Glebe House

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

Two and half storey (+ semi-basement) three bay former 18thC rectory S facing in mature garden on E side of Buskhill Road. Yard and outbuildings to rear.

Pitched artificial slate roof with 20thC timber bargeboards and eaves. Red brick chimney to each end gable. Half round plastic rainwater goods. Walls of main block are smooth cement rendered.

Front elevation is abutted at ground floor centre by a small porch. Porch has five dressed granite steps enclosed by dwarf walls with stout cylindrical piers. Porch rests on an arched vault over the basement passage. It has a shallow hipped natural slate roof with overhanging eaves and exposed decorative rafter tails. Walls are dashed. Its front wall has a pair of Georgian three panelled storm doors with a plain transom over.

Below the porch, at basement is a mid 20thC glazed door. The remaining bays on each floor each have a 1/1 sliding sash window. Basement ones are small and those to ground floor are taller than first floor ones. All windows are small in relation to the wall area.

The left gable of house has a 1/1 window opening at ground floor left and two small window openings in the attic. There is no basement passage; the true ground level applies.

The rear elevation is smooth cement rendered as façade. It is abutted to basement centre by a small single storey bathroom return, and abutted to basement right by a derelict laundry. There is a small metal-framed basement window to the left and right bays, and at centre, (to left of bathroom return) there is a narrow window, which was formerly 2X3 paned. There is a single (boarded up) window to left and right bays at ground floor. On central bay between ground and first floors is a 6/6 sash window. At first floor there is a 4/2 sash window to left and right bays. On central bay between first floor and attic levels, there is a 6/3 sash window.

The right gable of house has two small window openings in the attic. There is no basement passage; the true ground level applies. Gable is abutted to ground floor right by the small single storey (study) return. Pitched natural slate roof, harled rubble stone walls. Its end gable has a doorway on right side. Its rear wall is blank and abutted by a derelict lean-to shed. The front wall has a single window opening.

Outbuildings

The rear yard is enclosed to S by the house, to SW by a single storey/ one bay outbuilding and to W by a linear single storey block. The N side of yard is enclosed by a pair of two storey outbuildings between which is the yard access gate. The E side of the yard has a linear block and there are two sheds in the SE corner.

The SW block is aligned W-E and has a pitched natural slate roof. It has rubble stone walls. Its S elevation faces into the front garden and is blank. Its W (external) gable is blank. Its E (yard facing) gable partially abuts the W gable of the house and has a doorway on its remaining part. Its N elevation is abutted by the E block.

The E block is single store and linear. It has mono-pitched modern corrugated roof aligned N-S. Its W (external) elevation is rubble stone and blank. Its E (yard facing) wall is cement dashed and has modern openings. Its N gable is abutted by the NW two storey block.

The two storey NW block has a pitched natural slate roof aligned W-E. Harled rubble stone walls. It is roughly three bays wide. Its S (yard facing) elevation is abutted to left by the E block. Its remaining elevation has a t+g sheeted loading door on each floor. First floor one is diminished in height. Its W (external) gable is blank. Its N (external) elevation is blank to left, has a window opening and an external stair to centre and a window opening to right. There is a door to first floor centre at head of stairs. Its E gable has been rebuilt in concrete block work and has a doorway on each floor. It fronts the yard gateway and faces the W gable of the NE outbuilding.

The NE outbuilding is two storey with a pitched natural slate roof aligned W-E. Harled rubble stone walls. Its W gable has a doorway to ground floor fronts the yard gateway and faces the E gable of the NW outbuilding. Its S (yard facing) elevation has a wide corrugated iron door at ground floor right and two window openings at first floor. Its E gable has an external stair and a loading door at first floor. Its N (external elevation) is blank and abutted to left by a lower two storey return. Return has a pitched natural slate roof and harled rubble stone walls. Its left (E) cheek is abutted by modern lean-to sheds. Its N gable has an external stair and a first floor door. Its right (W) cheek has a central t+g sheeted door flanked by 6/6 sashes at ground floor and two 6/3 sashes at first floor.

The outbuilding enclosing the E side of the yard is single storey and linear. It has a modern corrugated mono-pitched roof. Its N gabled and E (external) wall are both corrugated. Its W and S elevations are rubble stone. The W (yard facing) one has three small windows at eaves level. Its SW corner has a cylindrical gate pier built into it.

The two sheds in SE corner of the yard have corrugated metal roofs and are of little interest.

Setting

Small front garden has some mature trees and shrubs. Dashed gate screen and wrought metal pedestrian gate are early 20thC in detail.

Historical information

Built, according to Samuel Lewis, in 1786. A datestone, now concealed by the cement render on the W gable, is said to read this date. It was erected by the congregation of St. Bartholomew’s Parish Church (HB16/14/004) as a rectory and lies just north thereof, and also within clear view of the parish school (HB16/14/003).

Parish records show the house and outbuilding to have cost £538 19s ½ d of which £100 was contributed by the Board of First Fruits. In 1816 repairs were undertaken at a cost of £46 15s 10d. The study was erected by Rev. Marshall Mee and was complete by 15 February 1826.

Shown on the 1834 OS 6" map and described as a rectory in the 1836 Valuation book. Its measurements are given as 42ft x 21ft 6in x 23ft, with a 7ft high basement and 12ft x 13ft x 8ft return. Similar dimensions are given in the 1862 Valuation book. There is no change in its valuation between then and 1929. The house cited in the 1830s is probably the same as the existing house.

Occupants were: (1786) Rev. Brabazon Smith, (1816) Rev. John Mountgarrett, (1824) Marshall Joseph Mee, (1857) John Campbell Quinn, (1882) J. D. Cowan. On the death of Rev. Cowan in 1925, the parish came under the auspices of St. Mary’s Parish Church, Newry and the Glebe House was sold. The McMaster family was in occupancy until the present owner purchased the farm c.1960. It was occupied for a short while thereafter but has been vacant since the 1970s.

Primary sources:
1. OS 6" map, 1834, Co Down sheet 40 (PRONI OS 6/3/40/1).
2. First valuation book, 1836 (PRONI VAL 1B/355, p.144).
3. Second valuation book, 1862 (PRONI VAL 2B/3/58A, p.17).
4. Valuation revision books, 1866-1929 (PRONI VAL 12B/22/9A-E).

Secondary sources:
1. S. Lewis, 1837, Topographical dictionary of Ireland, vol.1, p. 468.
2. Information from Mr Walter McClean (churchwarden).
3. Rev. J. Davison Cowan, “An Ancient Parish, that of Donaghmore.” London, 1914.

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

A. Style
B. Proportion
C. Ornamentation
D. Plan Form
I. Quality and survival of Interior
J. Setting
K. Group value

Criteria for listing: historic interest

Z. Rarity
X. Local Interest

Evaluation

This attractive 1786 rectory is located in a prominent hillside overlooking St Bartholomew’s churchyard. Although the house has been cement rendered and its front glazing bars removed, it remains otherwise unaltered. Yard to rear. It has a well-furnished interior with formal plan, good staircase and all window shutters and linings remaining. Its age and survival, as well as its virtually unaltered state, make it of special architectural and historic interest.

Adding to the importance of the site is its proximity to St. Bartholomew’s Church (HB16/14/004) and the former parish school (HB16/14/003). It is unusual in this area of County Down, to find an 18th church, its Glebe house and early 19thC school in such close proximity, and in a setting of such prominence and picturesque effect.