26 Ballynafoy Road

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

A symmetrical three-bay two storey roughcast rendered farmhouse with outbuildings; built c.1850 and located to the south side of Ballynafoy Road, south of Banbridge. Rectangular on plan with two-storey return to rear.

Pitched natural slate roof to rear of main block and return with blue/black angled ridge tiles and replacement white brick chimneystacks. Front slope of main block is roofed with fibre cement slate. Replacement uPVC rainwater goods on projecting eaves. Walling is cement render over rubble masonry with smooth rendering to upper sections of gables. Windows are 6/6 timber-framed sash (no horns) with projecting granite sills and replacement timber casements to rear.

The principal elevation faces east and is symmetrically arranged around an elliptical-headed doorcase with three openings at each floor. Central doorcase comprises replacement raised-and-fielded four panel timber door, flanked by sidelights with panelled aprons and surmounted by a timber spider-web fanlight. Door is accessed via a set of four stone steps, with metal bootscraper to third step.

The south gable is blank.

The west (rear) elevation is abutted to centre by the two-storey return. Window to first floor left and right, and to ground floor right. The south elevation of the return has two widely spaced windows to first floor and a cement rendered porch and window at ground floor; abutted at left by the gable of a rubble stone outbuilding having two replacement timber casement windows in smooth rendered surround to east elevation and modern timber door to south gable.

The north gable has a window at ground floor right.

Setting

Situated in a relatively isolated rural
setting to the south side of Ballynafoy Road, accessed via a narrow laneway to rear of house leading to farmyard with a range of farm buildings. Surrounded to all sides by farmland and bounded by mature trees and hedgerow.

Variety of traditional outbuildings to concrete farmyard including a rendered stable block with pitched slate roof and timber-sheeted doors, some with cast-iron hinges. Rubble-stone two and single-storey outbuildings to southeast and south of yard all of traditional construction with pitched slate roofs; two-storey L-shaped rubble stone barn to south has set of external steps and two segmental-headed carriage-arch openings; replacement timber doors.

Roof: Natural slate to return and rear slope of main block - front slope is fibre cement
Walling: Roughcast render
Windows: Timber-framed sash and replacement timber casements
RWG: uPVC

Historical information

‘Churchview’ is a two-storey farmhouse dating from c.1850 with outbuildings of an earlier date. Structures are shown on the site on the first edition OS map of 1833 and these appear to have survived as outbuildings forming a farmyard to the south-west. The present farmhouse, with rear return and adjoining single-storey shed is first shown on the second edition OS map of 1859, together with an additional outbuilding which still survives, to the south of the house. The farmhouse is sited at the end of a tree-lined avenue and is captioned ‘Churchview’ from the second edition onwards.

The farm is listed in the Townland Valuation (1856-64) with John Henry as the tenant, the house and offices being valued at £5.9s. Dimensions are given for a single-storey thatched farmhouse and three single-storey outbuildings, two of which are thatched. John Henry continues as the tenant at the time of Griffith’s Valuation (1856-64) and we learn that the landlord is John Sharman Crawford. The house and offices which are situated on a farm of over 144 acres were valued at £16. The farm passed through the Henry family, first to Robert (1873), then his widow Jane (1877) another Robert (1878) and then James Henry (1886).

James appears in the 1901 census as a farmer of 44 with his wife and three children, 8, 6 and 1. The thirteen room house is designated first class and has 19 outbuildings. By 1911 two more children have been added to the brood, the youngest of which is six, two children having died at a young age. James Henry died on 30th January 1925, but the farm continued in the Henry family at least until 1954 when it was taken over by Samuel Henry. The first general revaluation of the 1930s lists the accommodation as three receptions, a kitchen, scullery and milk room, four bedrooms and a store.

The house continues in use as a domestic dwelling.

References:

Primary Sources

1. PRONI OS/6/3/34/1 First Edition OS Map 1833
2. PRONI OS/6/3/34/2 Second Edition OS map 1859
3. PRONI OS/6/3/34/3 Third Edition OS Map 1902-3
4. PRONI OS/6/3/34/4 Fourth Edition OS Map 1903-18
5. PRONI VAL/1/B/352 Townland Valuation (1828-40)
6. PRONI VAL/2/B/3/56 Griffiths Valuation (1861)
7. PRONI VAL/12/B/16/1A-E Annual Revisions (1864-1929)
8. PRONI VAL/3/C/4/1 First General Revaluation (1933-57)
9. PRONI VAL/3/D/4/3/A/2 First General Revaluation (1933-57)
10. PRONI Will of John Henry, died 10th March, 1871
11. PRONI Will of James Henry, died 30th January 1925.
12. 1901 census online
13. 1911 census online

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

A. Style
B. Proportion
C. Ornamentation
J. Setting

Criteria for listing: historic interest

X. Local Interest

Evaluation

A symmetrical three-bay two storey roughcast rendered farmhouse with rubble stone outbuildings; built c.1850. Much historic fabric and character survive, although alterations to the rear of the building have compromised its appearance. The rubble stone outbuildings pre-date the house and add to the historic interest as evidence of an evolved site. This is a good example of a substantial farmhouse in its original setting of a type becoming increasingly rare.