Ashville

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

A two-storey, three-bay, rubble blackstone house in an Italianate cottage style, with wide verges to the gabled slated roofs. Main entrance faces south.

South elevation symmetrical with one window to each floor to each side of a central projecting entrance bay.
Roofs of Bangor blue slates in regular courses with oversailing eaves on exposed rafter ends; oversailing verges to gables.
Moulded cast iron gutters with cast iron downpipe to left-hand side of entrance bay; PVC downpipe to right-hand side.
Walls of roughly coursed basalt rubble, with projecting smooth cement rendered plinth, painted, and similar end pilasters and frieze; modern reticulated pointing to stonework.
Windows to main front are rectangular timber sliding sash, without horns, 6 over 6 to first floor; 6 over 6 with margin lights to the sides, to ground floor; set in moulded stucco surrounds with red brick block dressings; ground floor surrounds also include a frieze panel and moulded cornice; projecting cills of Tardree granite, painted.
Main entrance comprises an original rectangular timber 9-panel door with a rectangular fanlight containing margin lights, recessed in a moulded cornice, bounded by full-height corner pilasters; two original steps of Tardree granite. To right-hand side of front door is original bronze bell-pull of circular form. Above the entrance is a window in first floor, as previous to main front, surmounted by a small round headed fixed light with brick dressings, in the apex of the gable. Sides of projecting entrance bay are of similar walling to main front, with one window in ground floor, similar to first floor windows of main front, but sashed 4 over 4 with side margins; blind window in first floor, with similar first floor surrounds but blocked with basalt rubble.

West elevation is of similar character to south: two-storey, of similar walling, roofs and cast iron rainwater goods. Comprises the end gable of the front rooms with the rear rooms set back to the left. Main gable has a shallow canted bay to the ground floor: stuccoed, with plain moulded capitals to corner pilasters, moulded entablature, and plain blocking course. Rectangular timber sliding sash windows, vertically hung, without horns: central one is 6 over 6, with side margin lights; narrow canted side lights are 2 over 2; projecting cills of Tardree granite, painted. In first floor of gable is one window, as previous to entrance front, but moulded surround damaged to right-hand side. In attic is a semi-circular headed timber sliding sash window, 1 over 1 with margin lights, without horns, set in a brick arch, with brick block dressings; projecting cill.
The set-back block to the left has one window to ground floor and one to first floor, similar to main entrance front.
Set back slightly to the left-hand extremity is a screen wall to the rear yard, of basalt rubble with brick dressings to the yard door; rectangular ledged timber door; brick block quoins to extension of wall to left projecting forwards; smooth cement rendered coping.

Rear elevation is of two-storeys, twin gabled, with double pile roof. Walling as previous, but without plinth; roofs as previous. PVC downpipe from central valley, angles to left-hand extremity.
Ground floor has two windows to right-hand side of a projecting single storey rear return: rectangular timber sliding sash, 4 over 4, without horns, with attached iron bars, set in brick surrounds, with projecting granite cills, painted. To right of window is a rectangular blind opening, dressed with brick and blocked with basalt rubble which looks like an original rear entrance.
Rear return has west wall of basalt rubble: contains a rectangular door, sheeted on outer face, set in roughly rendered red brick reveals with a painted timber lintel; rendered step; to left is a rectangular timber window, modern fixed light with top-hung vent, in roughly rendered brick reveals with plain timber lintel and projecting granite cill. Lean-to roof of Bangor blue slates covered with asphalt; metal gutter. Rear return is contained on the north by a screen wall to the outer yard. Small inner yard has surface of large quarry tiles. Contains a single storey outbuilding on the west side, smooth cement rendered, lined and blocked, with a rectangular ledged timber door. Lean-to slated roof; metal gutters; cast iron downpipe.
At west end of inner yard alley, is a rectangular ledged timber door leading to garden: timber lintel with red brick flat arch above. Screen wall to outer yard is of basalt rubble with smooth rendered coping: contains a brick dressed flat arched open doorway in centre; to right is a modern rectangular timber fixed light with top-hung vent, set in smooth rendered reveals with red brick block dressings and concrete cill; to left of yard screen doorway is a yard gateway containing a pair of double doors, timber slatted and framed, set in brick piers with concrete copings.

East elevation of house is similar to west except there is a ground floor window without a canted bay; window sashed 6 over 6 with margins to sides, in similar surround to previous on ground floor.
Set back slightly to the right-hand side is the single storey rear return containing two windows: walling of basalt rubble, with smooth cement rendered coping; brick nib to right-hand end, in poor condition. Windows rectangular timber sliding sash, 4 over 4, without horns; projecting granite cills, painted.

