Streamville

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

Two storey/ three bay farmhouse with narrow rear pile and large rear return. Set in mature grounds with gate piers, drive, and rear yard with outbuildings. Principal elevation faces SE.

Front pile has pitched natural slate roof with half round painted metal rainwater goods. Two rendered and corbelled chimneys (each with decorative terracotta pots), one to each gable. Walls are unpainted lined cement render with V-channelled stepped stucco quoins.

Central bay at ground floor has a single storey flat roofed porch. It has a flat lead roof, with walls as façade. Each cheek is framed by corner pilasters with plain capitals which support a plain frieze and moulded cornice. Main entrance is on the right cheek and consists of a four-panelled (raised and fielded) door with granite step. Front and left cheeks of porch each have an 8/8 sliding sash window (with horns). To left and right bays at ground floor is a 6/6 margin paned sash window (with horns). Equally spaced at first floor are three 1/1 sash windows (with horns). All windows to all elevations have dressed granite cills.

Left gable has two window openings at left, one to each floor. Both are 6/6 sashes (with horns).

Rear elevation is abutted at right bay by part of the gable of a larger rear return and at left by a narrow rear pile. Rear return runs perpendicular to main block. Its pitched natural slate roof is higher than that to main block. It cat slides at left side to abut the right gable apex of the rear pile and has a single chimney stack to each gable (as others). Walls as main block with quoins to rear corners. Its gable to house is blank where its does not abut. Its right cheek has an 8/8 sash window (with horns) to ground and first floor right and a narrower 1/1 sash to first floor left.

Rear gable of return has two 6/6 sash windows to ground floor and at first floor left is a smaller 6/6 sash with horns. Left cheek of the rear return has four-panelled painted timber bolection moulded door with left and over on first floor is 6/6 sliding sash with horns.

The rear pile, which is parallel with main block, has a pitched natural slate roof with chimney to left end (as others). Its walls are as main block with quoins to left corner only. To ground floor centre is a 1/1 sash window (with horns) and to its right is a taller stained and leaded window. At first floor left is a 6/6 sash window (with horns and obscured glass) and at right a stained and leaded window as that below. Left gable of rear pile is flush with the right gable of the main block. It has a 1/1 sash window (with horns) at ground floor. The right gable of the rear pile is completely abutted by larger rear return.

Right gable of main block has a 1/1 sash window (with horns) to each floor. That to ground floor is smaller and set slightly more to the right.

Setting

Entrance from Loughbrickland Road is flanked by a curving rubble granite wall and the wide tree lined driveway is framed by ashlar granite gate piers. Opposite gates is the former lodge (HB16/09/014). Gate piers have a chamfered base, panelled front and rear cheeks and swept moulded pyramidal copings. The right one has a rounded metal pedestrian gate with five horizontal bars and one diagonal one. Formerly there were two more gate piers within this opening (containing carriage gates), these piers are now dismantled and in the garden. Driveway splits as it nears the house, its right fork leads to rear yard and the left one is framed by a pair of plain rendered gate piers (no copings) carrying wrought iron gates (bars thin in section) with dog bars and interwoven hooped tops. Garden has lawns, shrubs and mature trees.

Rear yard is asphalted (formerly cobbled) and is separated from front by a rubble stone wall. Small pedestrian gate at join with house. Yard is enclosed to left by a modern outbuilding of no interest. At join with rear return is a pair of tall rendered rubble gate piers carrying two flat iron gates with twisted finials. At back of yard is a two storey rubble granite (brought to courses) outbuilding with pitched natural slate roof, external stairs to first floor and red brick dressings to openings. On right side of yard (as viewed from front) is a small single storey outbuilding of similar construction and a pair of gates at rear leading to the modern farmyard behind.

Historical information

Buildings are shown on this site on the 1833 OS 6” map but not in their present configuration which, is first shown on the 1860 map. The house is captioned as “Streamville”. Opposite the gates on the Loughbrickland Road is a building (HB16/09/014) labelled “gate lodge”. This evidence suggests a mid-19th century rebuild (possibly incorporating parts of the earlier house). It is somewhat puzzling, therefore that the second valuation of c.1862 notes that it was dilapidated and was “to be put in repair”. Its valuation at that time was £6 and it remained as such through the 19th and 20th centuries. This suggests minor refurbishment rather than a total rebuild.

Primary

1. OS 6" map, 1st edition (1833) Co Down sheet 41 (PRONI OS 6/3/41/1)
2. OS 6" map, 2nd edition (1860) Co Down sheet 41 (PRONI OS 6/3/41/2)
3. PRONI Second valuation c.1862, VAL 2B/3/60B, p.24.
4. PRONI Valuation revision books, VAL 12B/22/10.

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

Not listed

Criteria for listing: historic interest

Not listed

Evaluation

This house is well proportioned and has attractive stucco decoration to its porch. However it has no features of special interest. Its plan form is unusual as the rear return is higher than the main block, suggesting it may be of a slightly earlier date. The gate lodge (HB16/09/014) gives some added group value.