36 Ballytrim Road

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

Long, relatively plain, two storey farm house, which probably began life as a single storey dwelling, was raised in height in the mid 19th century, and extended lengthways (by raising the height of an attached portion), in c.1990. The property is set at the end of a lane to the S of Ballytrim Road, c.2 miles W of Killyleagh.

The front façade faces roughly N and is asymmetrical. To the left (W) one can discern the original two storey portion of the house. This portion has a right of centre doorway with plain sheeted timber door, framed with pilaster mullions, two pane sidelights with aprons and a three pane elliptical fanlight. To the right of the doorway are two sash windows with Georgian panes. To the right of the doorway is a single sash window with horizontal and vertical glazing bars (not arranged in Georgian fashion- more early Victorian looking). To the first floor of this section are four windows, as ground floor right.

The portion to the E is marginally lower than that to the W. To the front façade there are three widely spaced windows to each floor. All of these windows have PVC frames made to echo the style of those to first floor W side.

The E gable is blank and has a small (single storey) lean-to boiler house attached. The W gable has a window to each floor, both with modern frames.

The rear façade of the original two storey portion to left (i.e. W) has been extended with the addition of a large, two storey, lean-to. This has three windows (of varying size and with modern frames), and a stable door, to the ground floor, with three relatively large windows (also with modern frames) to the first floor. To the right this lean has projecting section with a single ground floor window (with modern frame). The E portion of the house has four windows and a stable door to the ground floor and three windows to the first floor (all with modern frames).

The façade is finished in rough cast with large sections to the front now covered in creeping plant growth. The gabled roof of the original portion of the house is covered in natural slate, with what appears to be artificial slate to the roof of the extension. Three chimney stacks, that to the W in yellow brick, that to the E in red brick, and that to the centre covered in plant growth (but possibly yellow brick). Mainly PVC rw goods.

Single and two storey gabled outbuildings to rear.

Historical information

A building is shown on this site on the OS map of 1834, which the (near) contemporary valuation records tell us was a long single storey house with attached single storey barn. At this stage the house belonged to a Robert Weaver. At some point in the mid to later 1800s (possibly in the 1860s), the dwelling was raised a storey, and (probably in the mid 20th century) the barn was converted and integrated with the main house. In recent years [?c.1990] the converted barn itself was lengthened and raised in height, bringing its roof largely line with the original house. The lean-to portion at the rear of the original house may have been added when the building was heightened in c.1860s.

The Weaver family were still in possession of the property during the 1860s, and, according to locals, remained there until well into the 1900s.

References- Primary sources
1 PRONI OS/6/3/24/1 OS map, 1834, Down 24
2 PRONI VAL/1A/3/24 1st valuation map, c.1835, Down 24
3 PRONI VAL/1B/336 1st valuation, Killyleagh (Barony of Dufferin), 1835-38
4 PRONI OS/6/3/24/2 OS map, 1859-60, Down 24
5 PRONI 2nd (‘Griffith’s) valuation, Killyleagh, 1863
6 PRONI OS/6/3/24/3 OS map, 1901, Down 24
7 PRONI OS/6/3/24/4 OS map, 1921, Down 24

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

Not listed

Criteria for listing: historic interest

Not listed

Evaluation

Long, relatively plain, two storey farm house, which probably began life as a single storey dwelling, was raised in height in the mid 19th century, and extended lengthways (by raising the height and lengthening of a former barn section), in c.1990. Many of the windows, both in the original and new portions, have modern frames.