29 Bryansford village

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

Picturesque, rubble-built, one and a half storey gabled house, one of a semi-detached pair of possible pre 1834 origin. This property has been much renovated in recent years and a very large modern extension to the rear.

The front (SE) façade is symmetrical. To the centre is a gabled porch with (recent) panelled door and fanlight with patterned glass. To the left of this is a sash window (vertical glazing bars- 2 panes over 2) with brick dressings (held together with light coloured mortar). These bricks appear to be fairly recent. Eyebrow moulding over window. To the right of the porch is a similar window.

The NE gable has an upper level window, similar to front but without moulding. The rear is completely dominated by a large, modern two storey extension with shallow gabled roof and cement render façade.

The façade of the original portion of the house is in dark fieldstone rubble with granite quoins. Exposed section of rear façade finished in cement render. The main and porch roofs have an overhang with plain barges and both are covered in natural slate. Velux window to rear. Single rendered chimney stack to centre of ridge of main roof. This stack has either been replaced, or re-rendered, in recent times. Cast iron and PVC rw goods.

Low rendered wall enclosing garden to front.

Historical information

Buildings are shown on this site on the 1834 OS map, which may well correspond to the houses we see today and may well have been two of the 17 cottages in Bryansford noted in the 1836 OS Memoirs. Unfortunately the properties are not recorded in the contemporary valuation, however, both may have been built as labourers cottages for Roden Estate workers. Strangely, for two houses which appear always to have been largely identical, the 1863 valuation values one dwelling at £1-5-0, with the other at 15 shillings. At this date the residents are given as Mary McAnally and John Cunningham.

Both properties were completed renovated in c.1984-85 when the extensions appear to have been added and the interiors ‘modernised’.

Most of the following sources refer to Bryansford village in general and not this property in particular.

References- Primary sources
1 PRONI MIC.147 Roden Papers
2 PRONI D.465 Roden Papers
3 PRONI D.2647 Roden Papers
4 PRONI T.2647 Roden Papers
5 PRONI T.3438 Roden Papers
6 ‘Taylor’s and Skinner’s Maps of the roads of Ireland’ (Dublin 1777), map 8 (Taylor and Skinner’s map shows a group of houses either side of the road running through Bryansford)
7 Linen Hall Library ‘Belfast News-Letter’ 26th April 1785 (Advertisement concerning lodgings in Bryansford)
8 R. Lewis, ‘The post chaise companion or traveller’s directory through Ireland’ (Dublin 1786)
9 PRONI OS/1/3/43 OS maps 1st ed. 1834, Co Down sheet 43
10 ‘Ordnance Survey Memoirs of Ireland vol.3: Parishes of County Down I’, ed. Angelique Day and Patrick McWilliams (QUB 1990)
11 PRONI VAL/1A/3/43 Valuation maps, Kilcoo (c.1836)
12 PRONI VAL/1B/362 First valuation records, Kilcoo (1836)
13 Samuel Lewis, ‘Topographical Dictionary of Ireland’ (Dublin 1837)
14 ‘Parliamentary gazetteer of Ireland’ (Dublin 1843-44)
15 Linen Hall Library ‘Slater’s National Commercial Directory of Ireland’ (Manchester 1846), pp.429-31
16 ‘Belfast and Province of Ulster Directory’ Vols.1-21, 1852-1900, (Belfast, Henderson [1852-65], Belfast News-Letter [1865- ])
17 Maps of Lord Roden’s Co. Down estate (c.1855) [Originals in possession of Lord Roden]
18 Linen Hall Library ‘Slater’s Royal National Commercial Directory of Ireland’ (Manchester 1856), pp.491-93
19 W McComb, ‘Guide to Belfast and adjoining districts…’ (Belfast 1861), pp.160-162.
20 PRONI OS/6/3/43/3 OS maps 1st rev.1859, Co Down sheet 43
21 PRONI Second (Griffith’s) valuation records, Kilcoo (1863) [in print]
22 Linen Hall Library ‘Slater’s Royal National Commercial Directory of Ireland’ (Manchester 1856), pp.491-93
23 Linen Hall Library ‘Slater’s Royal National Commercial Directory of Ireland’ (Manchester 1870)
24 Alexander Knox, ‘History of Co. Down’ (Dublin 1875).
25 George Henry Bassett ‘County Down Guide and Directory’ (Dublin 1886), pp.137-139.
26 UFTM W.A. Green collection WAG 1, 564, 565 Photographs of Tollymore Park etc. c.1900

Secondary sources
1 EHS Records of the first survey of buildings of historical and architectural interest in Tollymore ward (1972-)
2 P.J. Rankin, ‘Historic buildings, groups of buildings, areas of architectural importance in the Mourne area of South Down’, (Belfast UAHS 1975), p.7
3 F. Hamond and T. Porter, ‘A tour of the Mournes’ (Belfast ?1991)

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

Not listed

Criteria for listing: historic interest

Not listed

Evaluation

Mildly picturesque, rubble-built, one and a half storey gabled house, one of a semi-detached pair of possible pre 1834 origin. The property was renovated c.1984-85 and now has a large modern extension to the rear, which has effectively doubled the size of the building.