Derelict vernacular house

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

Derelict two-storey/ three bay vernacular house situated two fields to the S of 10 Donaghaguy Road.

Pitched natural slate roof aligned N-S, with rendered brick chimney to each gable, and one to party wall between first and second bays. Three wall-head dormers to front pitch. Advanced eaves course, but rainwater goods are gone. Walls are lined render.

Principal elevation faces E. Central bay has a wind break porch to ground floor right. It has a lean-to natural slate roof (now mostly collapsed). Door and right cheek gone. To left of door there is a single window on each floor. That to ground floor is an exposed box 6/3 sliding sash with a flush concrete cill. That first floor is a larger 2/2 (vertically divided) sliding sash set within a wall-head dormer. Dormer has a pitched natural slate roof and decorative timber bargeboard.

The left and right bays of house each have a similar window arrangement to each floor.

Front elevation continues right as a two storey/ single bay outbuilding, which is detailed as house, but with harled random rubble walls and has a doorway at ground floor right and a small window at first floor right.

Left (S) gable of house has lined render and is blank.

Rear (W) elevation is harled random rubble. Its right and central bays each have a doorway (right one infilled) and to first floor each has a small 2/2 sliding sash window with slate cill. The left bay of house has a similar first floor window. There was formerly a single storey return to centre of this elevation, now roofless and partially collapsed. The outbuilding has a door opening to first floor.

Right (N) gable of the abutting outbuilding has a large doorway (two t+g sheeted doors) to ground floor with a loading door to first floor.

A lane from the road is tree lined and leads to front of house and the remains of a small garden with rubble walling and privet hedges.

Historical information

A building is shown here on the 1834 OS map, but as it is not entered in the first valuation, it is likely to have been a small one-storey vernacular building. Its value in 1861 was £1.5s.0d, and this increases to £2.5s.0d in 1870. In 1896, its valuation increases to £4.10s.0d. This indicates a major refurbishment or complete rebuild. The field evidence suggests, on balance, the former course of action. It seems to have been raised as the ground floor windows are small and irregularly placed and the first floor wall-head dormer windows appear more regular, larger and dormers tend to be a later vernacular feature. It is shown in its present form on the 1901-02 map.

Primary sources
1. OS maps, 1st edition 1834 Co Down sheet 51 (PRONI: OS 6/3/51/1).
2. Second Valuation book, 1861 (PRONI: VAL 2B/3/57A, p.73).
3. Valuation revision books (PRONI: VAL 12B/22/25A, p.78).
4. OS maps, 3rd edition 1834 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

This house is of interest as it is an evolved-type of vernacular house.