Eden Cottage

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

A single story, three bay, direct entry, central hearth thatched house.

The building that faces north-west is located two miles south-east of Lisburn. It can be approached either off the road from the town to Ballynahinch, a distance of a quarter of a mile travelling to the north east or from the Hillhall Road to the north.
The original house, gabled to the road, is now obscured by a modern one and a half storey block that is finished basically in traditional style with cement fibre slate, plastic rainwater goods, and a rendered and whitened finish to match the remainder of the building. A window in each gable lights the accommodation on the upper floor.

As with the remainder of the windows that light the original house the top-hung sashes have been constructed to give the appearance of vertically sliding units. All of the sashes of the premises are divided into two vertically.
The earlier thatched part of the house has a block ridge, but the eaves are cut at an angle. The skews are made up of pre-cast concrete units. The corbelled chimneys, of red brick each with two pots, rise over the right hand gable, and with one above the original hearth position left of centre of the ridge.

The sheeted entrance door, with diamond-shaped observation pane, is flanked to the left (south-east) by three windows. To the right is a projection with cement fibre slates and with plastic rainwater goods. There is one window on the front, and an entrance with sheeted door with observation panel on the right hand return. Beyond this there is a single window.
On the rear elevation starting from the north-west end there are three windows with a small break between openings two and three on the line of the original hearth wall.

The modern front block has one window set left of centre on this side of the building. A window on each gable lights the upper accommodation and there is a set of three windows in the south-east gable.
All window sills in the building are of intermediate depths.
The range of buildings extends to the right (north-west) as an outbuilding and then turns at right angles (north-east) to enclose the forecourt.

Historical information

The house appears on the 1834 Ordnance Map with one outbuilding to the south west.
A further outbuilding to the north east is shown on the 1859 Ordnance map.
Re-thatching was carried out by Gerry Agnew in 1981 using wheat straw.
The roof structure was repaired in 1987 followed by further thatching by Gerry Agnew using straw in 1988.
The building had been left to decay after it was vacated by the previous owner in 1990.
The inspection that was carried out by Colin Hatrick in 1992 confirmed that both the roof structure and the internal layout remained as original and that the condition of the thatch was fair.
At the time of the monitoring in 1994 the general structure had deteriorated and the thatch was in poor condition. The recommendation was made that re-thatching was required and that the structure required major repair.
Gerry Agnew used flax for re-thatching in 1997.
A restoration scheme was completed in 1998.

References-Primary Sources

OS map, 1st edition 1834, Co. Down sheet 15
OS map, 1st revision 1859, Co. Down sheet 15

Secondary Sources

Report by William McDowell & Partners, Consulting Engineers, to EHS, 28 August 1986
Survey of Thatched Buildings 1992 report by Colin Hatrick to EHS
Report by Denis Piggot to EHS 2 December 1992
Report by Denis Piggot to EHS 28 February 1994
Monitoring of Thatched Buildings, report by Colin Hatrick to EHS 20 May 1994
Report by Denis Piggot to EHS 27 May 1994
Report by Denis Piggot to EHS 14 February 1995

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

A. Style
B. Proportion
C. Ornamentation
D. Plan Form
J. Setting

Criteria for listing: historic interest

X. Local Interest

Evaluation

A single storey, three bay, direct entry, central hearth thatched house.
The original layout remains and an attempt has been made to detail the restoration work in an a traditional manner.