Islandreagh

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

Detached three-bay two-storey Georgian house, built c.1760, located to the north of Belfast Road and accessed from Islandreagh Road. The plan is rectangular with single storey extension to the north-west corner, and a one-and-a-half storey extension to east which abuts outbuilding (now incorporated into the house).

The roofs are pitched and slated with overhanging eaves. There are brick chimneys to gable ends of the main house. The walls are roughcast over a smooth painted plinth. The windows are exposed box 6/6 sliding sash timber with margin lights and painted masonry cills, unless otherwise stated.

The principal elevation faces south. The central bay has an entrance door surmounted by a window to first floor level. The flanking bays contain a single window to each level. The door is set within segmental headed recess with moulded timber segmental headed arch on exaggerated ogee stops. The door is timber panelled (replaced c.1980) with segmented fanlight and decorative sidelights. This elevation is abutted to the east by one one-and-a-half storey extension. To ground floor abutting house, there is a slated lean-to entrance porch with uPVC glazing, surmounted by a half dormer containing a double 6/6 sliding sash timber window, divided by timber mullion. This is flanked to the west by a single window at ground floor level. A single storey link block containing a window connects the extension to the outbuilding, gable ended on elevation, with central pitched gable ended bay containing a replacement 12/12 casement window.

The west elevation has a single window to ground floor level and two windows to first floor (the window to the left of the first floor has no margin lights). To the north-west corner is a single storey canted sunroom extension.

The exposed section of the north elevation contains a large timber casement window divided into panes at first floor level. There is a central two-storey gable-ended stairway return (c.1980). The half-landing is lit by a round-headed arched window with masonry cill. To the west, the elevation is abutted by the sunroom. On the east is a single-storey extension to rear of main house, with overhanging mono-pitch slated roof, with two small square timber casement windows to left and modern timber panelled entrance door to the right. The elevation is abutted to the east by one-and-a-half storey extension with gable-ended lucarne to the left with window to first and ground floor. The gable-end of the extension is abutted by a pitched link block leading to the outbuilding (incorporated into the house c.1980). The outbuilding has square headed openings to the west elevation.

The east elevation is abutted by extension. The exposed wall section has one window to ground floor with no margin lights. The outbuilding has two square headed window openings and a door opening.

Setting

The house is set within mature gardens, bounded to the Belfast Road by random rubble walling and to Islandreagh Road by hedging, and roughcast walling. The site is accessed from each road through brick pillars with modern gates.

There is a range of outbuildings to the rear of the house (north). To the west, is a multiple bay two-storey random rubble stable building with brick detailing, original vertically sheeted timber doors to each level, and replacement exposed box timber 6/6 sliding sash windows. This is abutted to the west by an open shelter with corrugated roof, and to the east by two-bay single-storey byre with original sliding vertically sheeted timber doors and casement windows.

Roof covering Natural slate
Walling Roughcast
Windows Timber framed 6/6 sliding sash
Rainwater goods Cast iron replacement half round gutters and round downpipes..

Historical information

The house appears on the 1834 OS map, along with north-south orientated outbuilding to the east (believed by the owner to have been a milking parlour, converted as part of the house renovation, c.1980) and a small outbuilding to the north. The house is recorded as ‘Islandreagh’ on the 1857 OS map, which shows the outbuilding to the north had been extended (as modern), and a further outbuilding was added to the east side of the house (believed by the owner to have been the bottling room, converted as part of the house renovation, c.1980). By the 1921 OS map, the house and outbuilding to the east of it were attached.

According to the Townland Valuation, in 1836 the house was owned by a Mr John Rea, listed as house, yard and offices, with the house valued at £7.18s.0d. The Griffiths Valuation in 1859 lists the ‘Immediate Lessor’ as Reps. John Bates, and the ‘Townland and Occupier’ as Mr Robert Johnston, listed as house, offices and land, to a value of £11.0s.0d.

A datestone, ‘Islandreagh 1757’ has been applied to the building (on south elevation of former milking parlour) following the renovation of the dairy outbuildings, c.1985 and research by the owner, and architects responsible for the renovation, Escher, Wood and Ellis. Their research also placed Islandreagh as the first dairy in Co. Antrim. The attached rear outbuildings were for the cows (now converted – G11 and G12) and the bottling area was in the outbuilding block that abutted the main house (now G08-G10). Milk was bottled at the house until the early 1970s under the label “Clark’s, The Dairy, Islandreagh.” Girvan describes the house as a pre 1780 farm house (p.14).

The current owner purchased the house in 1979. Renovation work was carried out to the house in 1980, and the outbuildings were converted in 1985. According to the current owner, work was extensive, including the rebuilding of the rear of the house and abutting outbuildings with concrete blocks, the building of the rear staircase annex with its impressive round-headed double-height window and the replacement of the principal door and sidelights. The work on the door occurred shortly after the main house restoration and was featured in an EHS publication.

References:

Primary Sources

1. PRONI OS/6/1/50/1, 1st Edition OS Map, Co Antrim, sheet no 50, 1834
2. PRONI OS/6/1/50/2, 2nd Edition OS Map, Co Antrim, sheet no 50, 1857
3. PRONI OS/6/1/50/4, 4th Edition OS Map, Co Antrim, sheet no 50, 1921
4. PRONI VAL/1A/1/50, Townland Valuation Map, 1836
5. PRONI VAL/1B/163, Townland Valuation Field book, 1836
6. PRONI VAL/2/A/1/50A, B, C, Griffiths Valuation Map, 1859

Secondary Sources

1. Information from the current owner based on professional research carried out at the time of renovation.
2. Girvan, W. D. & Rowan, R. J. “Ulster Architectural Heritage Society Second List of Historic Buildings, Groups of Buildings, Areas of Architectural Importance in West Antrim, Within the Designated Area of the Antrim and Ballymena Development Commission.” Belfast: Ulster Architectural Heritage Society, 1970.

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

A. Style
B. Proportion
C. Ornamentation
H-. Alterations detracting from building
I. Quality and survival of Interior

Criteria for listing: historic interest

X. Local Interest

Evaluation

This three-bay two-storey symmetrical Georgian house has been extended in recent years and its outbuildings have been converted into living and storage accommodation. Many original features have been retained and other features sympathetically replaced. The outbuildings are completely modernised due to their conversion. These changes have affected the character and interest of the group and reduced its interest to some degree.