Former Steward's House

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

Part single, part two storey house of c.1850s, possibly built around a smaller single storey dwelling of pre 1834 origin. The building is set on the side of the Bryansford Road (Fofannyreagh), 7 kilometres E of Hilltown, and originally served as the residence of a steward working on the Roden Estate.

The front (N) elevation is asymmetrical. To the left (E) is a long single storey portion. This has a central timber sheeted door, with plain fanlight over, and is flanked either side by with a sash window with vertical astragals (2 over 2).

To the right is a two storey section with its gable to the front, projecting beyond the line of the original dwelling. This has a sash window to each floor. Both windows have six Georgian panes to the top sash and two panes to the bottom. The first floor window is slightly smaller. At the intersection of the single and two storey sections is a tall, broad, brick chimney stack with three pots.

To the two storey W façade is a sash window with one sash missing to the ground floor.

The single storey E gable has one small high level opening and a small chimney stack to the gable apex.

There are two large ground floor windows to the rear façade, with a modern frame to that to the right.

The building is mainly finished in roughcast. The two storey projecting front gable is finished in squared granite blocks with snecks. The roof is covered in natural slate. There is a small rendered chimney stack to the E gable.

Large two storey rubble-built outbuilding to E. Modern (c.1960s dwelling) further to E.

Historical information

A building is shown on this site on the OS maps of 1834 and on that of 1859. The first valuation of c.1835 tells us that the property at that point was single storey and inhabited by one William McCracken, who acted as ‘Bog Bailiff’ for the Roden Estate. McCracken (or his son of the same name) was still in residence when the second valuation was carried out in 1863, by this time, however, Lord Roden had had the house remodelled (as shown on the OS map of 1859), and the building had assumed its present appearance.

The property was occupied up until the 1960s.

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

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

Not listed

Criteria for listing: historic interest

Not listed

Evaluation

Part single and part two storey house of c.1850s, probably built around a smaller house of pre 1834 origin, and once the residence of a land steward for the Roden Estate.