Moylena

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

A one and two-storey basalt rubble house of asymmetrical plan. Main entrance faces east.

East elevation consists of a single storey cottage with a two-storey rear return and a taller two-storey block to the rear; front block contains a central doorway flanked each side by canted bays with the main roof forming the porch. Hipped roof of Bangor blue slates in regular courses, with a central flush rooflight; black tiles to ridges. Two chimneys behind ridge, rising from rear wall of front block, symmetrically arranged: smooth cement rendered with moulded cornices and swept caps; original octagonal pots. Cast iron gutters. Walls of basalt rubble with original red brick dressings to windows and to angles of bays; projecting brick eaves course; modern reticulated pointing to all stonework.
Windows are rectangular timber sliding sash, vertically hung, 6 over 6, without horns, coupled in the centre of each bay; smooth rendered reveals, painted; projecting stone cills, painted; original glass to most panes.
Entrance comprises a pair of double doors, rectangular timber, glazed and panelled, with rounded tops to glazing, set between fluted timber pilasters with moulded frieze, surmounted by a looped and radial fanlight, and flanked by decoratively glazed sidelights, all set in an elliptically arched opening.
Four sandstone steps up to entrance; recessed lozenge shaped panel to soffit of roof overhead; pendant metal lamp of octagonal form with leaded glazed panels.

South elevation comprises the end elevation of the front block with the rear blocks extending to the left.
End elevation of front block is of basalt rubble with rusticated rendered quoins with scratched finish, to the left-hand extremity.
One window to ground floor, sashed as previous to entrance front, but with horns, set in red brick block surrounds; reveals and cill as previous. Above is a dormer window, timber sliding sash, semi-circular headed, 1 over 1, with extended horns; set in a smooth cement rendered face to dormer, with projecting cill; canted profile to dormer top; painted timber cheeks; slated pitched roof to dormer. Cast iron gutters and cast iron downpipe.

Return block, to the left, is set back: roof slated as previous; central dormer constructed of timber, containing a tripartite window, timber sliding sash, vertically hung; each light 1 over 1, with horns, with a wavy profile to head of dormer and head of window frame; glazed cheeks. Moulded cast iron gutters and cast iron downpipes.
Walling is of basalt rubble with projecting brick eaves course; cast iron gutter and downpipe. Two windows at first floor level, sashed as previous to entrance front, in similar surrounds.
Rear block steps forward to the left, with asymmetrical elevation, three windows wide. Walling of snecked basalt rubble with quoins to extremities; rendered projecting eaves course. Hipped roof slated as previous; metal gutters with cast iron downpipe. Three windows to first floor, sashed as previous to east elevation; two windows to ground floor, each side of a central doorway; windows similar to first floor but with horns; door is rectangular timber glazed and panelled, with small panes, set in similar surround to windows.
East side of rear block is of similar walling to previous, with one window to each floor: first floor sashed as previous to first floor; ground floor has sashes now replaced by two fixed lights with glazing pattern as previous. Two chimneys, one each side of ridge, similar to previous chimneys.
At the left-hand extremity of the elevation the building is set into a hillside, with Tardree granite exterior steps contained by brick retaining walls, dog-legging to the rear of the building.
Rear elevation of rear block is of roughly coursed basalt rubble with quoins to right-hand extremity.
Two windows at first floor level, sashed as previous to entrance elevation.
Two windows to ground floor rooms contained within two basement wells which are covered over by iron bars set in the concrete path: window to right has original decorative glazing; window to left of it is a modern timber fixed light.
Projecting from the left-hand portion of the rear elevation is a later red brick lean-to extension: timber fascias; PVC gutter and downpipe. Two windows, rectangular fixed lights with top-hung vents, with concrete lintels and cills.

North elevation comprises the end elevation of the front block with the return and rear blocks extending to the right.
End elevation of front block is of basalt rubble with red brick block quoins to extremities. Ground floor contains a blind window opening, blocked up with basalt rubble; no cill. Above is a dormer window, similar to previous on south elevation of front block, but of pitched form with oversailing verges and timber barge boards.
Return block, to the right, is set back: roof, dormer, and gutter similar to south elevation, with two windows to first floor, as previous, but 6 over 3; looks like lower sashes truncated due to later lean-to extension, but ground floor covered by a projecting lean-to glazed passageway: slated roof of very shallow pitch; moulded cast iron gutter on timber eaves board; cast iron downpipe; walling of basalt rubble with angled concrete cill; 4-light small paned timber fixed lights with small paned top-hung vents.

