28-31 Shiels Houses, Larne Road, Carrickfergus, Co Antrim BT38 7EA

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

Detached asymmetrical three-bay two-storey house, built c.1830, located to the north side of Gortnacreagh Road, Omagh. Rectangular-on-plan with single-storey entrance porch at east.

Roof is pitched natural slate, blue/black clay ridge tiles; two smooth rendered corbelled gable chimneystacks, third red brick chimney to party wall (later). Corbelled eaves with timber eaves board supporting replacement uPVC rainwater goods. Walls are roughcast rendered with smooth rendered plinth; windows are 2/2 timber (vertically divided) sliding sashes (diminished in height at first floor) with smooth rendered architraves and projecting stone cills.

Principal elevation faces east and is abutted off-centre at left by single-storey entrance porch with pitch roof. Exposed section at left and right contains window at each floor; re-entrant angle at right is abutted by original windbreak porch with lean-to slated roof.
Right bay contains timber sheeted double doors at ground floor; single window at first floor. Single-storey entrance porch is detailed as main house; single window to east gable; left cheek contains timber-panelled entrance door with glazed top panels and flanking sliding sash sidelights with stone cills. Right cheek is blank.

Left (south) gable contains two window at ground floor, that at left is 1/1 and diminished; single 1/1 timber sliding sash at first floor.

Rear (west) elevation contains three windows at ground floor; two windows at first floor, that at right is dipartite.

Right (north) gable is blank; render has visible traces of an earlier flat-roof extension, now removed.

Setting

The house is located to the west side of a farmyard complex. With original single- and two-storey outbuildings these are located at north and east and have exposed random rubble walling, natural slate roofs; timber sheeted doors and metal casement windows; built c.1830. Replacement farm dwelling at east built c.1970. House is bound at south by roughcast rendered walling with saddleback coping; accessed via wrought-iron gate supported on two square roughcast rendered piers.

Roof Natural slate
Walling Roughcast
Windows timber
RWG uPVC

Historical information

The building is shown on the first edition OS map of 1833, as is the small outbuilding opposite the north east elevation and a building opposite the main entrance. The 1854 map records the longer outbuilding opposite the north east corner.

The Townland Valuation records a ‘dwelling house and offices’, which are valued at £2.8s. Griffith’s Valuation of 1858 notes that the property is leased from ‘Charles and John Gardiner and other (in chancery)’, with a valuation of £2.10s. Various changes in occupier are noted but these are within the same family, the building valuation is increased to £3.10s in 1892.

Stylistically the house appears to date from the 1830’s however the north end bay may have been added later as a byre with bedroom over. The entrance porch is also later; the original entrance would have been through the windbreak porch at the right re-entrant angle.

References:

Primary Sources

1.PRONI OS/6/6/25/1 –First Edition OS Map (1833)
2.PRONI OS/6/6/25/2 –Second Edition OS Map (1854)
3.PRONI OS/6/6/25/3 –Third Edition OS Map (1905)
4.PRONI VAL/1/B/645B –Townland Valuation (1820-1840)

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

Not listed

Criteria for listing: historic interest

Not listed

Evaluation

Detached asymmetrical three-bay two-storey house, built c.1830. The building retains many features externally including original windbreak porch at east with timber sheeted door and original 2/2 timber sliding sashes. Along with the surrounding traditionally constructed outbuildings it forms a group of vernacular architecture. However, it is of a relatively common type and is not among the best examples of a traditional rural dwelling.