Farmyard

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

Square plan farmyard located to the immediate NW of the walled garden (HB16/11/020). Yard is accessed through archways to centre of its SW and NE boundaries, and is enclosed on all sides by single and two storey outbuildings. The yard is concrete in places and earth in others. To its centre are two walls (SE and NE) of a former midden, with curving SE corner.

The NE archway provides access from the main driveway. It is a finely dressed ashlar granite construction with raised imposts carrying a segmental headed arch with advanced keystone incised, ‘W J H/ 1880’ (= William James Hall). Hung from its jambs is a pair of modern wire mesh gates (of no interest). Built up over archway head is a coped coursed granite rubble wall.

(1) On entry at left is the NW gable of the south block enclosing the NE side of the yard. This single storey/ six bay building faces SW onto the farmyard and has a pitched natural slate roof (aligned NW-SE), which is hipped to SE end and gabled to NW end which has red brick skews and a similar chimney. Walls are coursed granite rubble with stepped brick dressings to openings and a single brick eaves course. NW gable is blank. On the right bay of the NE (external) elevation has a window opening containing a 6/6 (top part centre pivoting) timber window with dressed granite cill. All windows are as this one unless otherwise stated. The SE gable is blank. The SW (yard facing) elevation has six distinct bays, the left bay has a window to left and to its right is a framed t+g sheeted door with a transom light over. The right bay is abutted by the NE end gable of the outbuilding enclosing the E end of the SE side of the farmyard (see later). All the remaining bays are open, with timber beams to eaves supported on three cast iron posts.

The SE boundary of the farmyard is enclosed by three blocks of single storey outbuildings. That to the SW end steps up with the slope of the ground. All are detailed as building (1).

(2) The left (NE) block is single two bays wide and has a pitched natural slate roof aligned SW-NE. Its SW and NE gables are abutted by other outbuildings. Its SE (external) elevation has a single modern door. Its yard facing (NW) elevation has two windows and a central door. Windows have modern grilles over.

(3) The central outbuilding on the SE boundary is a two bays wide, the NE one being wider. Both bays are roofless. Their SW and NE gables and SE wall are blank. The yard facing (NW) elevation of the E bay has a narrow round headed window to left and right of a segmental headed doorway. All timber is gone but the old window frame shows them to have been 2x3 paned and fixed. The W bay has a window to left and a door to right (all timbers gone). On its NE gable is a red brick chimney.

(4) The W block on the SE side of the farmyard is single storey/ six bay building faces NW onto the farmyard and has a pitched natural slate roof (aligned SW-NE), but gone to E bay, rest of roof is hipped to SW end and gabled to NE end. Walls are coursed granite rubble with stepped brick dressings to openings and a single brick eaves course. SW gable is blank. On the right bay of the SE (external) elevation has doorway containing a flat iron gate. The NE gable is blank. The NW (yard facing) elevation has six distinct bays, the left bay has a window to left and to its right. The right bay is abutted by the SE end gable of the outbuilding enclosing the SW side of the farmyard (see later). All the remaining bays are open, with timber beams to eaves supported on three cast iron posts.

The SW side of the farmyard has a S block and a N block, between them is the rear archway. This SW archway is a finely dressed ashlar granite construction with raised imposts carrying a segmental headed arch with plain advanced keystone. Hung from its jambs is a pair of modern wire mesh gates (of no interest). Built up over archway head is a coped coursed granite rubble wall.

(5) The S outbuilding on the SW boundary is single storey three (uneven) bays wide. This block is roofless. Its SW elevation and NW and SE gables are blank. Its NE (yard facing) elevation has six openings alternating window-door-window-door-window-door. The left three are in the left bay, the right one is on the right bay and the remaining two serve the central bay. Between the central and right bay there is a red brick chimney.

(6) The N block on the SW boundary of the yard is L planned and also wraps around the W corner to enclose the W end of the NW boundary. This block is a two storey barn with pitched natural slate roof (hipped to each blank end wall. Its NE (farmyard) facing elevation has, from left to right, doorway, segmental headed archway, window and another archway. At first floor, in line with these openings are two sets of, window (at left) and framed t+g sheeted loading door (with transom), at right. The SE (farmyard) facing wall has (from left to right), doorway, window, and segmental headed archway, above to first floor left and right are windows. The SW (external) facing wall of this bounding has a window at ground floor left and ground level rises to left abutting ground floor. At first floor there are four window openings, one to either side of centre and a pair at the N (left) end. The NW wall of this outbuilding has a high ground level obscuring ground floor. First floor has four openings, three are windows and that to right or centre is a segmental headed doorway.

(7) The central block on the NW boundary of the farmyard is single storey, roofless and derelict. Its NW (external) wall is blank and SW and NE gables are abutted by other outbuildings. Its SE (farmyard) facing elevation has two window openings between which is a central doorway. Additionally, on either side of the door two steel casement windows have been inserted into modern openings.

(8) The E block on the NW boundary of the farmyard is single storey, roofless and derelict. Its NW (external) wall is blank and SW and NE gables are abutted by other outbuildings. Its SE (farmyard) facing elevation has two window openings between which is a central doorway. The left window has a steel casement inserted and the void has been infilled with concrete blockwork. On left and right ends of the elevation steel casement windows have been inserted into modern openings.

(9) The N block enclosing the NE boundary of the farmyard is single storey and derelict. Its pitched natural slate roof is collapsed to all but the S bay which has a red brick skew and a similar chimney. Its SE gable is blank and its NW gable abuts the outbuildings to NE end of the NW boundary. Its SW (yard) facing elevation is five openings wide, the second, fourth and fifth are windows. The first (at left) is a segmental headed doorway (blocked up), and the third is a doorway.

Its NE (external) elevation has a small window at left (S) end. Its N end is abutted by a single storey two bay return. It is roofless and has a door on its left (SE) cheek. Its front (NE) wall has a window and door to each bay and is enclosed in two yards by walls of a similar height, each with a doorway on its E face. Its NW gable is blank.

Historical information

Shown on 1834 OS 6” map as an L-shaped feature. Totally enclosed by the 1901-02 edition. The datestone, uniform style and use of brick trim all suggest a complete remodelling in 1880.

Primary sources
1. OS 6” map (1834), Co Down sheet 51 (PRONI, OS/6/3/51/1).
2. OS 6” map (1901-02), Co Down sheet 51 (PRONI, OS/6/3/51/3).

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

Not listed

Criteria for listing: historic interest

Not listed

Evaluation

An attractive, substantially unaltered late 19th C farmyard enclosed by outbuildings and erected as a single entity and of some value within the overall estate.