g sheeted door to middle bay of house (still with original lock and key). On ground floor, one window to left of door, and another to left bay. End bay (barn) on right has large pair of sliding wooden doors. At first floor is a dormer window to central bay, in line with window below. Small t+g painted loading door to first floor of right bay.

Left gable is abutted by large modern one-storey shed. Window at first floor level of gable.

At rear of main block, one small window to barn at left (top-opening 2/4). At centre is a projecting scullery with lean-to roof (continuation of main natural slate roof, but at a shallower slope) with single sliding sash window. At right is a window to parlour, and another to bedroom above (fixed two-paned).

A random rubble lean-to barn with corrugated iron roof abuts right gable. This has a pair of painted wooden sliding doors in façade gable. It is abutted at right by a small lean-to roof shed (now roofless). Exposed gable of main block is blank.

2. Outbuildings

Opposite the dwelling is a one-storey shed with return. The roof of the main portion is pitched and decked with painted corrugated metal. The roof of the return is monopitched corrugted metal. All walls of whitewashed random granite rubble. Door openings are on opposite side of building to farmhouse.

Beyond this outhouse is a more substantial two-storey byre with external stone steps on one gable, and large one-storey shed return on opposite gable. All roofs are pitched and decked with corrugated asbestos and walls are of random rubble granite. Byre has three t+g half-doors, with ventilation slots to upper floor. The return has a large t+g sliding door. Walls otherwise blank.

Main gate to site is flat iron with ram’s horn motifs. Left pier is more recent due to widening of entrance. Right pier larger with ‘1868’ datestone in granite block. Other traditional gates to adjoining fields (not to be listed).

Historical information

The house appears on 1834 OS 6” map (Down sheet 56). However, it is not valued in the Valuation Book of the same date implying that it was then a much smaller building. The owner states that it was raised in the mid 19th century and this is substantiated by the 1868 datestone on the gatepost and also by an increase in value from £1 to £2.10s.0d in the 1868 Valuation Revision book entry. The Irvine family has inhabited it since the mid-18th century to 1956 (when a new bungalow was built in the adjacant field). The lease was originally given to Edward Irvine by General F.R. Chesney of Packolet House, Ballyardle (HB16/04/003) as a wedding present (Irvine was Chesney’s coachman).

Primary Sources:
1. PRONI – OS 6/3/56/1 (1834 OS map).
2. PRONI- VAL 1B/390B.
3. PRONI- VAL 12B/ 19/4A, p.52.
4. Site information sheet (produced by Kilkeel High School).
5. Owner (1997)

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

A. Style
D. Plan Form
I. Quality and survival of Interior
J. Setting
K. Group value

Criteria for listing: historic interest

X. Local Interest

Evaluation

Original vernacular house with many surviving old features and contemporary interiors, all in a fine setting with gates and walls. Main block only to be listed. Although the outbuildings opposite lend character to the house, they have undergone too much alteration to merit protection.