Ballyvally House

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

A rendered two-storey four-bay detached house with outbuildings, built pre 1830 and located north of Dromore Road east of Banbridge town centre. Rectangular plan comprising symmetrical rectangular block abutted by a two-storey gabled late 20th century extension to north-west with gabled two-storey return and projecting porch to rear.

Pitched natural slate roof with blue/black angled ridge tiles and raised verges; rendered chimneystacks to gables having tall terracotta pots. Cast-iron half-round rainwater goods on projecting eaves with cast-iron downpipes and hoppers. Walling is painted smooth render; return and projecting porch to rear are painted brick. Windows are a variety of timber sliding sash with two multi-paned dormers to NE.

The principal elevation faces south-west and comprises original symmetrical facade three openings wide to each floor. Windows are 3/6 to first floor and 6/6 windows to ground floor; to centre of original facade is an elliptical-arched entrance opening containing an eight flat recessed panel timber door accessed via four stone steps, flanked by three-paned side lights and surmounted by an ornate timber fanlight. Gabled extension to left is higher and is two windows wide at each floor.

The north-west elevation is abutted by the two-storey extension which has a 1/1 window to centre and a wall headed chimney to right at first floor and two elongated 1/1 windows to ground floor.

The north-east (rear) elevation comprises main rectangular block to left abutted by a two-storey gabled return comprising 1/1 window right of centre to first floor with wall headed chimney to far left, timber sheeted door to right and a small single storey flat roofed extension to left (all faces blank except small square window to right cheek). Left cheek of return has two 1/1 windows to each floor; right cheek has two 1/1 windows to ground floor only. Return is flanked by a flat roofed dormer fully-glazed with multi-paned casements and a 6/6 window at first floor. To left is a flat-roof single-storey projecting porch with a four-panelled timber door; window to left cheek, right cheek blank. 2/2 window (horizontal glazing bars) to left of porch, small square window to right. To right of return is an enlarged quadripartite timber casement window in an elliptical-arched recess. Gabled extension to right comprising small square window to attic level; three 1/1 windows to first floor (left two are paired and narrow) and two elongated 1/1 windows to ground floor; left cheek blank; right cheek see north-west elevation.

The south-east gable has a 6/6 window to first floor right and a 4/4 window to centre at ground floor. Chimney to ridge and wall headed chimney to far right.

Rear yard as a two-storey roughcast rendered slated barn to east, five openings wide to first floor with three louvered vents. Ground floor is nine openings wide comprising timber-sheeted latch doors and 1/1 timber sash windows.

Setting

The house occupies a mature elevated site north of Dromore Road. The surrounding land has been developed with a range of modern storey-and-a-half and two-storey dwellings. Accessed via a tarmacadam driveway to south with slender gate piers and modern timber fence; leading to a tarmacadam yard to rear of house, accessed via a rubble stone wall with red-brick and rubble stone gate pier supporting modern timber gates. To far left is a modern canopy with a corrugated tin roof supported on slender metal piers. To southeast is a garage and shed with curved frontage having timber-sheeted-and-glazed garage doors. Yard enclosed to east by a pair of wrought-iron gates. Yard enclosed to south by a rubble stone and red-brick wall, with two original timber-sheeted door leading to a walled garden. Timber greenhouse on a red-brick base abuts the wall to north. Walled garden is lawned with a variety of mature trees and gravelled paths.

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

Historical information

Ballyvally House, a two-storey Georgian farmhouse, appears uncaptioned on the First Edition OS Map (1833) which shows the house (lacking the northwest extension which was added in the mid-twentieth century) and an outbuilding to the rear.

By the Second Edition OS Map (1860) there was little discernible change to the site, however the house was now captioned ‘Ballyvally House’ and a square-shaped outbuilding had been added to the northwest of the house (although this was taken down by c.1903). Griffith’s Valuation (c.1863) records that Ballyvally House was occupied by a Mr. Thomas Crawford and valued at £23; this house was let to Crawford by a Mrs. Whittle. In addition to the house Crawford also possessed a gate lodge situated at the entrance to the site on the Dromore Road (now demolished). Thomas Crawford was a Justice of the Peace who resided in the townland of Ballyvally from at least 1852; in 1843 Crawford resided in the neighbouring townland of Ballydown (Ulster Town Directories).

