Steward's House

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

Two storey/ four bay derelict Steward’s House in Narrow Water Demesne.

House with a small farmyard to rear is set on an elevated site to the S of the main farmyard (HB16/11/045) and immediate NW of the walled garden (HB16/11/020). It is accessed off the main driveway, through the main farmyard.

(1) Steward’s House

Hipped natural slate roof (collapsed) aligned NW-SE with a ridge chimney between the left two bays and a wall-head chimney on rear of right bay.

Façade is NE facing. Its wall is lined rendered rubble stone with an advanced basecourse, stepped stucco quoins and eaves course of cow-nosed yellow bricks. All windows have fallen in but seem to have been 2/2 (vertically divided) sliding sashes, with dressed granite cills; first floor windows diminished in height slightly. The left bay has a window to each floor. The bay to left of centre and the right bay are identical. Each has a canted bay window to ground floor with advanced eaves and flat masonry head. Each cheek of the bay window has a single window opening. Over to first floor is a pair of windows. The third bay to right of centre has a flight of four granite steps rising to a segmental headed doorway. All timber is gone but opening retains the granite base of the doorframe and flanking sidelights. There is a single window over, to first floor.

The left gable of the house is abutted by a two storey outbuilding enclosing the front (NE) side of the rear yard.

The rear elevation of the house is abutted to centre by a small lean-to and to left abutted by the building enclosing the NW of the rear yard (4). The remaining rear wall is rubble stone (formerly harled) and has a window at ground floor right and one at first floor centre. The lean-to has a mono-pitched roof and red brick walls. It has a window to left and a doorway at right.

The right gable of the house has a single window to each floor and its right corner is abutted by a two storey house abutting the outside wall of the outbuilding enclosing the NW of the yard.

(2) The front outbuilding

Two-storey outbuilding with a pitched natural slate roof aligned NW-SE. Harled front wall has an advanced eaves course and at left end there is a first floor loading door with ventilation slits to centre. At right end is a segmental-headed archway, the head of which rises into first floor level. It has roughly dressed granite jambs (right one is covered by the stucco quoins of the house) and a similar head with an advanced keystone with an incised oval inset (inscription unreadable).

The left (SE) gable of the front outbuilding is blank.

The right (NW) gable of the front outbuilding abuts the left gable of the house.

The rear (SW) yard facing elevation of the outbuilding has the archway at left with a small loft window over, at ground floor centre it has a wide doorway and at right end it is abutted by the single storey outbuildings enclosing the SE side of the yard.

(3) Cart house

Symmetrical single storey lean-to abutting the SE wall of yard. Yard wall is rubble stone. Pitched natural slate (collapsed) lean-to roof has a central gable and is supported on an arcaded red brick front wall. Arcade consists of ten low segmental archways, five on either side of a larger masonry built archway under the central gable.

SW boundary of the yard is enclosed by a rubble stone wall and abutted by a collapsed concrete block-work and corrugated iron lean-to (of no interest).

(4) Two storey/ single bay outbuilding enclosing the NW side of the farmyard.

Pitched natural slate roof (partially collapsed) aligned SW-NE. Walls are harled rubble stone and it is eight openings wide to ground floor. L-R, two window openings, doorway, two segmental headed archways (right one infilled as a doorway), window, doorway and window (latter two in a common opening). The last three openings open into the small domestic yard at rear of main house. First floor is blank but for a window opening over the infilled archway. Its right gable abuts the rear elevation of the house and its left gable is blank. Its rear (NW) wall fronts the smaller yard and is abutted to left end by a two storey house (5). To its right is a doorway and abutting to right of doorway is the side of a circular horse walk. Right end is blank.

(5) Two storey/ two bay house abutting the right end of the outer wall of building enclosing the NW side of the yard (4).

Pitched natural slate roof (collapsed) aligned SW-NE with a chimney breast between the two bays. Its walls are rubble stone with red brick dressings. Its SE elevation abuts the outbuilding completely. Its SW gable has a pair of 2/2 sashes in a common opening at first floor. Its NW elevation has collapsed to left bay but seems to have had two windows at ground floor. Its right bay has two 6/6 sash windows at ground floor and a pair of 2/2 sashes in a common opening at first floor. Its N gable has a t+g sheeted doorway with transom light at ground floor.

To immediate NW of the yard is a smaller yard containing a horse walk and a range of ruinous single storey outbuildings.

(6) Horse Walk

This circular structure is ruinous with collapsed rubble stone walls. Its NW end has a masonry wall with two openings into a passage which wraps around the NW third of the circle, enclosed by a curving rubble stone wall with segmental headed doorways on each end wall. Lean-to roof above is gone. The SE end of the horse walk abuts the building enclosing the NW boundary of the farmyard.

Historical information

Shown on 1834 OS 6” map.

Primary sources
1. OS 6” map (1834), Co Down sheet 51 (PRONI, OS/6/3/51/1).

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

Not listed

Criteria for listing: historic interest

Not listed

Evaluation

Although derelict, this house and yard form a small but important element of the overall Narrow Water Demesne.