Cogry Cottage

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

A detached three-bay one-and-a-half-storey double-pile house, built c.1845, located on the west side of the Cogry Mills complex (HB21/02/014A). Rectangular on plan, facing west; with central two-storey gabled timber-framed porch extension, lean-to conservatory to south.

Pitched (M-profile) natural slate roof, angled blue/black clay ridge tiles, painted timber exposed rafter ends, carved purlin ends, moulded uPVC gutters; dormers to front pitch end bays and rear pitch central bay; rear pitch has rooflights. Dormers are gabled and double-glazed with painted timber finials. Projecting porch has fretted bargeboards, rafter ends and a finial.

Walling is smooth rendered with quoins over a chamfered painted stone plinth. Quoins to north gable have diamond-pointed rustication. Windows are square-headed uPVC casements; painted stone architraves with diamond-pointed rustication, decorated key blocks and sills on brackets.

Principal (west) elevation is symmetrical and arranged around projecting porch. End bays have double-height canted bay windows with hipped natural slate roof and fretted painted timber rafter ends. Projecting bay has a projecting cornice between floors, diagonally sheeted painted timber panels between stop-end-chamfered timber frame construction. First floor has painted timber casement windows; ground floor has replacement windows. Right cheek is detailed similarly; left cheek is detailed as right but with replacement entrance door.

North gable has four windows at first floor. Left apex has wrought-iron strapwork.

Rear (east) has, from left: two windows with floor-level sills to left bay; simple window to centre; timber vertically sheeted door and window to right bay. All reveals are stop-ended chamfered.

South gable has four windows at first floor and abutted to centre ground floor by a modern conservatory (of no interest).

Coach House

To north is a three-bay single-storey brick carriage house, built c.1890, with attached nineteenth-century stone outbuildings. Pitched replacement uPVC sheeted roof; walling is polychrome brick; windows are round-headed painted timber 2/2 sashes; doors are elliptical arch-headed painted timber vertically sheeted double-leaf doors; gablet has oculus moulded brick surround with an star-shaped etched stained glass insert.

Setting

The house is situated on an elevated site facing west toward a flat-headed concrete bridge with ornate cast-iron railings that spans the Doagh River and leads to the grounds of Invermuir House (HB21/02/010). The outbuildings of Cogry Mills border the rear patio. The main mill complex is to the northeast.

Roof: M-Profile Natural Slate
Walling: Smooth render
Windows: Square-headed uPVC casements
Rainwater Goods: Moulded uPVC gutters

Historical information

Cited as Coggrey Cottage on 1857 OS map. Described in 1859 Valuation book as Superintendent’s House. Measurements given as 13yds x 10yds x 1 storey + attic. An 1888 engraving of Cogry Mills illustrates the house from the southwest. There is a conservatory abutting the entire ground floor south elevation and the central entrance porch is a single-storey lean-to with the flanking bay windows also depicted as having lean-to roofs. In addition, there are chimneystacks to the north gables, as well as to the south. The two front dormers appear in their current position.

Cited as Cogry Cottage on 1902 and 1921 OS maps. Described in 1921 valuation as a rubble masonry building with slate roof measuring 44ft x 34ft x 16ft high. These dimensions correspond approximately with those in 1859 valuation and it is probably the same building. The 1921 valuation notes a porch in the middle of the west elevation (7ft x 6ft x 16ft) and a glazed timber extension to the south gable (32ft x 8ft x 10ft). No bay windows are shown on the west elevation. From this it would appear that the house dates to the establishment of the mill in 1845 and that the porch is a later addition. However, it would seem to have been refurbished sometime after 1921 with the raising of the porch and insertion of the bay windows. In the more recent past, a new conservatory has been added to the south gable in place of the original conservatory.

Cottage Coach House

This is not on the 1857 map or cited in the 1859 valuation. It is described in the 1921 valuation as being of brick and with a slated and glazed roof. It measured 44ft x 34ft x 16ft. On its west elevation is a rubble masonry building aligned N-S and measuring 28ft x 12ft x 10ft. The 1859 valuation notes a 24ft x 21ft building at this location so its possible that what is there now may date from the 1840s when the mill was established

The fact that it is of brick and has yellow brick trim suggests a late 19th or early 20th century date of construction. It’s possible that it was built around the same time as the mill underwent a major development in the early 1890s (note: the yellow brick eaves are identical in style).

References – Primary sources:
1. PRONI OS/6/1/45/2 - 1857 OS six-inch map, Co Antrim sheet 45.
2. PRONI VAL/2B/1/7A - 1859 manuscript Valuation book, p.167.
3. PRONI OS/6/1/45/3 - 1902 OS six-inch map, Co Antrim sheet 45.
4. PRONI OS/10/1/45/14/2 - 1921 OS 25-inch map, Co Antrim sheet 45-14.
5. PRONI VAL/12A/1/18 - 1921 manuscript Valuation notebook, pp 43-44.

- Secondary:
1.Robert Cox, “History of the Parish of Kilbride” (Doagh, Co. Antrim: Self-published, 1959), 77-79.
2. Robert Armstrong, “Through the Ages to Newtownabbey,” Revised Edition (Merville Garden Village, Newtownabbey, Co. Antrim: Abbey Publications, [undated, c.1999, first edition 1979]), 327.

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

A detached three-bay one-and-a-half-storey rendered house that formerly served as the residence for the manager of Cogry Mills and was linked by a bridge over the Doagh River to Invermuir (HB21/02/010), the residence of the owner of Cogry Mills. The house and carriage house have well preserved exterior and interior detailing and forms a distinct group with the mill owner's house, the mill and various outbuildings.