6 Cochranstown Road

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

Detached multi-bay two-storey lime rendered farmhouse, built c.1850. Rectangular on plan facing north with single-storey byre to west, rear entrance porch and lofted rubblestone outbuilding to rear yard. Set on an elevated site to the south of Cochranstown Road accessed by a gravel lane with rear yard.

Pitched natural slate roof with black clay ridge tiles, a single rendered chimneystack and decorative pierced timber bargeboard to the west gable. Cast-iron guttering on iron brackets to brick eaves course and cast-iron downpipes. Lime render over rubblestone walling. Square-headed window openings with some redbrick surrounds, sandstone sills and early timber sash windows with exposed sash boxes, cylinder glass and no horns.

Front elevation is five windows wide with an off-centre square-headed door opening. 2/2 timber sash windows to the first floor, 6/6 to the ground floor. Original timber panelled door with four flat panels, bolection mouldings and iron door furniture.

East gable has an off-centre window opening to each floor and fronts onto the rear access lane.

Rear elevation is four windows wide and abutted by a gable-fronted rear entrance porch. 2/2 timber sash windows to the first floor with a single fixed-pane timber window to the ground floor. The rear porch has artificial slate roof with roll-moulded terracotta ridge tiles and a single-pane timber sash window to the gable. Square-headed door opening to the west cheek with original timber sheeted door.

West gable is abutted by the single-storey byre with a circular rubblestone pier embedded into the corner.

Setting:
Set on an elevated site to the south of Cochranstown Road accessed by a gravel lane with rear yard. Lofted rubblestone outbuilding set perpendicular to the rear of the house with pitched natural slate roof, timber sheeted doors and a flight of concrete steps. The rear of the outbuilding is abutted by a large lean-to structure with corrugated iron roof.

Roof Natural slate
RWG Cast-iron
Walling Lime render over rubblestone
Windows Timber sash

Historical information

The two-storey vernacular farmhouse situated on the Cochranstown Road was constructed between 1832 and 1858, first appearing on the second edition Ordnance Survey map of 1858. The current farmhouse replaced an earlier building which can be seen on the first edition Ordnance Survey map (1832-33); this map depicts the earlier building as an oblong structure situated on the site of the currently dilapidated eastern outbuilding. The two-storey farmhouse had been constructed by 1858; the map of that year depicts the property as an oblong building situated along the current footprint of the house with either an outbuilding, or the previous dwelling, situated at the rear. The contemporary Griffith’s Valuation of 1859 tells us that this property was valued at £5 and was let by the Marquis of Hertford to a Mr. William Watters.

William Watters, a local farmer, occupied this property until his death in 1888 at which time he left his farm and effects of £288 to his daughter Mary Jane (PRONI Wills Catalogue – 25 May 1888). In c. 1895 Mary Jane Watters married a Mr. Robert John Graham; the 1901 Census tells us that Mary Jane Graham lived at the farm with her husband and employed a domestic servant. The Census building return for that year described the farmhouse as a 2nd class dwelling which consisted of five rooms and possessed a number of farm buildings including a stable, cow house, a dairy, two piggeries and a barn which were contained in the eastern outbuilding, and perhaps also current western outbuilding which may have been constructed at this time (first appearing on the fourth edition Ordnance Survey map - 1919-20).

Mary Jane Graham resided at the farm at least until the later census in 1911; Robert Graham died in Belfast in 1932 although it is not known whether he still possessed the property at that time (PRONI Wills Catalogue – 10 December 1932). The modern barn at the rear of the house has been constructed since 1961 as it des not appear on the current Ordnance Survey map of that year. Field inspection has found that No. 6 Cochranstown Road is currently vacant; the house and its outbuildings have fallen into a state of disrepair, the eastern outbuilding now a ruin.

References

Primary Sources

1. PRONI OS/6/1/59/1 – First Edition Ordnance Survey map 1832-33
2. PRONI OS/6/1/59/2 – Second Edition Ordnance Survey map 1858
3. PRONI OS/6/1/59/3 – Fourth Edition Ordnance Survey map 1920-21
4. PRONI VAL/2/B/1/63 – Griffith’s Valuation 1859
5. PRONI Wills Catalogue (1888; 1932)
6. Census of Ireland 1901 / 1911
7. Ordnance Survey map 128-16 (1961)

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

Not listed

Criteria for listing: historic interest

Not listed

Evaluation

Detached multi-bay two-storey lime rendered farmhouse, built c.1850. A substantial vernacular farmhouse retaining original fabric and traditional materials. Despite its interest, deterioration and loss of historic fabric and detailing and the erection of a 20th century prefabricated house in the setting of the building, detract from its character and it does not meet the criteria for listing.

General comments

This record was completed without access to original source material held by the Public Record Office of Northern Ireland.