Exterior face of yard wall to west is of basalt rubble with moulded rendered coping; wall and coping part whitened, where conservatory formerly stood; small segmental brick arched opening in base of wall at this point containing pipework formerly connecting to conservatory.

West gable of two-storey barn is of roughly coursed basalt rubble with brick block quoins to extremities; one narrow unglazed ventilation opening in each floor, similarly dressed.
North elevation of barn is of similar character to previous; narrow ventilating openings in each floor with a rectangular timber small paned brick dressed window in ground floor, with granite cill.
East gable of barn has a rectangular timber single pane fixed light in first floor.

Exterior face of yard wall on east side is of roughly coursed basalt rubble with rendered coping; brick dressings to a rectangular timber sheeted doorway; to left of doorway a blind opening, red brick dressed and blocked with basalt rubble. At the right-hand extremity, set back in angle with the two-storey barn is a single storey potting shed: brick plinth walls surmounted by tongued and grooved sheeting on concrete cills; corrugated iron roof; PVC gutter and downpipe.
At the left-hand end is a derelict timber framed and sheeted lean-to shed.

Outer yard is surfaced with concrete. West side of outer yard contains a single storey outbuilding with lean-to slated roof continuous to an open shelter to the left. Shelter has a timber beam supported on a circular cast iron column; basalt rubble walls line the interior of the shelter, with simple open roof over; compacted earth floor. Single storey outbuilding has walls of basalt rubble and of red brick; one modern rectangular timber fixed light window; two rectangular ledged timber doors; one brick dressed open doorway with half-height flat iron gate.

North side of outer yard contains a two-storey gabled barn of basalt rubble walling with brick block quoins, and brick dressings to openings. Roof of Bangor blue slates in regular courses; black ridge tiles; cast iron gutter and downpipe; ground floor has a large rectangular garage or coach doorway, with a pair of sheeted timber doors; two smaller rectangular sheeted doors, and one rectangular timber horizontally pivoting window with roughly rendered reveals and projecting granite cill. First floor has two rectangular timber sheeted doors with rendered reveals and flush granite cills; between them is a later gabled timber dove cote, with corrugated iron sides, mounted on the wall with iron brackets. Projecting from the right-hand extremity of the barn is a single storey lean-to block in red brick with slated roof and metal gutter; cast iron downpipe; rectangular sheeted door; rectangular small paned fixed light, with projecting granite cill.

East side of outer yard contains a single storey outbuilding with lean-to slated roof; metal guttering; walls of basalt rubble with red brick dressings. Three rectangular timber boarded half-doors; modern rectangular timber sheeted double doors to a garage; open fronted wood store with smooth rendered plinth wall.

SETTING: The building stands within its own grounds, with its entrance front facing away from the main road. Approached by a tarmac driveway with an entrance gateway comprising a pair of cast iron gates of ornamental character, set between square rendered and painted piers with moulded bases, courses and weathered caps, flanked each side by outward curving rendered screen walls with moulded copings, terminating in end piers of similar detailing to gate piers.
The gateway faces onto a tarmac slip road, formerly the main road, which lies at a lower level than the new main public road.
Front boundary formed by a basalt rubble wall with rock copings, overgrown with creeper.
Boundaries to east, west, and south formed by a belt of mature trees, with hedges and fences.
Grounds laid out with lawns, shrubs, and mature trees. Tarmac area in front of entrance elevation, bordered by grass. Compartmented areas to garden marked by hedges: one to west of yard is entered by a gateway comprised of a looped iron gate set between two square purple brick piers with large rendered caps surmounted by vases. Timber garden shelter in compartmented garden to north of barn.
To the east of the house, in the garden, is a gateway, now isolated, but formerly leading to the farm, comprising a flat iron gate set between large circular piers of basalt rubble with rounded topped rendered caps. Beyond the garden, on all sides, is modern suburban housing.

Historical information

Precise date of building not known, but it appears on the OS map of 1857. It was at one time the residence of Rev. Charles Morrison who was minister of First Antrim Presbyterian Church from 1840 until his resignation in 1859 when he left to become principal of Hackney Theological College in London. Bought by Dr Adams in 1859; sold by the Adams family to the Graingers, mill owners, c 1940. Stylistically the house appears to be a work of the late 1840s.

References – Primary Sources
1. OS Map 1857, Co Antrim 50.

Secondary Sources
1. Information from W.M. Carson & Co, Estate Agents, as recorded in the first survey, in 1974.
2. Heritage Gardens Inventory (Belfast, 1992): An/183.

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 is an example of a mid-19th century house in an unpretentious Italianate cottage style of distinct proportions, displaying a range of restrained ornamental features. It is of interest as a well preserved and unspoiled example of its type which enjoys a pleasant setting in its own grounds.