76 Trassey Road

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

Low, two storey gabled vernacular farm house, of pre 1834 origin, set to the S side of the Trassey Road, 6.5 miles W of Newcastle, 4.5 miles SW of Bryansford.

The front façade faces N. Slightly to the left of centre is a small gabled porch with a timber sheeted door. To the left of this is a window with modern casement frame and narrow smooth render surround. To the right of the doorway is a similar window. To the first floor are two similar, but smaller windows, which are positioned in line with the ground floor windows.

To the E the house merges with an outbuilding of the same height. To the front of this there is a small lean-to porch, with timber sheeted door, to the left of which is a four pane window. To the first floor of this section is a smaller two pane window. Attached to the E gable of this large outbuilding, is a single storey outbuilding, with timber sheeted door to front and a corrugated iron gabled roof.

To the W gable of the house is a similar (but longer) single storey outbuilding.

To the rear of the house there is a single storey lean-to kitchen/bathroom extension, whose roof appears to be mainly covered in corrugated asbestos. This lean-to has modern window openings. To the right of the lean-to (on main rear façade) is a ground floor casement window, as front but without surround.

The façade is harled and painted. The roof is covered in natural slate. Rendered parapets to main roof. Three rendered chimney stacks to ridge of roof (one to two storey outbuilding). Cast iron rw goods.

Farmyard to front covered in concrete.

Historical information

A building is shown on this site on the OS map of 1834, which probably correspond to the present dwelling. Unfortunately the property was not recorded in the contemporary valuation records, but is noted in the second valuation of 1863, when it was home to one James Skillen Jnr. and possessed the rateable value of £1 (actually below value). The Skillen family remained in possession of the house until 1923, when it was acquired by the present owner’s father.

References- Primary sources
1 PRONI OS/1/3/48 OS maps 1st ed. 1834, Co Down sheet 49
2 PRONI OS/6/3/49/3 OS maps 1st rev.1859, Co Down sheet 49
3 PRONI Second (Griffith’s) valuation records, Kilcoo (1863) [in print]

Secondary sources
1 Information supplied by present owner.

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

Not listed

Criteria for listing: historic interest

Not listed

Evaluation

Small, low proportioned, two storey vernacular farm house of pre 1834 origin, with two storey outbuilding attached to east side. The property appears to have largely retained its original appearance but does have modern casement window frames and a modernised lean-to extension to the rear.