Drummaul House

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

A two-storey three-bay house with hipped slated roof, with later two-storey extensions to the rear and to one side. Main entrance faces east.

Entrance elevation: hipped roof of Bangor blue slates in regular courses; cast iron gutter; walls of coursed basalt rubble with roughly squared quoins to extremities; projecting plain brick block cornice in three courses; raised block dressings to windows and front entrance, smooth rendered and painted. Windows are rectangular timber sliding sash, 6 over 6 with horns, with exposed sash boxes, set in plain rendered reveals; projecting stone cills, painted.

Entrance porch is single storey, flat roofed, of similar walling to main block except for a moulded smooth rendered blocking course; flat lead covered roof behind parapet. One window in each side wall, similar to main block. Entrance contains a rectangular timber 6-panel doorframe surmounted by a rectangular fanlight with semi-circular arched radial glazing bars, set in a plain timber frame, in similar surrounds to windows. Modern antique-style lamps to each side of door. Modern concrete pavings to area in front of entrance extending to the left as a ramp, and approached at the front by a flight of concrete paved steps flanked by plain iron or steel handrails.

South elevation is two-storey, two windows wide to first floor. Hipped roof slated as previous, with one gabled dormer. Dormer has smooth rendered front, with slated cheeks, and roof slated as previous; contains a semi-circular arched timber sliding sash, 3 over 6 with radial lights to the head; flush verges to roof. Wall of main block similar to entrance elevation; cast iron gutter with cast iron downpipe. Two windows to first floor, as previous to entrance front. Ground floor has a curved single storey bay to the right, with a doorway to the left. Bay is of random basalt rubble with similar painted dressings to windows as previous; two windows sashed as previous; moulded painted stone cornice and plain blocking course, lead dressed. Cement mortar pointing to masonry of bay is crudely smeared over surfaces of stones and finished with trowelled recessed jointing lines. Doorway to left looks like a later enlargement of an original window: contains a pair of rectangular metal multi-paned double doors surmounted by a rectangular fanlight with semi-circular arched radial glazing, in a plain timber frame, set in similar surrounds to windows; modern small pavings of patio area ramp up to doorway, flanked by modern steel handrails.

Rear elevation is mostly covered by a modern two-storey extension which is set back slightly on each side and has a lower roofline, revealing some original basalt walling to each end, with the central area rendered with dark roughcast walling, brick courses return from side elevations along rear; cast iron gutter; three dormer windows similar to previous on south elevation; one chimney, square, of modern red brick with one modern pot.

North elevation: similar to south elevation, including gabled dormer, but with four identical windows, two to each floor, similar to entrance front; cast iron gutter and downpipe. Projecting forward at the right-hand extremity is a screen wall to the rear yard: random basalt rubble with smooth rendered frieze and what looks like concrete copings; extends to a lower screen wall of roughly coursed basalt rubble with concrete coping terminating in a gateway comprised of a pair of square basalt rubble piers with Tardree granite copings but gates removed. Pier to right is linked by a short screen wall to a gabled single storey outbuilding.

SETTING: The building stands within the built-up area of the town, facing a main road but set well back from it within its own gently sloping grounds. Approached by a tarmac drive off an adjacent cul-de-sac, without gateway; grounds laid out with lawns, mature trees, tarmac carparks, and a modern paved area to the south side of the house to form a patio between it and the projecting front return of the rear extension. Rear extension is of two storeys, with both flat roofs and hipped roofs of synthetic slates; rendered with a dry dash of black stone chippings; metal gutters and downpipes; windows are rectangular timber fixed lights with top-hung vents, with projecting concrete cills; recessed front of side extension to rear of patio to left-hand side of house, is glazed with tinted glass; black metal frames. Large metal flue pipe to north side of rear extension, plus large steel fire escape stairs. Tarmac yard to north side of extension contains two gabled outbuildings: one to east, attached to yard gateway is of roughly coursed basalt rubble, partly rendered, similar to extension; roof slated as to main house. Outbuilding to west is rendered similar to extension, with roof of synthetic slates.

Front boundary to grounds formed by a low basalt rubble wall; boundaries to other three sides formed by shrubs and fences.

Historical information

Built in 1853 as the rectory for Drummaul Parish Church (C. of I.); appears to have ceased to be a rectory in the late 19th century; modern extension added in 1996.

References – Primary Sources
1. OS Map 1858, Co Antrim 43 (marked as 'The Vicarage').
2. OS Map 1921, Co Antrim 43 (marked as 'Laurel Lodge').
Secondary Sources
1. UAHS, Antrim and Ballymena (Belfast, 1969), p 23 (under 'Laurel Lodge').
2. Antrim Borough Council, Historic Antrim and Randalstown: heritage trails leaflet (Antrim, 2000).

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

A. Style
B. Proportion
C. Ornamentation
D. Plan Form
H-. Alterations detracting from building
I. Quality and survival of Interior
J. Setting

Criteria for listing: historic interest

X. Local Interest

Evaluation

This former early Victorian rectory still retains its architectural character despite having a substantial extension to the rear. The building enjoys a pleasant setting in the heart of Randalstown.