Myrtle Cottage

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

Picturesque one and a half storey gabled house of c.1880, with gabled bay to front and decorative barges. The property is set to the NE of Church Road, on the southern outskirts of Ballynahinch.

The front façade faces SW and is symmetrical. To the centre is a projecting gabled bay. To the ground floor of this bay is the timber panelled front door with plain elliptical fanlight. The door and fanlight are set within a scalloped elliptical arch-headed recess with moulded archivolt. To first floor of the bay is a semicircular arch headed window sash window. The bay has an overhanging eaves and decorative pierced barge boards with timber finial. To either side of the bay is a paired, elliptical headed window arrangement, each with moulded dressings and sash frame all set of a shared cill. Above the window head level is a continuous moulded string course. Above the string course the render is unlined while below it has rusticated coursing. The bay and the main elevation both have quoins.

The SE gable has a projecting eaves as before. To first floor is a simple sash semicircular headed window as before. The ground floor is blank. As before, the render above the string course is plain while that below is rusticated. To the far right is the side of a recent single storey extension. To the centre of the extension is a modern window.

The NW gable is as per that to the SE but has a doorway opening to the far left on the ground floor with a modern multi pane (metal) ‘French doors’. To first floor is a central paired semicircular arch headed window arrangement as front. This gable merges with the NW face of a rear return (see below) which is blank and has a small lean-to garage attached to it, with a modern steel up and over door.

The rear (NE) elevation has gabled returns to both left and right sides. That to the left is single storey and has a central modern six pane window as before. To the NW face of this return is a glazed modern rear door. The return to the right side is composed of three sections That to the NE is a two storey gabled store of recent construction. To the first floor of the SE face of the store is an off centre, simple sash window without astragals and to the ground floor is a timber sheeted door. The store abuts an older return which is two storey but squatter and narrower than the main building and has two large modern windows to its SE face.

Between the projecting returns, is a further flat roofed return. To the ground floor left is a small window opening with a modern top hung frame. To the right of this is a larger sash window with margins.(3 over 6). The far right of the elevation is blank. To first floor are two windows similar to those on the ground with the margined window slightly larger and 6 panes over 6.

The returns are finished in plain rendered and painted. The rest of the façade is painted also. The original front portion of the house sits on a low chamfered plinth. The main gabled roof has an overhang with decorative barges and is covered in Bangor Blue Slate. The return roofs are finished in a mixture of asbestos and non-asbestos slates. Two rendered chimney stacks sit to the centre of the ridge of the main roof. Cast iron rw goods.

Original square gate pillars to front with cast iron fencing.

Historical information

This house is known as ‘Myrtle Cottage’ and is believed to have been built c.1880s as the residence for the master/mistress of the local Church of Ireland school. In 1899 it is listed as occupied by a Mrs Skelly. The two storey return appears to have been added in the mid 1900s, with the single storey return possibly dating from the 1970s.

References- Primary sources
1 PRONI D.1255 Title deeds, legal and testamentary papers, correspondence and Irish Land Commissioners Papers re the Ballynahinch Estate, 1630-1940.
2 PRONI and Linen Hall Library ‘Belfast and Province of Ulster Directory’ Vols.1-21, 1852-1900, (Belfast, Henderson [1852-65], Belfast News-Letter [1865- ]).
3 PRONI VAL/12E/83/1 Valuation town plans, Ballynahinch, 1864-1905.
4 George Henry Bassett ‘County Down Guide and Directory’ (Dublin 1886), pp.369-379.
5 PRONI VAL/12E/83/2 Valuation town plans, Ballynahinch, 1905-35.
6 PRONI OS/8/3/2 OS town plan of Ballynahinch, 1920.
7 PRONI VAL/3G/59/1 Valuation town plans, Ballynahinch, 1937-53.

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

Not listed

Criteria for listing: historic interest

Not listed

Evaluation

Somewhat picturesque one and a half storey gabled house of c.1880, with gabled bay to front and decorative barges. Two gabled returns have been added to the rear, both with large modern windows.