The Hermitage

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

A single storey rendered house with two returns to the rear forming a U-shape enclosing a small cobbled yard at the rear. Main entrance faces east.

Entrance elevation is 4-bay with two windows to the left of the main entrance and one to the right. Hipped roof of Bangor blue slates in regular courses; lead dressings to ridges. Overhanging eaves with white painted timber panelled soffits; timber fascia; cast iron gutter and downpipes. Wall is rendered with a wet dash of crushed stones, with a slightly raised smooth rendered plinth; smooth cement rendered surrounds to door and window openings. Windows are rectangular timber sliding sash 6 over 6, with horns to the two to the left of the doorway, without horns to the one to right of doorway, all with exposed sash boxes set in smooth rendered reveals with projecting concrete cills. Doorway contains a rectangular timber glazed and panelled door with original knocker and handle, with an exposed moulded timber frame, which has projecting rendered base blocks, set in smooth rendered reveals; two concrete steps. Two chimneys, one on ridge to left, one on gable to right: red brick with three plain corbel courses; modern red pots.

South elevation: of similar character to front, but wall is in two planes, with the south wing or return set back slightly to the left of the gable of the main front block. Roof hipped to the right-hand end and gabled to the left, slated as previous; overhanging eaves as previous, with cast iron gutters and downpipes. Walls rendered as previous, except plinth to south wing has a plinth which projects further. Two windows to right, in end wall of main front block: as previous to the entrance front but without horns. The slightly recessed wall of the wing to the left has three windows, from right to left as follows: a rectangular timber coupled two-light with two 6-pane fixed lights set in moulded frames, with surrounds and cill as previous; a similar coupled window; and a smaller rectangular timber 4-pane side-hung casement in a plain timber frame, with surrounds and cill as previous. Two chimneys, one on the main ridge and one to the left-hand end which is for the boiler house. Main chimney is of smooth rendered brickwork, lined, with a single plain corbel course, and two modern red pots; stack is narrower than previous chimneys, being two bricks wide to the front rather than two and a half; cracking and spalling to render. Boiler house stack to left is square, smooth rendered.

West gable of south wing is rendered as previous but without plinth or surrounds to openings; overhanging eaves with panelled soffits and timber barge boards. Doorway to right contains a rectangular timber sheeted door in plain reveals; window to left is a rectangular timber 6-pane side-hung casement in plain reveals with recessed cill; two similar 4-pane windows to attic.

North elevation of south wing: roof slated as previous but with sags; overhanging eaves as previous to entrance front; cast iron gutter and downpipe. Wall rendered as previous but without plinth or surrounds to openings. Three windows, two to right of the main entrance, and one to the left. Window to extreme right is rectangular timber two-light, side-hung, 9-pane casements, set in smooth rendered reveals with recessed cill; second window from right is similar but casements are each 6-pane; window to extreme left comprises a pair of coupled 6-pane later fixed lights with exposed frames, set in similar reveals as previous. Doorway contains a rectangular timber sheeted door with small glazed panel set in a moulded timber frame with rendered base blocks; concrete step.

Rear elevation of main front block has a roof slated as previous but without deep overhang; one chimney at mid pitch, of red brick, similar to previous chimneys on entrance elevation; one modern pot. Walling is rendered as previous to entrance front but with no plinth; projecting eaves course with timber eaves board. Cast iron gutter and downpipe. Two windows, one to each side of a later modern flat roofed single storey projecting block. Window to right is a pair of coupled side-hung 8-pane casements in plain reveals with a projecting concrete cill; window to left is similar. Projecting single storey block has similar rendered walls, with flat asphalt covered roof on a timber fascia; PVC gutter and downpipe, with a cast iron downpipe also affixed but not connected to gutter.

South elevation of north wing: gabled roof, slated as previous; walling rendered as previous but without plinth; deep overhang to eaves as previous; cast iron gutter but downpipe not yet connected as building work is in process. Four new windows, comprising coupled 6-pane casements in plain reveals with projecting concrete cills. Two doorways, one rectangular to left-hand end with door not yet fitted, and one a segmental arched pair of 4-pane French windows with 4-pane sidelights and radial fanlight, but not yet glazed.

West gable of north wing is blank, rendered as south side, with overhanging eaves.

North elevation of north wing: gabled roof slated as previous, with deep overhanging eaves as previous. Walls rendered as previous, with smooth plinth. Cast iron gutter, but most of the wall is obscured by a lower single storey flat roofed garage projecting from it. Walling of garage rendered as main wall; PVC gutter on timber fascia, with PVC downpipe returning to east end; double garage doors of preformed metal sheeted up-and-over type to east end, set in a rectangular opening.

East gable of north wing rises above the hipped roof of the main front block: gable rendered as previous, with smooth plinth; overhanging eaves as to other gables of return wings; PVC downpipe returning from north side. One window to right of main front block: rectangular timber sliding sash, 2 over 2 with horns, with exposed sash boxes set in plain reveals with smooth rendered surrounds and projecting concrete cill. Window contained within a projecting ground floor area surmounted by slate weatherings, with the gable above set back slightly.

North end of main front block is similar to south end except only one window, to right-hand side: small rectangular timber sliding sash, 1 over 1 with horns, with exposed sash boxes set in similar surrounds to entrance front.

SETTING: The building is located near the outer area of the town, at the end of a driveway off the public road. It stands in its own grounds largely hidden from view of other houses. Grounds approached by a gateway comprised of a pair of modern circular basalt piers without gates; gravelled driveway leads round to a gravelled area in front of house overlooking lawns and garden with mature trees; gardens to south side also, all bordered by hedges. A concrete area at the west end leads on into a cobbled courtyard enclosed by the two wings or returns.
Boundary to west formed by the blank gable of an adjoining house, formerly an outbuilding of this property, and its modern concrete block screen wall.

Historical information

Precise date of building not known but it is believed to have been built by Lord O'Neill in the early 1800s; it appears on the OS map of 1829 although not named; it was named 'Feehogue Cottage' on the OS map of 1858, but by the map of 1903 it had been renamed 'Hermitage'. Owned at one time by the Old Bleach Linen Company and occupied by its chief engineer; it is reputedly the first house in Randalstown to be lit by electricity. In 1958 it went into private ownership, owned first by a Mr Darragh, and then from c 1968 by a Mr Hilton; in 1980 it was bought by a Mr McAteer but sold the same year to the present owners.

References – Primary Sources
1. OS Map 1829, Co Antrim 43 (house appears but not named).
2. OS Map 1858, Co Antrim 43 (named 'Feehogue Cottage').
3. OS Map 1903, Co Antrim 43 (named 'Hermitage').
4. OS Map 1921, Co Antrim 43 (named 'Hermitage').
5. Information from owner in 2000.

Secondary Sources
1. R. Pierce and A. Coey, Taken for Granted (NIHBC, 1984), p 120.

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

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

Criteria for listing: historic interest

X. Local Interest

Evaluation

This is a late Georgian house which retains much of its early eighteenth century character and sits in a fine and mature setting.

General comments

This building was recorded in the wrong ward and transferred originally on the 24/03/2005 as HB20/04/014.