23 Rock Meeting Road

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

Detached symmetrical three-bay two-storey rendered house, built c.1850. T-shaped on plan, facing east with gabled two-storey rear return. Located on an elevated site to the west of Rock Meeting Road, accessed via a long gravel drive with a large rear yard enclosed by single and two-storey rubblestone outbuildings.

Pitched natural slate roof with black clay ridge tiles, two replacement brown brick chimneystacks and cast-iron rainwater goods supported on iron drive-through brackets. Ruled-and-lined cement rendered walling. Square-headed window openings with multi-pane timber sash windows unless otherwise noted on granite cills.

Front east elevation is three windows wide with central elliptical-arched entrance having tripartite doorcase comprising; four-panelled timber door, fixed-pane sidelights over apron and tripartite overlight. Door opens onto granite platform with single granite step.

Gabled south elevation has a single window to right at each floor; abutted to left by a single-storey natural slate roofed lean-to comprising tripartite metal window, right cheek blank, left cheek with square-headed timber sheeted door.

Rear west elevation comprises a central round-arched stairwell window at landing level; window to each floor to right; abutted to left by a gabled two-storey rendered return with natural slate roof, multi-pane casement windows and redbrick chimneystack (off ridge on north slope). Return comprises central window to ground floor with two windows to first floor at gable; right cheek not viewed; left cheek has a full width catslide roof with recessed open entrance porch through a segmental-arched opening to right with extended catslide to left comprising a window to north, cheeks blank.

Gabled north elevation has two windows to each floor (that to top right is a mock sliding sash casement).

Setting

Located on an elevated site to the west of Rock Meeting Road at the end of a long gravel avenue with slender square granite gate piers (no gate) with chamfered corners and projecting pyramidal cap. Front garden enclosed by low redbrick walls with tooled masonry coping, cast-iron railings and decorative cast-iron gates supported on decorative cast-iron posts. Rectangular rear yard enclosed to the south by a multi-bay two-storey rubblestone outbuilding having pitched natural slate roof, redbrick lined openings with timber sheeted doors and a single flight of external stone steps. The yard is enclosed to the north by a lime render over rubblestone multi-bay two-storey outbuilding having pitched natural slate roof, cast-iron wall-ties, steel casement windows and timber sheeted doors. To the west is a small, single-storey, rubblestone, natural slate roofed, two bay pigsty, abutted by later concrete structures.

Roof: Natural slate
Walling: Render
Windows: Timber
RWG: Cast iron

Historical information

‘Rockmount’ formerly known as ‘The Rocks’ is a mid-nineteenth century farmhouse with associated outbuildings, one of which predates the house and the first ordnance survey and the second dating to c.1880.

Buildings are shown on the site on the first edition OS map of 1834. Subsequent map editions suggest that the largest of these early structures has survived as an outbuilding but the present house does not appear until the second edition of 1860. This edition shows the farm as presently laid out with the main house and rear return, outbuildings to the north and south of the yard (the two outbuildings to the south were subsequently altered to form a single long range) and a smaller shed/pigsty to the west. The farm is captioned ‘The Rocks’.

The building could not be securely identified in the Townland Valuation (1828-40) but a farm is listed that was then occupied by Joseph Carswell, valued at £3.14s and comprised a single-storey house and two single-storey outbuildings, all thatched, for which dimensions are given. By the time of Griffith’s Valuation (1856-64) a two storey house with return had been built on the property which was valued at £13, the valuer commenting that it was ‘very neat’. Dimensions are also given for two-storey and single storey outbuildings including the single-storey former farmhouse and cowshed to the north of the farmyard. The farmer was Samuel Carswell and his farm of over 41 acres was held from Earl Clanwilliam. In 1879 the valuation was increased to £14.10s, the outbuildings having been ‘enlarged’ and the map evidence suggests that the outbuilding to the south of the farmyard was remodelled/extended at this time.

Samuel Carswell became the owner in fee of the farm under land purchase legislation in 1896 but died in 1897 leaving his property including the present farm to his son Joseph. As was common, Samuel was anxious to make provision for his widow and instructed that Joseph should pay her the sum of fifty pounds sterling yearly and that she be ‘maintained, supported and clothed’ by Joseph ‘during the term of her natural life’ at the farmhouse but that if she chose to leave the farm she should be paid the sum of £500 and receive a bed, bedding and a sewing machine. (Will of Samuel Carswell)

The 1901 census incorrectly records Joseph Carswell as living in Ballymacaratty More. The house is second class and has 8 rooms and 10 outbuildings. Joseph Carswell lives with his mother Sarah and sister Mary in accordance with his father’s wishes and the family keep a 17-year-old domestic servant from County Leitrim. The 1911 census sees the family correctly listed in Carrickdrumman townland and the house which now has 11 rooms has attained a first class designation. The house remained in the Carswell family until 1940 when it passed to George Bryson. The accommodation comprised at the time, on the ground floor two receptions and two small rooms, a kitchen, scullery and outside pantry. On the first floor there were four bedrooms and two further bedrooms over the kitchen. The house let for £18 per annum in 1935. A plan of the house and outbuildings is given showing the dwelling with attached poultry house and return with projecting scullery. The north outbuilding to the rear is a byre and barn with further byre and cattle shed adjoining and the south outbuilding is a trap house, potato house, byre and cart shed with lofts over. There are pigsties shown to the west which are still present.
The dwelling house is currently vacant.

References:

Primary Sources

1. PRONI OS/6/3/33/1 First Edition OS Map 1834
2. PRONI OS/6/3/33/2 Second Edition OS map 1860
3. PRONI OS/6/3/33/3 Third Edition OS Map 1903
4. PRONI OS/6/3/33/4 Fourth Edition OS Map 1903-18
5. PRONI VAL/1/B/351 Townland Valuation (1828-40)
6. PRONI VAL/2/B/3/55C – Griffith’s Valuation (c.1861)
7. PRONI VAL/12/A/3/8 – Valuer’s Notes 1913
8. PRONI VAL/12/B/16/14A-D Annual Revisions (1864-1930)
9. PRONI VAL/3/C/4/2 First General Revaluation (1933-57)
10. PRONI VAL/3/D/4/3/N/31First General Revaluation (1933-57)
11. PRONI Will of Samuel Carswell died 20.9.1897 n

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

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

Criteria for listing: historic interest

X. Local Interest

Evaluation

Detached symmetrical three-bay two-storey rendered house, built c.1850. Rockmount is a middle-sized mid Victorian house that retains most of its original detailing and character. A good range of stone outbuildings to the rear adds to the setting and the whole constitutes a substantial grouping. Although plain and relatively late, this is an increasingly rare example of the type in this area.