2 Ringclare Road

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

A much altered two storey/ three bay 19thC farmhouse prominently located on the NW side of McGaffin’s corner.

Pitched natural slate roof with advanced eaves course and plain timber bargeboard to gables. Plastic rainwater goods. Three rendered and corbelled chimneys – one to each gable and one between the left and central bays. Walls are modern smooth cement rendered and painted. All windows are modern uPVC casements with painted stone cills (unless otherwise stated).

Principal elevation faces E. Each bay on each floor has a single window (all equally aligned). The central bay has an additional modern glazed timber porch (of no interest) set to the left of its window.

Left gable has a window to ground floor left.

Rear elevation is abutted to left and centre by a modern single storey return (see later). The exposed section of the rear elevation has a 6/6 sliding sash window at extreme left on ground floor. There is also a ground floor window on the right bay. The first floor has a window to each bay. The return has a flat overhanging roof and walls as house. Its left cheek has a modern timber casement window. Its rear face is blank. The right cheek has a small timber top-hung casement window set to the left of a modern glazed timber door.

The right gable of the house is blank.

Setting.

Front and left gable of house has a small garden, which is enclosed to road by a curving garden wall, rendered and painted with saddle coping. At front the wall has a wrought-iron loop-headed pedestrian gate supported by square-in-section pyramidal coped granite gate piers. At right-end of wall is a pair of round-headed wrought-iron gates, supported on roughly dressed granite piers and provide vehicle access to rear yard.

To rear is a domestic yard. It contains a two-storey rubble stone outbuilding. Pitched natural slate roof (in poor condition). Rubble stone walls with t+g sheeted doors.

Historical information

A building is shown at this location on the 1834 OS 6" map. However, the first Valuation map of around the same date is missing, so it is not possible to ascertain from the first Valuation book whether its dimensions match those of the present house. The 1862 valuation is £1.5s.0d but this increases to £4.10s.0d in the later 1870s and indicates a major refurbishment or rebuild. The Valuation book entry for 1899 makes a reference to a new house at this date, although its valuation remains as before.

The HMBB first survey card states, ‘A two-storey, three bay, harled house with slated roof and three chimneys. Unrecessed Georgian glazing, 12 pane sashed, is of reduced height on upper floor. The entrance is contained in a hipped roof projecting porch with carved pendant-type decoration on fascia. The sheeted door is surmounted by a rectangular fanlight with segmental head.

The HMBB first survey slide shows and two storey three bay vernacular house. Its pitched natural slate roof has a rendered chimney to each end gable and one to left side of central bay. Half round metal rainwater goods. Walls are rendered and unpainted. Each bay of façade has a 6/6 exposed box sash window to each floor (those to first floor are diminished in height). The central bay has a porch abutting its left side at ground floor. Porch has a hipped roof with fretted timber fascia and panelled door on front with fanlight over. The left gable has a single 6/6 sash window at ground floor left.

Primary sources:
1. OS 6" map, 1834, Co Down sheet 41 (PRONI OS 6/3/41/1).
2. OS 6" map, 1859, Co Down sheet 41 (PRONI OS 6/3/41/2).
3. Second valuation book, 1862 (PRONI VAL 2B/3/58B, p.102).
4. Valuation revision book, 1875/79 (PRONI VAL 12B/22/9A, p.51).
5. Valuation revision book, 1899 (PRONI VAL 12B/22/9D, p.71).
6. HMBB first survey card dated December 1972.
7. HMBB first survey slide dated January 1973.

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

Not listed

Criteria for listing: historic interest

Not listed

Evaluation

A much altered 19thC farmhouse retaining no features of architectural or historic interest.