Annaclone House

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

A symmetrical two-storey three-bay Georgian-style double-pile former rectory built 1818; (part of rear dating from c.1860) square plan form with small rear addition. Located at the corner of a sharp bend in Church Road north of the Village Annaclone, opposite the listed church, Christ Church (HB17/08/007A).

Pitched natural slate roof with clay ridge tiles; masonry skews; cast-iron rainwater goods; smooth rendered chimneystacks with octagonal moulded pots. Smooth rendered walling. Variety of timber sash windows with masonry cills. Timber door with two bolection moulded lower panels, 9 fixed panes to upper portion; flanked either side by three-pane side lights with cills; spoked fan-light set into elliptical opening with panelled pilasters and replaced moulded archivolt.

The principal elevation faces south and is symmetrically arranged. Centrally positioned door flanked either side by tri-partite 6/6 sliding sash windows. Three equally spaced 3/3 sliding sash windows to the first floor.

The left gable is double pile. Right gable comprises 6/9 timber sliding sash window to the ground floor left with a 6/6 timber sliding sash window directly over. Left gable comprises a double height round-headed 9/9 timber sliding sash landing window to the right; diminished-in-scale 3/3 right of centre to the first floor; bi-partite 4/4 ground floor window to the left with a diminished in-height 6/6 first floor window over.

The rear elevation is asymmetrically arranged. Single-storey hipped roof addition to the right with bi-partite 4/2 window to the right cheek; left cheek comprises 6/3 window to the right of the timber glazed door with side light. Replacement panelled door to the left with single and bi-partite 4/4 windows to the right; single 6/6 window at first floor level right of centre.

The right gable is double pile. Right gable comprises original panelled door with square-headed overlight having geometric glazing and moulded surrounds set to left; single 6/6 window to the right. The first floor comprises two asymmetrical 6/6 windows. The left gable is blank.

Setting

The house is accessed form the road via a sweeping hedge-lined concrete driveway. The site is bounded to the south by trees which screen the front elevation. Yards to the side and rear of the house; roughcast rendered outbuilding with replacement corrugate metal roofing; painted timber sheeted doors and sash windows. Cast-iron water pump with cow-tail handle located adjacent to the rear elevation; manufactured by Stevenson. Further rubble masonry single storey outbuildings to the north; brick surrounds; pitched natural slate roofing. Small garden addressing the front of the house. Some historic rubble walling to the west of the house.

Roofing: Natural slate
Walling: rendered
Windows: Timber
RWG: Cast-iron

Historical information

Annaclone House was originally the Glebe House of Annaclone Parish; the Parish Church was reconstructed in 1808 and was located in the nearby townland of Ardbrin, however in 1860 the current Christ Church (see HB 17/08/007A) was constructed opposite the Glebe House on the south side of the Church Road (Rankin, p. 165). In the 1830s the majority of the population in Annaclone Parish were Presbyterian and Roman Catholic with only 1/25th of the people in the area of the Established Church (Ordnance Survey Memoirs). Nevertheless the parish church was described as the principal public building in the area, possessing an extensive Glebe of around 124 Irish acres in the townland of Lisnasliggan. Lewis and the Ordnance Survey Memoirs note that the Glebe land was gifted to the Parish by the Marquis of Downshire and in 1818 the house and offices were constructed on the site at a cost of £900 (Lewis; Ordnance Survey Memoirs, pp 15-18).

The first edition of the Ordnance Survey maps (1833) depicts the house as an L-shaped building situated on the current site of Annaclone House; to its north side two small outbuildings were also depicted. In 1837 the Ordnance Survey Memoirs noted that the Rev. Michael Sampson resided at the Glebe House, however both the Townland Valuation and Griffith’s Valuation record that the Rev. Robert Forde lived at the site in c. 1830 and 1862. The Townland Valuation notes that the Church owned the Glebe Land outright and that the house and offices were valued at £10 13s.

By 1859 construction of the new church opposite the Glebe House was underway. The second edition of the Ordnance Survey maps (1859) notes that the rear block of the Glebe’s double-pile had been constructed whilst an L-shaped block of outbuildings had also been constructed between the Glebe House and its original northern outbuildings between 1833 and 1859; this construction work increased the value of the Glebe to £22 by Griffith’s Valuation in 1862.

The Rev Robert Forde continued to reside at the Glebe House until c. 1876 when occupation of the site passed to the Rev. Charles Warring, the new incumbent of Christ Church. Over the next three decades the Glebe House was home to a number of incumbent ministers, however in 1902 the Parish of Annaclone was grouped with Magherally (HB 17/12/009). Magherally Parish Church (which was dedicated St. John’s) possessed its own Rectory (HB 17/12/010) and so from 1902 the Rectory at Lisnasliggan was let by representatives of the Church Body to private occupants.

The 1901 Census notes that the last clergyman to occupy the Rectory was the Rev. John Scanlon; the census building return described the Rectory as a 1st class dwelling that consisted of 11 rooms and possessed a stable, cow house, two piggeries, two fowl houses and a barn in the outbuildings to its north side. The third edition of the Ordnance Survey map first captions the site as ‘Annaclone House’ in 1902-03 at the same time it passed into private occupation.

William Simmons, a National School Teacher, had taken possession of Annaclone House by 1904 at which time it was greatly reduced in value to £13 as a result. In 1911 the census noted that Simmons (39, Church of Ireland) resided at the site with his wife Elizabeth and their large family. William Simmons continued to reside at Annaclone House until his death in 1925 (PRONI Wills); at this time occupation of the house passed to his widow Elizabeth who continued to reside at the site until the end of the Annual Revisions in 1929.

Annaclone House was listed in 1977 and continues to be utilised as a private dwelling. The house was largely refurbished in 1996.

References

Primary Sources

1. PRONI OS/6/3/34/1 – First Edition Ordnance Survey Map 1833
2. PRONI OS/6/3/34/2 – Second Edition Ordnance Survey Map 1859
3. PRONI OS/6/3/34/3 – Third Edition Ordnance Survey Map 1902-03
4. PRONI OS/6/3/34/4 – Fourth Edition Ordnance Survey Map 1903-1918
5. PRONI VAL/1/A/3/34 – Townland Valuation map 1830s
6. PRONI VAL/1/B/352 – Townland Valuations 1830s
7. PRONI VAL/2/B/3/56 – Griffith’s Valuation 1862
8. PRONI VAL/12/B/16/1A – Annual Revisions 1864-1874
9. PRONI VAL/12/B/16/1B – Annual Revisions 1875-1883
10. PRONI VAL/12/B/16/1C – Annual Revisions 1883-1897
11. PRONI VAL/12/B/16/1D – Annual Revisions 1898-1908
12. PRONI VAL/12/B/16/1E – Annual Revisions 1909-1929
13. PRONI Wills Catalogue (21 Apr 1925)
14. Lewis’ Topographical Dictionary (1837)
15. Ordnance Survey Memoirs, Co. Down III, Vol. 12 (1834; 1837)
16. Census of Ireland (1901 / 1911)
17. Ordnance Survey Map – 221-14 (1975)

Secondary Sources

1. Rankin, F., ‘Clergy of Down and Dromore’ Belfast: Ulster Historical Foundation, 1996.

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

X. Local Interest

Evaluation

A symmetrical two-storey three-bay Georgian-style double-pile former rectory built 1818; part dating from c.1860. Its historic character and appearance have survived with much historic fabric. The outbuildings to the rear add to its historic setting and the former association with Christ Church opposite (HB17/08/007A) adds group value. This is a good example of a building having evolved to meet the changing needs of its occupants.

General comments

This record was previously known as HB17/08/008.