28 Ballypalady Road

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

Detached single-bay two-storey Victorian house, built 1857, located to the north side of Ballypalady Road. Rectangular on plan with single-storey return to west and extension to east.

Roofs are pitched and artificial slated; clay ridge tiles, deep overhanging eaves supported on brick corbels, timber bargeboards. Two corbelled chimneys; red brick to east, roughcast to west; both have original clay pots. Walls roughcast over plinth. Square-headed timber casement windows in segmental-headed openings; painted masonry cills.

Principal elevation is gabled and faces south comprising single window to each floor (first floor window diminished in size). Porch with catslide roof on left containing modern timber panelled and glazed square-headed door in segmental-headed opening. To left, modern uPVC conservatory on roughcast plinth, abutting return to rear. To right, extension containing single window.

West elevation abutted by return containing rectangular timber casement window and conservatory. Exposed section of wall contains small window to first floor and projecting flue. Porch to right contains single small window.

North elevation contains single window to each floor, square-headed stairwell window to right at ground floor. Extension to left is blank. Return at right contains single window to left and small window to right, with fixed glazing.

East elevation abutted by single-storey extension containing single window. Exposed section of wall is blank with projecting flue.

Setting

House set within mature garden, bounded from railway to north by planting and timber fence, and to Ballypalady Road by hedge. To west, original access steps to railway station, enclosed by brick walling with saddle-back coping. Single-storey roughcast garage to east with corrugated metal roof. Entrance to south-east through roughcast pillars abutted by curved walling to garden.

Roof Artificial slate
Walling Painted roughcast
Windows Square-headed timber casement windows in segmental-headed openings
RWG Cast-iron half-round gutters with round downpipes, uPVC to return and extension

Historical information

The building is first recorded on the second edition OS map of 1857, and is marked ‘Watchhouse’. The corresponding entry in the Griffiths Valuation of 1859 could not be located in the field book, however it is likely that the entry for a 'Clerk's and Station House', found under a different number, is the correct reference for the building. It is valued at £12 and owned by Belfast and Northern Counties Railway Board.

According to the owner, the house was built in 1857 by the Marquis of Donegall as a Station Master’s House, incorporating 22 acres of land, as part of the development of the new railway from Belfast to Londonderry and the Narrow Gauge railway to Doagh. Originally, Upper Doagh Station, including associated workers cottages, was located to the north of the railway line; Lower Doagh station was in the village itself. The original house is constructed using brick cavity walls, unusual for house of this age, while the extension to east, added c.1914, has solid brick walling.

References:

Primary Sources

1. PRONI OS/6/1/51/1 -First Edition OS Map (1832)
2. PRONI OS/6/1/51/2 - Second Edition OS map (1857)
5. PRONI VAL/2/A/1/51A -Griffith's Valuation Map (1859)
6. PRONI VAL/2/B/1/11-Griffith's Valuation Fieldbook (1859)

Secondary Sources

1. Information from owner, 05/11/08

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

Not listed

Criteria for listing: historic interest

Not listed

Evaluation

This detached single-bay two-storey Victorian house is located in a rural setting to the south of Doagh. The original character of the house has been somewhat marred by the rendering of the facade and replacement of windows. Although retaining its original form and layout, and access to the railway at west, the extensive alterations have reduced its architectural and historic interest.