Rear block steps forward to the right, with asymmetrical elevation. Walling of snecked basalt rubble with basalt quoins; projecting brick eaves course.
Hipped roof slated as previous, with two chimneys to rear. Metal gutter with cast iron downpipe. Three windows to first floor of rear block, sashed as previous.
One window to ground floor, modern rectangular timber small paned side-hung casements with small paned central fixed light, set in red brick block dressings. To left is a doorway, modern rectangular glazed and panelled door with leaded glazing, set in similar surround to windows.
East side of rear block is of similar walling to north face, with one window to each floor, sashed as previous; without horns to first floor, but with horns to ground floor.
Covering the right-hand extremity of the rear block, at ground floor level, is a later single storey outbuilding: roof of lean-to type, slated as previous; walls of brickwork, painted white; PVC gutter with cast iron downpipe. East face has one window, segmental arched, comprising a rectangular timber 4-pane fixed light, and a doorway, rectangular ledged timber in segmental arch.
Extending to the right-hand extremity of the rear block, at first floor level, and projecting forward, is the later red brick lean-to extension: one window in north face, rectangular timber 9-pane fixed light with 3-pane top-hung vent.

SETTING: the building stands on a corner site within its own grounds. Grounds laid out with lawns, and contains mature trees and shrubs; ground rises very steeply to west to rear of house, and is thickly grown with trees. Gravel driveway and gravelled area to front of house and along north side.

Main entrance to grounds is from the north by a gateway comprising a pair of painted stone piers of octagonal section with Gothic traceried panels, moulded bases, and ogee domed caps; original cast iron gates of ornamented type, in very poor condition with finials missing. Similar ironwork railings to each side with square terminal pier to east, with ogee domed cap; to west, gate screen abuts a basalt rubble retaining wall.
Extending to east of gateway and curving round to form east boundary is a low basalt rubble wall with Tardree granite copings. East boundary contains a small pedestrian gateway comprising a pair of square Tardree granite piers with moulded and swept caps, mounted with a wrought iron gate. Steps to pathway inside gateway are of Tardree granite. Southern extremity of east boundary wall abuts a mid-19th century masonry bridge (HB20/13/008), carrying the railway over the main road. Southern boundary formed by fence with railway line beyond.

To the north side of the house is an open courtyard with basalt rubble retaining walls to three sides, containing door and window openings; doors lead to vaulted compartments. Windows blocked up with concrete brickwork or new red brickwork; new red brick copings to retaining walls. Surface of courtyard partly concrete, and partly cobbled. On east side of courtyard is a single storey outbuilding with concrete roof, built into the slope of the garden. Tardree granite exterior steps up to roof level terminating at bottom with a square pier of Tardree granite with swept granite cap.
Ledged timber doors to outbuilding, and modern timber window.

Historical information

Built in 1832, according to the Ordnance Survey Memoirs of the mid-1830s, when William Chaine junior owned it, although a residential property was recorded on the site prior to that date, when it was in the ownership of the Reford family. It is shown on the OS map of 1832 in what appears to be essentially its present form. Later owned by a Major Torrens; bought by a Mr Frederick in 1960; changed ownership twice in the 1990s.

References – Primary Sources
1. OS Map 1832, Co Antrim 50 (marked as 'The Cottage').
2. OS Map 1857, Co Antrim 50 (marked as 'Moylinny Cottage').
3. OS Map 1962-3, Co Antrim 50 (marked as 'Moylinny Cottage').
4. Ordnance Survey of Ireland, Vol 29: Parishes of County Antrim XI, 1832-3, 1835-9 (Belfast, 1995), pp 21 and 50.
Secondary Sources
1. UAHS, Antrim and Ballymena (Belfast, 1969), p 13.
2. C.E.B. Brett, Buildings of County Antrim (UAHS, Belfast, 1996), p 173.

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 a good example of an early 19th century building which exhibits some of the style and proportions of late Georgian architecture, and retains many of its original features. It retains the essence of its original character despite some later alterations and additions.