82 Glen Road Newry Co.Down BT34 1TA

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

One-and-a-half-storey dwelling with outbuildings predating 1834, arranged around an informal courtyard, located down long lane off Glen Road, approximately 9.5 Km N of Newry, Co Down.
Natural slate pitched roof with three cement-rendered rectangular section chimneys, one on each gable and one to centre. Single storey extension to rear.

Front Elevation (NW)
Asymmetrical three-bay façade in lined & ruled sand-cement render with corrugated asbestos-sheeted pitched roof porch to right of centre, with a single window opening wither side, both with exposed sash boxes and stone cills.
Window opening on left side has large 6/6 timber sliding sash window with stone cill, window on right is smaller with a 4/4 timber sliding sash window. Porch has a 10-pane metal framed window to NW face and a door opening with a replacement timber & glazed door on SW face.

Side elevation (SW)
Lined & ruled cement-rendered gable with single window opening on ground floor level with the same window as left side of front elevation. Narrow window opening to first floor, boarded over.

Rear elevation (SE)
Fully abutted by single storey lean-to extension with corrugated asbestos sheeted roof. Unable to see openings due to vegetation at time of survey.

Side elevation (NE)
Lime rendered façade with portions of exposed rubblestone. Single window opening at first floor level with two-pane timber casement window.

Materials:
Windows – timber sliding sash / metal casement / timber casement
Walls – Lined & ruled cement-rendered / lime rendered
Roof – natural slate
RWGs – none

Setting
Isolated collection of buildings arranged as an informal courtyard, located down a long farm lane, surrounded by farmland.

Four outbuildings –
Outbuilding 1 – partially derelict, only NW portion remains with single-storey cement rendered stone walls and pitched corrugated iron roof. Rubblestone wall to SW remains.
Outbuilding 2 – Tall corrugated iron barrel-roofed hay shed
Outbuilding 3 – single-storey outbuilding, cement rendered, corrugated iron roof, concrete block lean-to extension on NE side.
Outbuilding 4 – accessed via tall wrought iron gates, single storey concrete block store with corrugated iron roof

Historical information

Glen House predates the first edition OS map of 1834 and is shown as two structures on that map, corresponding to a dwelling and an outbuilding. The contemporary Townland Valuation lists the dwelling as the residence of Widow Margaret McKelvey, a house and outbuildings valued at £3.8s. Dimensions are given for the slated single-storey house (35½x19x9 feet) which corresponds roughly to the dimensions of the house on the site today. Dimensions are also given for two outbuildings, the combined length of which corresponds to the outbuilding to the SW of the site today (outbuilding 1), now roofless and partially collapsed. In the 1830s this outbuilding was thatched for 59 feet of its length and was judged to have ‘inferior’ walls that were not constructed with lime mortar. This may hint at mud construction or earth mortar. However, the remnants of the outbuilding on the site today are constructed of rubblestone and mortar.

By the time of Griffith’s Valuation (1861) the house and outbuildings were leased by Samuel Stephenson (also spelled Stevenson in later records) from local landlord Arthur C Innes of Dromantine House and were valued at £4.10s. Samuel Stephenson appears several times in the newspapers in the 1860s and 1870s due to disputes with his servants, namely a maid servant (Sarah McGivern) and farm servants, Bernard and Owen Callaghan. Owen Callaghan had been hired by Stephenson at Newry market, but Owen left because he was ‘lonesome’. Callaghan’s brother also left because ‘the stirabout was not good’. Stephenson brought them to court and the Callaghan brothers were ordered to return to their master, with costs deducted from their wages (Newry Telegraph; Newry Reporter). Outbuilding 3 (still present) had been added to the site by the 2nd edition of 1860.

The valuation book records that improvements to the house in 1870 resulted in a rise in valuation to £5.10s. The footprint of the dwelling house on the 3rd edition of 1903-18 shows the addition of the single-storey lean-to to the rear (still present), which may have formed part of the 1870 remodelling. Otherwise, the footprint of the house remains much as it was in 1834 and it appears likely, given the proportions and fenestration of the dwelling today, that the remodelling retained much of the original fabric and plan form.

Samuel died in 1874 and his wife Agnes subsequently took over the house. Agnes divided the house into two separate lettings and was sub-letting it to Robert Sterrett and Eliza Smith in the early 1890s and subsequently to a succession of tenants. The valuation of house and outbuildings was drastically reduced at this time to £1 and £1.10s respectively, indicating that the buildings may have fallen into disrepair. The occupant of the dwelling house at the time of the 1911 census was Charles Small, an agricultural labourer who lived with his wife and four young children. The house was noted to be slated, had two windows to the front elevation, as today, and three rooms internally. Local farmer, John O’Hare was letting the house to Small at this time and O’Hare also used the outbuildings for his own purposes, although the 1903-18 large-scale map shows part of outbuilding 1 was roofless at this time.
By 1933 John O’Hare is noted in valuation records to be the outright owner of the house and outbuildings. The 1½ storey house had a sitting room, kitchen, scullery and pantry on the ground floor and two bedrooms on the first floor. Outbuilding 1 was in use as a stable and byre and outbuilding 3 as a barn. The plan of the farm in the valuer’s notebook shows a small porch at the front elevation for the first time and also shows that outbuilding 1 was extended with concrete block and tin during the lifetime of the notebook (i.e. 1933-57).

Valuation records note that new outbuildings had been added to the site in 1951, which may correspond to outbuildings 2 and 4. These two outbuildings are first depicted on the large-scale map of 1974.

References:
Primary Sources:

1. PRONI OS/6/3/40/1 First edition Six Inch OS map (1834)
2. PRONI OS/6/3/40/2 Second edition Six Inch OS map (1860)
3. PRONI VAL/2/B/3/58A Griffith’s Valuation, Barony of Iveagh Upper, Upper Half (1861)
4. Newry Telegraph, 3rd August 1865, 22nd November 1866
5. Newry Reporter, 31st July 1873
6. PRONI VAL/12/B/15/22A-F Annual Revisions Electoral Division of Glen (1864-1929)
7. PRONI OS/6/3/40/3 Third edition Six Inch OS map (1903)
8. PRONI OS/6/3/40/4 Fourth edition Six Inch OS map (1903-18)
9. Census of Ireland 1911 online
10. PRONI VAL/12/A/3/82
11. PRONI VAL/3/C/4/29 First General Revaluation ED Glen (1936-57)
12. PRONI VAL/3/D/4/15/K/1 First General Revaluation Binder (1936-57)
13. PRONI Wills Calendars – Death of Samuel Stevenson, 18th March 1874
14. Large scale OS maps 1903-18, 1974 (https://shop.centremapslive.co.uk/)

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

Not listed

Criteria for listing: historic interest

Not listed

Evaluation

Glen House is a one-and-a-half-storey formalised vernacular farmhouse with outbuildings predating 1834, arranged around an informal courtyard. Located down long lane off Glen Road, approximately 9.5 Km N of Newry, Co Down. Despite the courtyard arrangement of buildings in a good rural setting, the house does not survive in its original form, following a c1870s re-model and a front porch added c.1930s. There are better examples of vernacular dwellings that retain more original historic fabric, allowing them to express their significance and Glen House does not therefore meet the legislative test for listing.