Parochial House

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

A late Victorian two-storey/ three bay Parochial House aligned NE-SW, accessed by a short, planted avenue on E side of Jonesborough Village Road. To rear is a range of mid-18thC buildings with Gibbsian surround doorcases.

Hipped natural slate roof rises to a central flat section with crested terracotta ridge and finials. There is a cement rendered and painted chimney on party wall between each bay. Corbelled eaves course supports moulded cast-iron rainwater goods; downpipes to each end of façade. To centre of façade is a small decorative gablet with stucco coping, moulded kneelers and surmounted by a foliated cast-iron finial. Walls are lined cement rendered and painted with a high advanced basecourse. There are four moulded stucco stringcourses – one to each cill level and one below each window head level. All windows are 1/1 sliding sashes (with horns) and painted granite cills, and are set in stucco reveals with moulded heads and smooth rendered architraves (unless otherwise stated).

Principal elevation faces NW and is abutted to centre by a projecting entrance porch; its flat roof is concealed behind a moulded and curved parapet with dentilled cornice. Its front (NW) face has a window to centre. Above window-head is a decorative swept and fluted panel with narrow cornice. Left (NE) cheek contains the entrance, which is accessed by three granite steps. An eight-panelled timber door (with narrow transom over) is set within a segmental-headed reveal with keyblock; to either side, above cill course level, is a three-quarter engaged foliated colonette set on a chamfered base. Right (SW) cheek is similarly detailed but has been infilled with a shallow segmental-headed window (formerly a door accessed by two granite steps) with cement-rendered cill.

Left and right bays each have a window to each floor; those to ground floor are segmental headed and those to first floor are flat headed. At first floor centre, set below decorative gablet, is a taller and narrower margin-paned window (with red-coloured margins) with a pair of fixed semicircular-headed transoms above, breaking eaves level. Its head is framed by a pair of pilasters with fluted heads rising from top string course and supporting a dentilled cornice. The gablet has a two-centred arch, which contains a central roundel and four smaller curved panels.

Each side elevation consists of two windows to each floor; those to ground floor are segmental-headed.

Rear elevation is completely abutted by two returns. Both are two-storey and detailed as house, but without string courses and with plain openings and metal security grilles to windows. Right bay is abutted by a return aligned perpendicular to main block. Left and middle bays are abutted by shallow return with monopitched natural slate roof (hipped to left end).

The right return has a pitched natural slate roof with a chimney set slightly to left of centre. Its left cheek has a window at ground floor right and its right cheek has a two equally aligned windows to each floor and a narrower one to extreme right-end at ground floor. The end (SE) gable is blank.

The second return has a modern eight-panelled timber door at left and a window to right. First floor has a pair of narrow windows to left and a semicircular-headed margin-paned 2/1 sliding sash window to right. Left cheek is blank and the right cheek abuts the right return.

Buildings to rear:

A range of 18thC single-storey buildings (belonging to former barracks) consists of a three bay block to SE of site and a coach house to SW. Both have pitched natural slate roofs with an advanced eaves course and lime rendered rubble stone walls with brick trim to openings.

The block to SE has seven openings. From left these are: two windows and a door to bay one; a window to bay two; a door and two windows to bay three. All window openings have been infilled (with concrete blocks) and have cement rendered architraves and painted stone cills; internally they are 6/6 sliding sashes (with horns). Each door opening is accessed by two granite steps and has a painted stone Gibbsian surround with keystone. Doors are t+g sheeted with a semicircular headed transom over (formerly a radial timber fanlight). Left gable is abutted by a ruinous outbuilding (of no interest). Rear elevation was not accessed. Right gable is blank.

The coach house has a large t+g sheeted sliding door to NE face. To its right is a 6/6 sliding sash window in the remains of a painted stone Gibbsian surround (head now modified). Other elevations are blank.

Setting:

The house occupies a sheltered site, set back from the main road. It is accessed by a pair of wrought-iron gates supported on rusticated granite ashlar posts surmounted by pyramidal caps. A maturely planted avenue formerly lit by cast-iron lights leads up to house.

Historical information

The parochial house first appears in the Valuation Revision book entry of 1897; it was occupied (by Rev. J. Smith) the following year.

As regards the rear buildings, these were once part of a military barracks. The Ordnance Survey Memoir of c.1837 notes that the barracks was unoccupied at that time, "merely serving as a barn. The military have been withdrawn from the barracks about 12 or 14 years." Lewis notes that part of the barracks was then converted into a private residence [part of which was demolished to make way for the parochial house].

Primary sources:
1. Ordnance Survey Memoirs, Jonesborough Parish.
2. Valuation Revision book, 1897 (PRONI VAL 12B/15/15C, p.156).

Secondary sources:
2. S. Lewis, ‘Topographical Directory of Ireland’, vol.2, p.32.

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

Not listed

Criteria for listing: historic interest

Not listed

Evaluation

A late Victorian Parochial House, set within planted grounds and accessed by a tree-lined avenue. To rear is a range of outbuildings, mid- or late-18thC buildings with Gibbsian doorcases. The house is relatively late in date and not of special architectural or historic interest. The outbuildings have little features of interest remaining.