Thomas Crawford was a member of the locally important Crawford family, linen merchants who operated the Crawford & Lindsay Co. and occupied a number of important residences in Banbridge including Ballievey House (HB17/12/002) and Tullyhenan (HB17/13/006). Crawford occupied Ballyvally House until his death in 1872 when his wife Anne took possession, residing there until 1880. Over the next decade Ballyvally House was home to a number of occupants who briefly resided at the site; in 1887 ownership of the property passed from Mrs. Whittle to a Mr. John Flanigan who owned the site until the end of the Annual Revisions in 1930.

In 1880 the Rev. James Scott, incumbent of Bannside Presbyterian Church (HB17/07/034) was recorded as occupant of Ballyvally House, however he vacated the house by 1883 when he presumably occupied Bannside’s Manse which was located in Reilly Street. In 1896 the house passed hands once more when Norman Ferguson, son of Thomas Ferguson of Edenderry House (HB17/04/014) and linen merchant, took over the house. The 1901 Census records that Ferguson (34, Presbyterian) resided at Ballyvally House with his wife Jessie and their two sons; the Census Building Return described the house as a 1st class dwelling which consisted of 18 rooms and possessed a stable, cow house, a dairy, piggery, fowl house and two barns amongst its out offices which were located in the two-storey barn and the minor outbuildings to the rear of the house. The third edition of the Ordnance Survey map records that the small outbuilding located to the north side of the house had been taken down by 1903.

Norman Ferguson vacated Ballyvally House by 1906 when a Mr. Edward Wylie was recorded as the new occupant; Wylie was employed as a Union Clerk and resided at Ballyvally House until 1913 (although he was not recorded in the 1911 Census). In 1919 Ballyvally House came into the possession of the Flanigan family who lived there until 1926; in that year John Murphy, a coal Merchant came into possession however he died that same year.

In 1928 a Mr. Thomas Dickson Ferguson took possession (PRONI Wills). Ferguson, along with his brother James Dickson Ferguson, was a director in the linen firm Thomas Ferguson & Co. on the Lurgan Road one of the most extensive and important factories in Banbridge’s linen industry (see Edenderry House – HB17/04/014); Ferguson served in the army during the First World War and was also appointed High Sherriff of Co. Down in 1956. Thomas Dickson Ferguson died in 1980 at which time he still lived at Ballyvally House (Banbridge Chronicle, 5 Mar 1980; Belfast Gazetter, 6 Jan 1956; Rankin, p9 56-59).

Prior to 1974 a two-storey extension was added to the north-west gable of the house and in 1977 the house was listed. Ballyvally House continues to be occupied. The outbuildings to the rear of the site have been well maintained; a number of small additions have been made to the site.

References

Primary Sources

1. PRONI OS/6/3/27/1 – First edition Ordnance Survey map 1833
2. PRONI OS/6/3/27/2 – Second Edition Ordnance Survey map 1860
3. PRONI OS/6/3/27/3 – Third Edition Ordnance Survey map 1903-1918
4. PRONI VAL/2/B/3/64/A – Griffith’s Valuation c. 1862
5. PRONI VAL/12/B/16/6/A – Annual Revisions 1864-1874
6. PRONI VAL/12/B/16/6/B – Annual Revisions 1874-1884
7. PRONI VAL/12/B/16/6/D – Annual Revisions 1885-1894
8. PRONI VAL/12/B/16/7/A – Annual Revisions 1899-1910
9. PRONI VAL/12/B/16/7/B – Annual Revisions 1911-1922
10. PRONI VAL/12/B/16/7/C – Annual Revisions 1921-1930
11. PRONI Wills Catalogue (15 Mar 1926)
12. Ulster Street Directories (1843-1918)
13. Census of Ireland (1901 / 1911)
14. Belfast Gazetter (6 Jan 1956)
15. Banbridge Chronicle (5 March 1980)
16. First Survey Record – HB17/04/009 (1977)

Secondary Sources

1. Rankin, K., ‘The Linen Houses of the Bann Valley: The story of their families’ Belfast: Ulster Historical Foundation, 2007).

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

Ballyvally House is a two-storey four-bay detached house with outbuildings, built c.1800. The original house was composed on a symmetrical plan and extended later to include a two-storey gabled wing. Architectural detailing is largely intact and much historic fabric has survived. The setting is compromised somewhat by the development of surrounding land in recent years for modern housing. A group of well-preserved outbuildings in the rear yard and a walled garden add to the interest of the site. It is a good example of the type and its development over time.