136 Windmill Road, Aghnaleck, Hillsborough, Co Down, BT26 6NP

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

A roadside complex comprising symmetrical two-storey three-bay house (rebuilt c.1900 and subsequently remodelled), attached single-storey single-bay rendered forge, built c.1880, and lofted two-storey stable block, built c.1910, arranged in linear form from west to east on the south side of Windmill Road, Hillsborough.

The house has been extensively refurbished and is not of special interest.

FORGE -
The forge is rectangular on plan, having a pitched natural slate roof with red brick chimneystack to east. Rainwater goods are uPVC on painted timber fascia. Walling is painted roughcast render over random rubble stone. The principal elevation faces north, and is symmetrically arranged with a window to either side of a pair of large timber-sheeted vehicular doors (the right-hand door is a stable door) with hand-forged iron hinges, under a painted timber lintel. Windows to north elevation are 10/10 timber sliding sash with horns, on projecting cills (rendered over).The east gable end is blank. The rear (S) elevation has two replacement four-light fixed timber windows, with unpainted bull-nosed brick cills, and a timber sheeted door to left side.

MATERIALS –
Roof: Natural Slate
RWG: Plastic
Walls: Roughcast rendered masonry, painted
Windows: Timber sliding sash (N) / Fixed timber framed (S)

STABLE –
The stable is L-shaped on plan, with a return projecting to east side of the rear (S) elevation. Natural slate roof, gabled to south and west and hipped to east. Plastic rainwater goods. Walling is variegated orange/red, buff and dark red brick laid in English garden wall bond. Openings are generally segmental-headed with double-header arches, and t&g sheeted doors / shutters, unless otherwise stated; all openings to front elevation are painted red and have hand-forged strap hinges.

The principal elevation faces north and has three openings to each floor; ground floor has a stable door to right and centre; the opening to left has been enlarged and now contains a pair of vehicular doors with a concrete lintel although remnants of the original double-header arch survive. The loft has three loading doors aligned above ground floor openings.

The east elevation is blank with the exception of a single door.

The south elevation is abutted to right by a gabled return adjoined by a single storey mid-twentieth-century cement rendered lean-to with corrugated metal roof, metal windows and a four-panelled timber door. Three-light timber window to loft above lean-to. West cheek of return has a timber door and small fixed pane window with a triangular ventilation opening over. The remaining south elevation is blank with the exception of two triangular ventilation slots.

The west elevation is abutted by a flight of external random coursed rubble masonry steps (partially rebuilt in brick and tile) leading to the loft, which is accessed by a door, detailed as main elevation.

MATERIALS:
Roof: Natural slate
RWG: uPVC
Walls: Red brick
Doors / Shutters: Sheeted timber, painted

SETTING -
The linear group is located adjacent to a rural crossroads, set slightly back from the road, with an open forecourt in front. The main house is fronted by a small garden, bounded by original hand-forged iron railings, likely to have been forged on site. To rear is a lawned garden and gravelled yard, giving access to a large field. The garden contains a large protruding rock, inset with two hand-forged iron eyelets. There are two modern houses opposite.

Historical information

A narrow linear building is first shown on site on the first edition OS map (1833), having a small projection to the north-east. The footprint of the building remained largely unchanged in second edition OS map (1858), however Griffith’s Valuation (1862) shows that the property now comprised of three dwellings, sited on land leased to a William Irvine by William Mussenden; the western house and garden were occupied by a Matthew Ferguson at a rateable value of £1 5s, the central house and small garden by a Robert Bowers at £1 and the eastern-most house by a Sarah McDonnell at £0 10s, although this had been removed by 1875 (Annual Revisions 1866-75).

The Annual Revision records (1876-85) show that by 1885 the site comprised of a single house, with offices, a forge and surrounding land, which were occupied by a Robert McCandless, with the rateable value of the collective buildings reduced to £1 15s. The forge is first shown on the third edition OS map (1902-03), with the central proportion of the building captioned “Smithy”. The footprint remains largely intact with the exceptions of a few small additions made to the rear and eastern sides; the Valuation records show no indication that any of the buildings were replaced or rebuilt.

