The Cottage

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

Detached four-bay single-storey lobby-entry rendered vernacular house, built c.1800. Rectangular on plan facing southwest, located at the end of a long lane to the northeast from number 25 Legananny Hall Road, with three diminutive rubblestone outbuildings to the front and a further outbuilding and derelict former dwelling to the rear.

Pitched natural slate roof with black clay ridge tiles and cement parged verges. Profiled yellowbrick chimneystack rising from the west gable and a rendered stack 2/3 the way along the ridge to the east. Cast-iron guttering on drive through brackets to eaves and metal downpipes. Rough-cast render over rubblestone walling. Square-headed window openings with concrete sills and replacement steel casement windows.

Front south elevation has an almost central square-headed door opening with replacement door and two window openings to either side.

West gable is blank with a metal former hearth crane attached to a pillar by the SW corner.

Rear north elevation is four windows wide with two steel casement windows RH and two two-over-two timber sash windows LH.

East gable has a single square-headed window opening with timber casement window at attic level.

Materials:
Roof Natural slate
RWG Cast-iron
Walling Rendered rubblestone
Windows replacement steel casement windows

Outbuilding 1
Previously part of a longer row, this former dwelling sits to the north and parallel to the main dwelling and is separated from it by a grass court. It has a slate roof with a brick eaves detail and a rendered chimney stack on East Gable. The walls are random rubble with the remains (part demolished) of the separating wall on the west gable and two window openings and a door opening on the main south elevation, all with brick shallow arch lintels and the occasional use of brick to square off.

Outbuilding 2
A small rectilinear freestanding outbuilding with random rubblestone walls, slate roof and raised eaves. The main elevation faces west onto the grass rear court with two openings - a central door and to the right a square 6 pane metal window.

Outbuilding 3 & 4
Two attached outbuildings with random rubblestone walls and slate roofs sited to the SE of the main dwelling and orientated on a N/S axis. On the northern end, the larger outbuilding has a single opening- a barn size door in the northern gable with a timber panelling above to the apex. The smaller outbuilding attaches to the southern gable, stepping in on plan on the west elevation and aligning through on the East elevation. It has a single opening with a timber slatted door in the E elevation. A modern mono-pitched timber shed with a galvanised roof is attached to the S gable of the smaller outhouse.

Outbuilding 5
Freestanding outbuilding located SW of SW gable corner of the main dwelling. Random rubble walls with flush-ridged slate roof. The only openings are on the main elevation (N) - a wider than average door opening with a vertical timbered door and a single window opening.

Setting:
Located at the end of a long lane to the northeast of 25 Legananny Hall Road with three diminutive rubblestone outbuildings (3,4,5) to the front and a further outbuilding (2) and derelict former dwelling (1) to the rear.

Historical information

The current house and the buildings surrounding it are shown on the first edition OS map of 1833-4. Two rectangular vernacular dwellings are shown with three small outbuildings. The buildings are not listed in the contemporary Townland Valuation notebook, as their value would not have reached the threshold (£3) for inclusion.

Griffith’s Valuation notes that the two houses, the present building and a further house beside it, now derelict, were occupied by Robert and Adam Martin, tenant farmers who leased the properties from the Earl of Annesley together with plots of land of 13 and 6 acres respectively. The houses were valued at £1.15s each and a rent of £13.4s was paid for both. The houses remained in the Martin family and when Robert Martin Senior died on 25th December 1891 he left to his son Robert Martin, the sum of one pound and the ‘we[e] meadow’, one horse, one cart and harness and one cow to his grandson Adam Martin and one cow to his grandson William John Martin. (Will of Robert Martin Senior). The 1901 census records farmer Robert H Martin resident with his brother and sister all in their twenties. By 1911 Robert Henry Martin had married and was living with his wife and three young children.

The house that is now derelict was left by Adam Martin in his will to his ‘faithful and attentive’ housekeeper Rose McIroy during her lifetime and she is recorded as resident from 1883. Under the terms of Adam Martin’s will the house was then to pass to William John Martin, who was resident from 1900. (Will of Adam Martin died 26th June 1882) The 1901 census lists William John Martin with his uncle, cousin and a male farm servant. This house is recorded in the census as a shop. Both houses were second class, slated and had three rooms.

By the time of the First General Revaluation (1933-57) the current dwelling was revalued at £3 and £2.5s for agricultural outbuildings. Subsequent occupiers were Edward Martin (1947), Thomas Martin (1951) and Robert Martin (nd). The house comprised a kitchen, bedroom and scullery and dimensions are given for the house and three outbuildings, one of which ‘was formerly a thatched building’ but in the early 1930s a new loft was added to it and a slated roof. The neighbouring dwelling, formerly the home of William John Martin, fell vacant and was used as an agricultural outbuilding for a time, valued at £1.5s. In the early 1940s the building was again converted into a dwelling and revalued at £1.15s.

References:

Primary Sources

1. PRONI OS/6/3/35/1 First Edition OS Map 1833-4
2. PRONI OS/6/3/35/2 Second Edition OS map 1860
3. PRONI OS/6/3/35/3 Third Edition OS Map 1901-2
4. PRONI OS/6/3/35/4 Fourth Edition OS Map 1902-20
5. PRONI VAL/2/B/3/51C Griffith’s Valuation (1863)
6. PRONI VAL/12/B/16/15A-D Annual Revisions (1864-1930)
7. PRONI VAL/3/C/4/2 First General Revaluation (1933-57)
8. PRONI VAL/3/D/4/3/K/5 First General Revaluation (1933-57)
9. PRONI Will of Robert Martin Senior, died 25th December 1891
10. PRONI Will of Adam Martin, died 26th June 1882
11. 1901 census online
12. 1911 census online

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

R. Age
S. Authenticity
T. Historic Importance
X. Local Interest

Evaluation

Detached four-bay single-storey lobby-entry rendered vernacular house, built c.1800. Rectangular on plan facing south, located at the end of a long lane to the northeast from number 25 Legananny Hall Road, with three diminutive rubblestone outbuildings to the front and a further outbuilding and former dwelling to the rear. This modest dwelling was most likely formerly thatched, suggested in its vernacular layout and entrance lobby. Long since slated, the house has had its windows replaced but much original fabric and detailing survive, along with the original plan form. The house with the collection of outbuildings is a surviving example of a largely intact clachan, in a largely intact setting. The whole arrangement forms part of an increasingly rare vernacular typology.

General comments

This building is within Newry Mourne and Down District Council Area