97 Drin Road

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

One-and-a-half-storey two-bay vernacular hearth-lobby farmhouse pre-dating 1834. Rectangular plan with projecting windbreaker porch, integral byre to the west, detached single and two-storey outbuildings and associated
setting features. Located on the south side of Drin Road, approximately two miles southeast of Dromara,

Pitched corrugated-iron roof with corrugated ridging, concrete skews and roughcast render chimney without pots. No rainwater goods. Vestiges of lime-render over rubble masonry with pinning stones; projecting line at eaves denotes level of former thatch. Painted 2/2 sliding sash windows with horizontal glazing bars and horns; pre-cast concrete cills (unless otherwise stated). Painted timber-sheeted ledged and braced front door set into projected windbreaker porch with lean-to corrugated-iron roofing.

The principal elevation faces north and is asymmetrically arranged with the porch located left of centre with a window right. Doorway to left bay converted from former window opening; door to byre far right. Projecting corner stones. Opening cast-iron light to roof slope left of centre. Concrete-block pens abutting the left bay.

The left gable has a single unglazed attic window left of centre with slate cill.

The rear elevation is asymmetrically arranged; enlarged metal-framed casement windows centre; fixed pane window to right and unglazed aperture to left; no cills. Three cast-iron opening lights to the roof slope.

The right gable has a single attic window right of centre (vertical glazing bars) having exposed box and horns, masonry cill, timber lintel and some brick infill to the right jamb.

Setting

Prominently located traditional complex in rural setting located directly off the road. Linear two-storey outbuilding with abutments to the south gable and rear, set perpendicular to dwelling at east; single-storey outbuilding to the rear of the site.
The two storey-block has a pitched natural slate roof with clay roof tiles (partially collapsed to the rear); lime rendered with roughcast walling to the rear; variety of sash and fixed windows, timber sheeted doors and ventilation openings. Internal stone-lined drain; upper floor carried on post and beam structure with sawn timber rafters carried on hewn purlins. Single-bay lime-rendered outbuilding with natural slate roofing; simple lean-to abutment to the north and extended east with a concrete block mono-pitched garage. Further twentieth century corrugated-iron shed to the south east and a replacement bungalow c. 1950, to the east. Site partially bounded to north by a rendered wall sweeping back from the road to large square piers with pyramidal caps; bedded into the pier is a rough-hewn projecting stone pierced to accommodate a wrought-iron gate and acting as a hinge. Inclining driveway bounded to left by continuing wall terminated with pier.

Roofing: Corrugated-iron
Walling: stone
Windows: Timber
RWG: None

Historical information

Buildings are shown on the first edition OS map of 1834 which correspond to the dwelling house and part of the two-storey outbuilding present on the site today. The two-storey outbuilding had been extended by the second edition of 1859 and a further outbuilding added to the site (still present).

The house is not listed in the Townland Valuation of 1828-40 as it would not have reached the threshold for inclusion. Griffith’s Valuation (1856-64) records the tenant farmer as Patrick McKenny, who leases 21acres from Lord AE Hill Trevor. The farm buildings are valued at £4. In 1871 the farm passed to Catherine and Eliza McKenny and shortly afterwards the valuation was raised to £5.10s (1873) suggesting that improvements or additions were made at this time. The farm continued to pass down the McKenny family but the family name is an extremely common one in Drin townland and the farm could not be identified in the census records. John O’Hare took over the farm in 1917 and the farm passed to Catherine (1929) and then Hugh O’Hare (n.d.). At the time of the First General Revaluation in the 1930s the house was thatched and comprised a sitting room, kitchen and bedroom.

A new bungalow, still present on the site, was built in 1955 and the former dwelling then became agricultural outbuildings, with some new outoffices erected around the same time. The dwelling house has therefore been in agricultural use for more than half a century.

References:

Primary Sources

1. PRONI OS/6/3/29/1 First Edition OS Map 1834
2. PRONI OS/6/3/29/2 Second Edition OS map 1859
3. PRONI OS/6/3/29/3 Third Edition OS Map 1902
4. PRONI OS/6/3/29/4 Fourth Edition OS Map 1919-20
5. PRONI VAL/1/B/356 Townland Valuation (1828-40)
6. PRONI VAL/2/B/3/50B Griffiths Valuation (1861)
7. PRONI VAL/12/B/16/9A-E Annual Revisions (1864-1929)
8. PRONI VAL/3/C/4/1 First General Revaluation (1933-56)
9. PRONI VAL/3/D/4/3/F/3 First General Revaluation (1933-56)

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

Not listed

Criteria for listing: historic interest

Not listed

Evaluation

A one-and-a-half-storey two bay vernacular hearth-lobby farmhouse pre-dating 1834, retaining key features representative of the type and presenting an early aspect. The hearth-lobby plan form and surviving features such as the hearth surround, jamb wall and enclosed stairs are of interest. The outbuildings and surviving setting features add interest and the whole illustrates the development of a small holding that while once common to our rural landscape, is becoming increasingly rare. However, although worthy of record, the thatch and roof structure have been lost and insufficient fabric survives to merit listing.