James Dunlop replaced Robert McCandless in 1893 (Annual Revisions 1886-1929) while the rateable value remained unchanged until 1920. Census information (1911) shows that James Dunlop was a blacksmith who resided in this property with his wife and five children; the building comprised five rooms, with two windows at the front of the house and having six associated outbuildings, including a forge, stable, cow house and piggery.

A L-plan outbuilding (the red brick stable) is first shown detached to the east on the fourth edition OS map (1919-20) and was likely constructed during the early 20th century. The Annual Revisions show that by 1921, the original house had been replaced by the present two-storey structure, which was reflected by a significant increase in the rateable value to £9 10s. The footprint of the newly erected L-plan house with the abutting forge and a detached stable to the east are shown on a valuer’s sketch dated 1921. By 1931 the buildings and land were owned ‘In Fee’ by James Dunlop, who remained there until he was replaced by a Heron Dunlop in 1947. Although the rateable value significantly decreased to £2 10s in the First General Revaluations (1935), a “Good Farmhouse” was noted by the valuer and there were no evident changes made to the buildings. In 1948 James Dunlop leased a garage to a William Edgar, with no value recorded it is likely that the stable building was then utilised as a garage.

The current owner provided some historic information about the forge, noting that it was one of three in the vicinity, and the last to have remained in use (none of the others are believed to remain standing). He recalls that horses were shoed at the forge for the nearly Down Royal racecourse, and some shoes remain in the forge at the present time. The forge is included in the valuation listing until at least 1957, and ceased operation in the latter part of the twentieth century (according to the owner, this may have been the 1960s or 70s). The footprint of the group has remained unchanged on contemporary maps.

References: Primary Sources
1. PRONI OS/6/3/22/1 – First Edition OS Map (1833)
2. PRONI OS/6/3/22/2 – Second Edition OS Map (1858)
3. PRONI OS/6/3/22/3 – Third Edition OS Map (1902-1903)
4. PRONI OS/6/3/22/4 – Fourth Edition OS Map (1919-1920)
5. PRONI VAL/1/A/3/22 – Townland Valuation Map (1834)
6. PRONI VAL/1/B/338A – Townland Valuation (1834)
7. PRONI VAL/2/B/3/35 – Griffith’s Valuation (1862)
8. PRONI VAL/12/B/20/1A-E Annual Revisions (1866-1929)
9. PRONI VAL/12/F/4/9/1 – Annual Revisions (1930-35)
10. PRONI VAL/3/B/4/8 – First General Revaluations (1935)
11. PRONI VAL/3/C/4/18 – Annual Revisions (1936-57)
12. PRONI VAL/3/D/4/9/A/1 – Annual Revision Notebooks (1936-57)
13. Ulster Town Directories (1901-1918)
14. Irish Census Records (1901; 1911)

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

D. Plan Form
I. Quality and survival of Interior
J. Setting

Criteria for listing: historic interest

X. Local Interest
R. Age
Y. Social, Cultural or Economic Importance
Z. Rarity
S. Authenticity

Evaluation

Former forge and stable block, built c.1880 and c.1910 respectively and forming a unusual linear complex adjacent to a two-storey farm dwelling, near to a prominent crossroads due east of Hillsborough. It is characteristic of the type of modest mixed use complex, combining small-scale farming and rural industry, which was once commonplace within the Ulster countryside, and is now rare. Although the dwelling is substantially altered, the forge remains largely intact, complete with furnace, and so this example is relatively scarce in a national context. The stable dates from the early twentieth century and it is representative of the continuing evolution of a typical rural smallholding; robustly detailed in variegated brick, it significantly enhances the quality of the rural setting, providing socio-historical context. The intact group is further enhanced by examples of the ironwork forged here in the early twentieth-century.

General comments

Also HB19/LQ162