Farm Buildings

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

Detached symmetrical range of single-storey multi-bay stone stable buildings, built 1850, located to the east of Tongue Loanen Road, Carrickfergus. East side of H-plan range is enclosed by a two-bay one-and-a-half-storey house with perpendicular house to rear forming central block of the east courtyard; with access to courtyards form each side. Central block of H-plan aligned north-south contains double-height coach arch to north and south courtyards.

Pitched natural slate roofs with lead valleys; cast-iron rainwater goods. Walling is coursed and snecked rubblestone with brick dressings and brick eaves course. Windows are segmental-headed 3/6 timber casements with stepped brick surrounds and voussoirs. Doors are segmental-headed and timber sheeted.

Central range aligned north-south with double-height coach arch to north and south courtyards; each with internal doors and half-round casement windows above. West elevation contains central round-headed door with flanking windows (between coach arches), single window to each side. East elevation has two windows to centre (between coach arches), and single window to each side. Abutted to right by north range abutted to left by south range (both aligned east-west.)

South range (north elevation) is aligned east-west and is abutted by central north-south range; three windows flanked by double doors to right, at left two sets of paired round-headed arches flanked by further single round-headed arch to each side at. South elevation is blank. East gable has central window with painted stepped granite surround.

North range (south elevation) is aligned east-west and is abutted by central north-south range; to right there are a series of three windows and three doors abutted to right by wall and coursed granite pier; three windows flanked by double doors to left. East gable has central round-headed coach arch.

Two-bay one-and-a-half-storey-house with one-and-a-half-storey extension to left gable and lean-to extension to right. The roof is hipped slated, blue/black clay ridge tiles; deep overhanging eaves on exposed rafter ends; single smooth rendered chimney, terracotta pots. Walls are roughly coursed random-rubble with stepped granite quoins. Windows are 3/3 timber sliding sashes with exposed boxes; stepped surrounds with brick relieving arches and painted masonry cills.

Principal (east) elevation has central porch with timber sheeted door and pitched roof; window to each side; left gable has been extended to provide additional bay, one window wide. South gable has single window to attic; abutted by coursed granite pier at left, forming courtyard entrance. Rear elevation faces directly onto perpendicular block, linked by porch to left; exposed section has two timber sliding sash windows, diminished to left. East gable is abutted by single-storey lean-to extension. Exposed section has single window to attic. Left gable has single window and wall projects above eaves line. Lean-to abutted to right by coursed granite pier at left, forming courtyard entrance.

Perpendicular block (aligned east-west) to east of H-Plan is detailed as stable building; three brick chimneys, terracotta pots; windows are sliding sashes with exposed boxes. North elevation has offset entrance door; three paired sliding sash windows to right; single to left. South elevation has central glazed double doors; triple 6/6 windows to each side; three timber sheeted dormers with timber casements. East and west gables are blank.

H-Plan enclosed to west by coursed granite wall with openings to north comprising coursed granite piers and caps.

Further series of two-storey outbuildings to west; single outhouse in similar style to farm complex to north-east.

Set within mature wooded parkland in the grounds of Castle Dobbs (HB22/13/001A.) Accessed by gravel driveway from the north gate lodge (HB22/13/001C) and secondary entrance to north-west.

Roof covering: Natural slate
Walling: Coursed and snecked rubblestone walling with brick surrounds and brick eaves course;
Windows: Timber sliding sashes
Rainwater goods: Cast-iron

Historical information

The farm buildings appear on the second edition OS map of 1857, but without wing sections to the left. Primary source material shows this to have been a mid-nineteenth century replacement of a previous group of farm buildings on the same site.

The Townland Valuation of 1836 records the estate as a dwelling house and offices, owned and occupied by Richard Dobbs Esq. The building is valued at £ 46 14s, later revised to £53.

Griffith’s Valuation of 1859 lists a house, office, gate lodge and land, initially valued at £45, later revised to £12 5s. An accompanying note states “the old farm lot & offices have been pulled down & the new ones built…the amount in the old book to be altered”.

Valuation Revisions from the 1870s record the occupier as Conway Dobbs, held ‘in fee’. The valuation is £120, revised in 1878 to £128. In 1886 the occupier changes to Montague Dobbs. In 1904 the gate lodge entry is crossed out and changed to [S] house. It is at this time that a ‘gardeners house’ is entered in the description. A note reads ‘gate lodge deducted in 1904’; the lodge can be found entered separately below, occupied by William Snoddy, and valued at £3.

A smaller house is also annexed from the main estate valuation at this time, occupied by Jacob Johnston, leased from M.W. Dobbs, valued at £2 10s. It is not clear which building this refers to, although it may be the smaller lodge.

In 1914 the entry for ‘Castle Dobbs’ lists a house, office, steward’s house, gardener’s house and land. The building valuation is £125, and the gate lodge is recorded as occupied by Johanna Holt, and then by John Bowes in 1915.

References

Primary Sources:

1. PRONI OS/6/1/53/1 - First Edition OS Map (1831-2)
2. PRONI OS/6/1/53/2 - Second Edition OS Map (1857)
3. PRONI OS/6/1/53/3 - Third Edition OS Map (1901-2)
4. PRONI VAL/1/A/ 1/53 - Townland Valuation Map (1836)
5. PRONI VAL/1/B/119 - Townland Valuation Fieldbook (1836)
6. PRONI VAL/2B/1/16 - Griffiths Valuation Fieldbook (1859)
7. PRONI VAL/12/B/7/18 A-F - Valuation Revisions (1864-1929)

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

A. Style
B. Proportion
C. Ornamentation
D. Plan Form
J. Setting
K. Group value

Criteria for listing: historic interest

V. Authorship
X. Local Interest

Evaluation

Detached symmetrical range of single-storey multi-bay stone stable buildings, built 1850, located to the east of Tongue Loanen Road, Carrickfergus. A fully functioning example of an estate farm complex of the nineteenth century. The plan, layout and original fabric has remained intact including coursed and snecked rubblestone walling with brick surrounds and brick eaves course. Set within mature wooded parkland to the north of Belfast Lough the main house along with other associated structures, including these farm buildings form a group of great interest.

General comments

This record has been renumbered as part of a group - previously HB22/13/002.