House SE of 15 Ballyblaugh Road

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

Two storey three bay vernacular house on the S side of the Ballyblaugh Road.

Pitched natural slate roof with cement rendered chimney on SE gable, there is no gable on the opposite end as the right bay roof is aligned at right angles and continues to rear as a return. A second chimney is to centre on the return ridge. Advanced masonry eaves course supports half-round metal rainwater goods.

Principal elevation faces NE. Walls are lime rendered over coursed rubble stone. The window openings are irregularly placed. All contain a 2/2 exposed box sliding sash window with granite cill. Windows diminish in height to first floor. The left bay has a window to ground floor and one set to the left at first floor. The central bay is narrower than the other two and contains a four-panelled door with bolection mouldings. Over is a narrow margin-paned transom. Set to the left at first floor is a window.

The right bay is gabled and is flush with the façade. It has a window to ground floor and a narrower one to first floor.

The left gable is cement rendered with a window set to ground floor right.

The rear elevation has a window opening (altered to a doorway) at ground floor of right bay. Central bay has a t+g sheeted and bead moulded door with mouth-organ transom over. First floor has a window opening set to the left of the door. The left bay advances as the rear return. It is detailed as main house. Its right (SE) cheek has a window opening to ground floor and one to first floor. The rear (SW) gable of the return has a corrugated metal door inserted to a ground floor window opening. There is a small 1/1 sash window at first floor. The left (NW) face of the return is completely abutted by a rubble stone lean-to. Lean-to has a mono-pitched artificial slate roof reaching eaves level of the main house. Its rear (SW) elevation has a doorway. Its front (NE) gable has a metal framed 2x3 window. Its side (NW) elevation has a 2/2 sash window to right of centre.

Setting:

To rear is a rubble stone outbuilding with pitched natural slate roof. Its right elevation is abutted to centre by a curved rubble stone wall enclosing a natural well.

Historical information

Although a building is shown at this location on the 1834 OS 6" map, the present dwelling of later 19th century date, being described in the 1879 Valuation revision book as "new house - slated". The valuation of the premises increases from £4.10s.0d to £6.10s.0d concurrently.

Primary sources:
1. OS 6" map, 1834, Co Down sheet 40 (PRONI OS 6/3/40/1).
2. Valuation revision book, 1879 (PRONI VAL 12B/22/9A, p.32).

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

Not listed

Criteria for listing: historic interest

Not listed

Evaluation

A substantial vernacular house with an interesting ‘evolved’ plan form. However, it is of relatively late date and not of special architectural or historic interest.