Kyne's Cottage

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

A two-storey, three-bay house with a gabled entrance porch and flanking screen walls to the front. Main entrance faces west.

Entrance elevation is symmetrical with one window to each side of a central entrance porch. Roof of Bangor blue slates in regular courses with overhangs to the gables but not to the eaves. Walls of smooth cement render with traces of previous lining and blocking; rusticated quoins to extremities; projecting plinth and eaves course; all painted white. Cast iron gutter with cast iron downpipe returning to left-hand gable. Two chimneys, one on each gable: smooth cement rendered, lined and blocked, with plain block cornice, all unpainted; two tall modern pots to each.
Windows are rectangular timber sliding sash, vertically hung, 8 over 8 with horns, in partly recessed frames, set in plain reveals with projecting painted stone cills.
Porch is rendered as main block, with raised plain rendered vertical pilaster-like strips to corners; roof slated as previous, with timber barge boards and eaves boards; cast iron gutters and downpipes. Doorway contains a rectangular timber sheeted door surmounted by a radially glazed semi-circular fanlight, in a timber frame, recessed in a semi-circular arched opening; concrete doorstep, level with concrete paved path. South side of porch contains a rectangular timber window, sliding sash, 6 over 6 with horns, similar to previous; north side of porch is blank.
Extending to each side of the house, set back very slightly, are curved screen walls of basalt rubble with rhyolite copings, extending horizontally out from the gables of the house to contain a flat-arched rectangular timber sheeted door each, then ramping down to square end piers of squared basalt rubble with splayed rhyolite caps. Piers linked at the front by decorative wrought iron railings on low basalt rubble plinth walls with rhyolite copings, containing a central pedestrian gate opposite the front doorway: gate is of similar ironwork to railings with cast iron urn finials to posts.

North elevation comprises a blank gable of the main block with a later two-storey return extending to the left. North gable is rendered and painted as previous to entrance front, with similar quoins to extremities but no plinth; cast iron downpipe returning from entrance front. Overhanging eaves with decorative timber barge boards containing Gothic arched arcading.
North wall of rear return is set back slightly: smooth cement rendered, lined and blocked, with quoins to left-hand extremity, and projecting eaves course, all unpainted; two windows, one to each floor, timber sashes as previous to main entrance front, with projecting concrete cills unpainted. Roof slated as previous; cast iron gutter and downpipe.

Rear elevation: double-pile twin-gabled full-width two-storey rear return projecting from the main front block. Wall rendered as previous to north side of return. Overhanging eaves to twin-gables with decorative arcaded timber barge boards as previous to main front block. Cast iron downpipe from hopper at central valley; cast iron soil pipe. Small chimney on left-hand rear gable, rendered as previous chimneys, with one modern red pot.
Gable to left contains a small window to the first floor above a projecting rear porch. First floor window is a rectangular timber fixed light, 6-pane incorporating Gothic arched tracery, set in plain reveals with an unpainted concrete cill. Porch is open, with walls smooth rendered, lined and blocked, and incorporates a small lock-up to the left.
Lean-to roof slated as previous, with flush verges; cast iron gutter and downpipe. Tongued and grooved sheeted underside to roof of open porch; concrete floor surface. Rear entrance to house within porch is a rectangular timber sheeted half-door; small window to right is sashed 4 over 4 with horns. Rectangular timber sheeted door to lock-up within porch.
Rear roof of main front block is slated as previous to entrance front.
Gable to right contains two windows one to each floor, sashed as previous to entrance front, with unpainted concrete cills.

Rear faces of screen walls to front are of basalt rubble, with roughly cement rendered splayed reveals to recessed doors.

South elevation comprises south gable of main front block with a two-storey return extending to the right. South gable is similar to north one but also contains two windows, one to each floor, and a cast iron soil pipe. Windows sashed as previous to entrance front, 6 over 6 with horns, to first floor, and a smaller one, 4 over 4 with horns to ground floor.
South side of rear return is similar to north side, including two windows, with quoins to right-hand extremity.

SETTING: The house stands in a rural area, within the grounds of a large country house estate. It faces onto an estate road, set back slightly from it with a small front area of grass and pavings enclosed by the flanking screen walls and front boundary railings. To the rear is a single storey basalt rubble and slated outbuilding linked to side boundary walls to the rear and side yard; yard surface is concrete; boundary walls to yard are of roughly coursed basalt rubble with rendered copings. Wall on south side contains vehicular gateway comprising a pair of square piers of roughly squared basalt rubble with rendered caps, but no gate.
Wall on north side contains a small pedestrian gate of rectangular sheeted timber. Outbuilding is of basalt rubble with a slated roof; cast iron gutter and downpipes. South gable contains a large rectangular doorway with a pair of sheeted timber garage doors; west elevation contains three sheeted doors and two timber windows, one sashed 3 over 3 with horns, the other altered to contain louvres. North gable contains a small rectangular window opening now boarded up, with a rectangular sheeted door to a small chamber extending to the left. The east elevation contains a sheeted timber door and two small outshot chambers. The chamber to the left has an open doorway approached through a small enclosed area fronted by a rubble screen wall.
There are lawns to the sides of the house, fronted by hedges, and to the rear of the outbuilding, with mature trees beyond on all sides.

Historical information

Precise date of building not known but it appears on the OS map of 1858, replacing an earlier building which appears on the OS map of 1829 & 32; not named until OS map of 1902. Two-storey extension to rear added in 1990s.

References – Primary Sources
1. OS Map 1829 & 32, Co Antrim 49 (a smaller building is shown on the site).
2. OS Map 1858, Co Antrim 49.
3. OS Map 1902, Co Antrim 49 (named 'Kynes Cottage').

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

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

Criteria for listing: historic interest

X. Local Interest

Evaluation

This is an early to mid-19th century house in a plain style of distinct proportions and formal arrangement which retains most of its original features and enjoys a pleasant unspoiled setting within a well wooded demesne.

General comments

This record was originally numbered as HB20/04/038.