12 Killeen School Road

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

A two-storey, two bay vernacular house (aligned W-E) with later porch and miscellaneous outbuildings on the E side of Killeen School Road. All are enclosed to the road by a random rubble stone wall with field stone copings; it is terminated at S end by a pair of square-in-section wet dashed gate piers with pyramidal copings supporting a wrought-iron rams-head gate.

House has a pitched natural slate roof with tiled verges and three brick chimneys - one to each gable and one slightly left of centre. Timber eaves board supports half-round plastic rainwater goods with downpipe to right end.

All walls are smooth-rendered and painted with a contrasting chamfered base course, which is punctuated by two ventilation grilles to right bay. There are stepped quoins to facade.

Principal elevation faces S. It is abutted to left of centre by a large single-storey projecting porch with a flat cement coped roof and walls as house. To front face is a segmental-headed ‘mushroom-shaped’ opening leading into a small open porch. To centre is a glazed timber entrance door (c1940s) with transom over. Each cheek of porch has a modern top-hung timber casement window with a painted concrete cill.

Left bay has a window to ground floor and one set to right over porch on first floor. Right bay has two windows in line with each other to each floor. All windows are 2/2 exposed box sliding sash windows with horns and painted granite cills, set within a smooth rendered architrave. Those to first floor are diminished in height.

Left and right gables are each abutted by a lower outbuilding (see later). Both have a window set to rear end of first floor- that to the left is a top-hung timber casement, that to right has no cill.

Rear elevation has a window to ground floor of each bay. Right bay has a window set to first floor left.

Outbuildings:

Outbuilding to left gable is single-storey and detailed as house. It has a pitched artificial slate roof and a large pair of t+g sheeted doors set to left of front (S) elevation. To their right are two window openings - that to left is a top-hung timber casement and that to right is a small 2/2 sliding sash (as façade). Both have painted concrete cills. All other elevations are blank. Right gable abuts house.

Outbuilding to right gable is two-storey and has a pitched natural slate roof with half-round metal rainwater goods with downpipe to right end. Walls are cement-dashed with two t+g sheeted doors to S face. To first floor centre is a t+g sheeted loading door. Left gable abuts house. Rear elevation has a t+g sheeted loading door to centre of upper level, accessed by several granite blocks. Right gable is abutted by a small lime-rendered, rubble-stone lean-to (see later). The exposed section is cement rendered and has a single fixed metal lattice window to apex. The lean-to has a monopitched natural slate roof and a door opening to S elevation. Right cheek has a window opening (infilled with rubble) and rear is blank.

The domestic front yard is enclosed by a number of outbuildings consisting of a boiler house, pigsty and earth closet to E. A garage and utility block to the S and two sheds to W.

(1) Boiler house

Monopitched natural slate roof with brick chimney to left end. Walls are wet dashed with exposed rubble stone to rear (E) face. Set to the right of the yard (W) face is a t+g door with small window opening to its right. Left gable and rear face are blank. Right gable is abutted by the pigsty and water closet.

(2)Pigsty

Monopitched natural slate roof continuous with that of the boiler house & earth closet. The front and rear walls of the pigsty are blank and flush with the boiler house. The pen is accessed by a wrought-iron gate on its E face. The pen has a door opening on its N face. Its left gable is abutted by a narrower water closet.

(3) Water closet

Monopitched natural slate roof continuous with that of the boiler house & pigsty. Small fixed window to its left gable and a rubble stone windbreak wall. Closet has a tiled floor and timber boxed toilet seat.

Directly opposite this small group of outbuildings is a pair of concrete blockwork outbuildings (of no interest) creating a narrow sheltered yard.

(4) Utility block

Single storey detailed as others with a t+g door set to right of centre. Its left gable abuts the pigsty. Rear elevation and right gable are blank.

Garage is of no interest. To right of garage is a random rubble wall, with a stone stile, all enclosing a small garden. It is accessed by a wrought-iron gate hung on wet dashed cylindrical piers.

(5) To W of site are two single-storey sheds with gables to the road. Walls are cement-dashed. That to right has a pitched natural slate roof and a t+g door to centre of each elevation. Set to the right end of its N face are four granite steps abutting the boundary wall with road. Each gable is blank. Rear (S) face is abutted to left end by the second outbuilding. It has a monopitched natural slate roof. The yard (E) facing elevation has a t+g sheeted door to centre, all other elevations are blank.

Historical information

Although a building is shown here on the 1835 and 1861 OS maps, it is not to the same alignment as the present one, which is first shown on the 1906-07 edition. Its valuation in 1862 was £4 and it remains at this level in the Valuation revision books. This suggests that if a new house was erected after 1862, it had the same valuation as the old one,. Alternatively it may have been erected between the time of the second edition map survey and the second valuation, i.e. in the early 1860s.

Primary sources:
1. First edition OS 6" map, Co Armagh sheet 29, 1835 (PRONI - OS 6/2/29/1).
2. Second edition OS 6" map, Co Armagh sheet 29, 1861 (PRONI - OS 6/2/29/2).
3. Second Valuation book, 1862 (PRONI - VAL 2B/2/37A, p.22).
4. Valuation Revision books, 1860s-1920s (PRONI - VAL 12B/15/17A-D).

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

Not listed

Criteria for listing: historic interest

Not listed

Evaluation

A well preserved farm complex and attractive grouping of vernacular buildings. The main house appears to have retained most of its original features.