20 Scroggy Road

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

A two-storey, three bay, direct entry part thatched house of random rubble construction heavily patched in places.
The building faces south-west overlooking a small forecourt that borders a minor road that leads from northwards from Ballinderry station to Glenavy about one and a half miles from the latter village.

The thatchcovering to the two left-hand (north-west) bays terminates in a cement gable. Two rows of scollops are exposed at the ridge and one at the eaves. The remaining bay is covered with cement fibre slates finished with a timber bargeboard and fascias. The ridge is of red clay tiles.
Red brick corbelled chimneystacks rise on either gable and at the intersection of the roof coverings. That on the left is provided with two pots.

The entrance door is finished with plywood sheeting and has an elliptical glazed opening. It is set in a formless cement surround.

There are five 3/6 vertically sliding windows, two at each level flanking the door and one above, with exposed framing and small sash stops. The openings are spanned by stone voussoirs and sills are of traditional depths apart from that over the entrance that is narrower.

There are no openings in the gables.

At the rear the thatched section is lighted by a pair of vertically sliding windows with single pane upper sashes and with the lower sashes divided into two horizontally. The surround is of red brick. Above this there is a 3/6 vertically sliding window similar to those at the front. The lower window of the slated part is a 3x2 casement and the upper window is either blocked or obscured by vegetation.

A corrugated iron roofed rendered annex abuts the right hand (south-east) gable. It is divided into two laterally with the rear portion having been used as a byre.

Historical information

A building is shown on this site on the OS maps of 1832 and 1857, but it is considerably smaller than that we see today. Unfortunately the property is not noted in the first valuation of c.1835, but it is recorded in that of c.1860, when it was rated at £2-10-0 and occupied by a John Mallon, who leased it from the Marquis of Hertford’s estate. The relatively low rateable value suggests the building may have been raised to its present two-storey form some time after this date.

References- Primary sources
1 PRONI VAL/1A/1/63 OS map, County Antrim sheet 63, with valuation
references (1832 / 33-c.38)
2 PRONI VAL/2A/1/63B OS map, County Antrim sheet 63, with valuation references (1857-c.60)
3 PRONI VAL/2B/1/58A Second valuation, Glenavy (1860)

Other references
1 EHS Survey of Thatched Buildings, report by Colin Hatrick to EHS, 1992
2 EHS Monitoring of Thatched Buildings, report by Colin Hatrick to EHS, 28 May 1994
3 Information from owner on site visit of 16 July 2003

A building is shown on this site on the 1834 OS map. It varies a little from that on the 1857 OS map and on subsequent maps. Pending further investigation it is assumed that the house assumed its present form by means of enlargement at some period.

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

A. Style
B. Proportion
C. Ornamentation
D. Plan Form
I. Quality and survival of Interior

Criteria for listing: historic interest

X. Local Interest
Z. Rarity

Evaluation

A two storey, three bay, direct entry part thatched house of random rubble construction. It faces south west on a minor road that leads northwards from Ballinderry station to Glenavy,with the house about one and a half miles from Glenavy. The layout and the basic detailing are virtually intact. Raising and slating has formed a normal progression in the development of vernacular buildings and it is not unusual for a section only, to be treated in this way although in the true sense the term “raise” or “riz” generally refers to adding accommodation at an upper level.This house , in its original form, was of at least early 19th. C date but could be much older.

A building of similar configuration situated in the vicinity at Feumore was de-listed on 31/03/1987 and has been demolished.