29 Cargin Road

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

Detached three-bay two-storey farmhouse erected c.1895 by McManus builders, Randalstown, although its style is more of the 1870s. The house faces south and is located to the North of the Cargin Road. Rectangular on plan, with single-storey storm porch to centre. Slightly lower two-storey gabled rear return to north and skewed single-storey extension to west.

Roof is pitched natural slate with overhanging eaves and timber bargeboard with yellow brick chimneys to gable ends. Yellow brick chimney to gables; base and stack built in Flemish bond with corbelled chimney top and dog tooth detailing; three decorative square chimney pots to each. Walls are random rubble (almost squared towards outside edges) with smooth rendered plinth. Windows are timber sliding sash (horizontally divided) with stepped brick surrounds and brick voussoirs, 1/1 at ground floor and 2/2 at first floor unless otherwise stated.

The principal south elevation is three-bay, two-storey with single storey storm porch to centre, paired windows in each flanking bay. First floor has paired windows to central bay single window to flanking bays. The storm porch is pebble dash with paired timber windows to south side, the right cheek contains principal entrance and the left cheek is blank. The entrance door is single leaf four-panel mahogany, with transom window above, and fixed rectangular window to north side with mahogany panel below. Single storey pitched random rubble extension abuts the south gable-end.

West gable is blank. West elevation of return is slightly lower pitched, slated, two-storey three-bay with larger bay to left containing timber four panel (top two panels glazed) entrance door to ground floor with stepped brick surrounds and brick voussoirs. Same door detail to right bay with single window to central bay. Single window to each bay at first floor.

Rear north elevation contains window to ground and first floor to the left side, detailed as west elevation and is abutted by return, offset to the west. The return north gable is blank.

The east gable has a single window to ground and first floor at right. Return east elevation has a single window to ground and first floor to the left bay and single replacement timber sliding sash 2/2 horizontally divided window to ground floor at the north side.

Skewed single-storey extension abuts the west gable of house. The roof is pitched slated, with rounded ridge tiles. The south elevation is random rubble. The blank gable-end has a pebble dash finish and the south is brick with two modern garage doors and timber vertically sheeted timber door to left bay.

Setting

The site is bound by mature gardens to the east and Cargin Road to the south with vehicular access through yard, comprising modern sheds to the west and outbuildings for industrial use to the north. The front garden is accessed through decorative modern steel pedestrian gate, between yellow brick piers with square capping stones with octagonal top.

Roof covering Natural Slate
Walling Random rubble
Windows Timber sliding sash windows. (1/1 at ground floor and 2/2 at second floor all horizontally divided)
Rainwater goods Black uPVC

Historical information

A long rectangular building appears on the OS Map 1st edition (1833) and remains unchanged on the 2nd edition (1857). This building is located at a sharp bend in the road, now incorporated into the yard of the present house, and the structure shown is placed exactly on the site of the current commercial workshop premises. The current building appears to be of modern industrial construction.

The Townland valuation records no buildings in the townland valued at more than £5. Griffiths Valuation records a house and office occupied by Stephen Mullen, leased by Rev. William O'Neill, and values the buildings at £1.5s.

The Valuation Revision of 1882 records the valuation as unchanged, and the occupant as James McKee. By 1905 the current house has been built, and is valued at £9, occupied by James Thompson with ground rent paid to Lord O'Neill.

A local source indicated that the house is one of three in the area built by McManus of Randalstown. McManus Builders Merchants retains commercial premises in Randalstown today, and Slater's Directory of 1894 records 'McManus, Hugh & Sons, Main Street, Randalstown - Ironmongers and Hardware Men' and the Belfast and Ulster Directory of 1902 lists the same business as ‘Steam sawing, Joinery mills and Builders’. (See also HB20/01/023 and HB20/01/029) (See also HB20/01/023 and HB20/01/029)

References:

Primary Sources

1. PRONI OS/6/1/42/1 1st Edition OS map (1832)
2. PRONI OS/6/1/42/3 2nd Edition OS map (1857)
3. PRONI OS/6/1/42/4 3rd Edition OS map (1904, revised 1933)
4. PRONI VAL/1A/1/48 Townland Valuation Map
5. PRONI VAL/1B/185 Townland Valuation Fieldbook
6. PRONI VAL/2A/1/42A Griffiths Valuation Map
7. PRONI VAL/2B/1/72A Griffiths Valuation Fieldbook
8. PRONI VAL/12B/1/10C Valuations Revision Notebook (1890-1896)
9. PRONI VAL/12B/1/10D Valuations Revision Notebook (1896-1912)
10. PRONI Slater's Commercial Directory, 1894
11. PRONI Belfast & Ulster Street Directory, 1902

Secondary Sources:

1. Information from local householder

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

A. Style
B. Proportion
D. Plan Form
I. Quality and survival of Interior
J. Setting

Criteria for listing: historic interest

X. Local Interest

Evaluation

Detached three-bay two-storey farmhouse erected c.1895 by McManus builders, Randalstown. A well-built late nineteenth century farmhouse, formally designed and constructed on a symmetrical plan about a central porch, prominently set parallel to the Cargin Road in mature gardens. The house is one of three buildings in the locality of Toomebridge, built by McManus builders (see also HB20/01/023 and HB20/01/029). Two of the houses display prominent polychrome brick chimneystacks and good quality stone detailing as well as self-contained servants quarters above kitchen. It is a good and relatively unaltered example of the type that is characteristic of the area.