Ardarragh House

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

Two storey/ four bay mid-19thC house and former pub on N side of Finnard Road. The left two bays are wider, and slightly lower than, the other two bays.

Pitched natural slate roofs aligned W-E, that over the right two bays being slightly larger and having larger slates. Chimneys are rendered and brick coped, there is one to each end gable and one between the second and third bays from left. The rear pitch of the larger roof has two modern skylights. Advanced masonry eaves carry half round modern metal rainwater goods. Walls are painted lined rendered rubble stone.

Front elevation faces S onto the road. The third bay from left is abutted by a single storey porch, which contains the front door. Porch has a hipped natural slate roof and walls as main block, but with stop-chamfered external corners. Timber eaves carry modern half round rainwater goods. Its left (W) cheek has a margin paned 1/1 sash window. The front (S) wall has a segmental headed fixed light. The right (E) cheek of the porch has a four panelled (raised and fielded) door. All the porch openings have stop-chamfered reveals.

The remaining bays on façade each have a single window opening containing a pair of 6/6 sliding sashes. All have painted stone cills and those to ground floor are exposed box sashes and slightly smaller than those to first floor. The ground floor left window is a modern insertion into an infilled doorway (former pub entrance). At first floor, between the windows on the first and second bays from left, is a linear stucco frame (former pub fascia).

The left (W) gable is blank and abutted by a rendered and painted (modern) external chimneybreast.

The rear (N) elevation is much altered and extended. The larger block is deeper than lower block and as a result it has a part exposed W facing gable which can only be seen at rear. This gable is rendered as the others and has a small two paned attic window. The left three bays of the rear elevation are abutted by a pair of large modern gabled returns. The remaining wall has a small four paned casement window at first floor on the third bay from left and the ground floor right bay has a wide 8/8 sash window. The returns are both modern but detailed as house with pitched natural slate roofs, rendered walls and sash windows. All doors are uPVC.

The right (E) gable is blank at ground floor. At first floor has a 3/6 sash window at right and attic gable has a small metal framed casement window.

Setting

Small front garden is enclosed to roadside by a lined rendered and painted rubble stone wall. Its external face has a series of iron loops incorporated (for securing horses) and its base has a series of roughly dressed stone mounting blocks. The left (W) end of the front wall has a pair of cylindrical gate piers carrying a flat iron gate, which serves the driveway to rear. Its right (E) end has a c1900 wrought iron pedestrian gate on rendered piers. At extreme right end is another pair of cylindrical gate piers and a driveway to right (E) side of house. Here is a high screen wall, rendered and coped in a painted (c1900) concrete balustrade. It has a pair of t+g sheeted doors and the doorway has stucco V jointed quoins, a stucco wreath over door and a corbel and ball finial at right side. To rear is a modern patio with lawn beyond. To rear is a small rubble stone outbuilding with pitched corrugated metal roof.

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 is shown on the 1859 OS map as Ardarragh Post Office. The available evidence suggests that it is probably of mid 19th century date. It is noted as 'post office and shop' in the 1862 Valuation book and was occupied by Eliza McConvill at that date. The 1891 Valuation entry notes it as a public house. It is captioned Ardarragh House on the 1918 OS map (the 1903 edition is missing from PRONI).

The property was vacant for a number of years prior to its repair and extension c1990. The left room at ground floor was originally a public bar accessed by a front door. The second room from left at ground floor was originally a provisions shop. The remaining two bays were the owner’s residence.

The present owners have two old photographs (c1930) of the building when it served as a pub and shop. The photograph shows the building, as it is today with the exception that there is a porch on the front below the pub fascia (and presumably serving the pub and shop), and the house porch has a flat roof with stucco parapet. It is believed locally that film star Errol Flynn once drank in the bar.

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/3/69D, p.298).
4. Valuation revision books, 1891 (PRONI VAL 12B/22/19C, plot 26).
5. OS 6" map, 1918, Co Down sheet 41 (PRONI OS 6/3/41/4).
6. Information from owner, February 2000.
7. Old photograph in possession of owner.

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

Not listed

Criteria for listing: historic interest

Not listed

Evaluation

An attractive roadside former shop and pub incorporating a dwelling, but retaining only its front façade and external character as features of any interest.