76 Bryansford Road

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

Site, next to the junction of the Bryansford and Fofanny School Roads, of a former pre 1834 school house, now apparently demolished with new, but similar looking, dwelling built in place.

The original building was described in the first survey of as ‘a harled house with plain dressings to twelve pane sash windows, one each side of a projecting porch with semicircular Georgian glazed light. Barge boards to east gable and porch are carved. Return of reduced height’.

The house now occupying the site resembles the original building, having a similar height, pitch of roof and porch, though it is longer and has a larger return. Initially the writers thought this to be the original only extended, however the wall thickness (and other details) suggests that the present house is a recent rebuild, and locals stated that the former building on the site was demolished some years ago.

Historical information

A building formerly on this site was originally a school house. It is shown on the OS map of 1834 (though it is not mentioned in the contemporary OS Memoirs), and may have been built within the previous decade. It is also marked on the 1859 map and appears to have remained a school until the early 20th century. The building was later converted to a dwelling, but (according to locals) was demolished in c.1994 and the present house built in its place.

References- Primary sources
1 PRONI OS/1/3/48 OS maps 1st ed. 1834, Co Down sheet 48
2 PRONI VAL/1A/3/48 Valuation maps, Kilcoo(c.1836)
3 PRONI VAL/1B/362 First valuation records, Kilcoo (1836)
4 PRONI OS/3/6/48 OS maps 1st rev. 1859, Co Down sheet 48
6 PRONI Second (Griffith’s) valuation records, Kilcoo (1863) [in print]

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

Not listed

Criteria for listing: historic interest

Not listed

Evaluation

Site of a former pre 1834 school house, now apparently demolished with new, but similar looking, dwelling built in place.