Cargabane House

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

Two storey/ three bay farmhouse with rear yard up a long lane on S side of Cargabane Road.

Pitched natural slate roof aligned NE-SW with modern cement rendered chimney on each gable. There is a third chimney rising from the wall-head to right of centre on the rear pitch. Gables have plain bargeboards and timber eaves carrying modern half-round plastic rainwater goods.

Front elevation faces NW. It is in harled (mostly off) rubble stone with brick dressings to window openings. A single dressed granite step with curved ends leads to the front door at ground floor centre. Reproduction four panelled (bolection moulded) door has original cast iron knocker and knob. Door has four paned sidelights, margin paned with a fielded apron panel. Over door and sidelights is a semi-elliptical fanlight with radial spider’s web glazing. Modern light fitting on wall above.

Each remaining bay on the façade has a 6/6 exposed box sash window with no horns and a dressed granite cill. Those to first floor are slightly diminished in height and width.

Left gable is lined rendered at ground floor and harled (mostly gone) above. There is a 6/6 sash at ground floor left with similar window at first floor right. Both are same size.

Outbuildings

Rear yard is accessed through a pair of flat iron gates with dog bars and rams horn finials. The yard is enclosed on three sides by outbuildings and to the NW by the rear of the house. It is partially cobbled, rest concrete. The outbuildings are in rubble stone with natural slate roofs. There are six in all:

1) In SW corner is a single storey/ single bay woodshed with its SE gable rebuilt in concrete block work with a t+g sheeted door.

2) Enclosing the SW side of the yard is a linear single storey block. Its W corner is curved to accommodate access into the yard from the drive. Roof has an apsidal W end and has a red brick chimney on the ridge and two cast iron skylights on its drive facing pitch. Its NW gable is blank. Its SE gable abuts a two storey barn (see later). Its yard facing elevation has three t+g sheeted doors, one 2/2 sash window and a similar vented opening.

3) Large two-storey barn aligned SW-NE and enclosing the rear of the yard. Pitched natural slate roof has six cast iron sky lights on its rear pitch. Its yard facing elevation has a t+g sheeted door at left, to its right is a small corrugated iron lean-to with small window above. To centre is a large sliding metal door; to right of which is a t+g sheeted door. This elevation is abutted to extreme right end by building 2 (see above). The left gable is abutted by a single storey block (building 4) and is blank above. The rear elevation has a large return to centre under a cat-slide of the main roof. The remaining right part of the rear elevation has a t+g sheeted door. The remaining left part of the rear elevation has a small metal-framed window. The return has a t+g sheeted door on its left gable and one on its front wall. Its right gable has a small metal-framed window. The left gable of the barn opens onto the driveway and has a small window at ground floor left, loading door in the gable.

4) Small single storey block in NE corner of yard abutting the left gable of the barn. It has a pitched natural late roof. Yard facing wall has a pair of t+g sheeted doors. Its left gable has a small metal-framed window. Building 5 abuts its rear elevation.

5) Single bay block with steeply hipped natural slate roof. Its front wall abuts building 4, its left and right walls each have a t+g sheeted door and its rear wall is blank.

6) Single storey block enclosing the NE side of the yard. Its hipped natural slate roof is slated with exaggerated vertical gaps to ventilate the roof. Its yard facing elevation has a large t+g sheeted sliding door. Its remaining elevations are blank. To its E is a one and a half storey rubble stone block of lesser interest.

There is also a large modern farm building behind the barn to the immediate rear of traditional farmyard.
Right gable is lined rendered in cement. There are two 6/6 sashes at ground floor and first floor is blank.

Rear elevation is cement wet-dashed and abutted to ground floor by a lean-to return. There are four modern top-hung casement windows at first floor, of varying sizes and with rendered cills. Return has a mono-pitched natural slate roof and walls as main block. All windows are with dressed granite cills. Its left gable has a small modern window. Its right gable has a small six paned light and abuts an outbuilding.

Setting

Front gates to Cargabane Road are hung on large one-piece dressed granite posts with moulded pyramidal caps. Pair of wrought iron gates have cast iron finials and collars to the main bars and dog bars. The gates and posts are flanked to left and right by short lengths of hoop topped railings supported at their outer ends by small plain granite posts. The long main driveway is lined with beech hedges. As it approaches the house it branches left into the front garden and continues ahead to rear of house.

Mature front garden has a pair of hoop-topped wrought iron gates on dressed granite piers. Drive curves to front of house and there is a corrugated iron garage just to left of main house.

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. It may be of early 19th C date.

It is shown on the 1859 OS map and was occupied by William Young at the time of the 1862 Valuation. Its valuation increases from £8 to £8.10s0d in 1877, and by a further 10s.0d in 1881 - these increases probably reflect outbuilding additions.

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.99).
4. Valuation revision book, 1877 (PRONI VAL 12B/22/9A, p.43).
5. Valuation revision book, 1881 (PRONI VAL 12B/22/9B, p.52).

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

A. Style
B. Proportion
J. Setting

Criteria for listing: historic interest

X. Local Interest

Evaluation

An attractive symmetrical farmhouse set in mature grounds and retaining its original external features. A full evaluation cannot be made until internal access is gained.

General comments

**Under consideration : awaing additional information** 30th March 2004