26 Rowreagh Road

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

Single storey farm house with attic, gabled porch, ‘gothic’ windows etc., situated on a hill off the Rowreagh Road, S of Kircubbin.

Front NW elevation has gabled porch with modern panelled and glazed timber door to the left (NE) side and a large sliding sash and case window, with semicircular arch head and horizontal and vertical astragals, to front. Similar single sliding sash and case window, without arch head, to both left and right of porch.

NE gable has two four pane pointed arch attic windows.

SW gable has similar arrangement of windows but has large ‘lean to’ (but largely flat roofed) kitchen extension to ground floor, with a multi pane PVC window to the NW side, and a PVC door and smaller window to the SW side.

Rear of house has central full height (two level) gabled return, with paired pointed arch windows, with modern frames, to both floors of gable of return. Sliding sash and case window, similar to front, to main building to right of return. To left of return and attached to it and back of main house, is an elaborate PVC conservatory with ‘gothic tracery’ and finials.

Entire facade finished in limestone chip render, with smooth cement chamfered plinth.

Roofs (apart from extension) pitched with asbestos slate and two brick chimney stacks to main house. Roof overhang at eaves. There are two dormers to both front and rear of main roof with PVC ‘casement’ windows, glazed sides and segmental arch roofs. Velux window between dormers at front. PVC RW goods.

Modern farm buildings to SW.

Historical information

A house is shown on this site on the OS Map of 1834, much the same as today, minus the flat roofed extension (added c.1960s) and conservatory (c.1990). It is difficult to ascertain the age of this house, however, as so much has been added to it in recent years, that it could easily pass off as an altogether modern dwelling. It could substantially be the same house indicated on the 1834 map, but one imagines that if it is, it bears little resemblance to its former self.

References- Primary sources
1 PRONI Ordnance Survey Maps, 1st Edition, 1834, Co. Down 18.
2 Ordnance Survey Memoirs of Ireland Vol.7: Parishes of County Down II, ed. Angelique Day and Patrick McWilliams (QUB 1991), p. 84-5. [c.1834]
3 PRONI VAL 1B/311A & B 1st valuation, Inishargy, c.1835.
4 PRONI Ordnance Survey Maps, 1st revision, 1860, Co. Down 18.
5 PRONI 2nd valuation, Inishargy, c.1863.

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

Not listed

Criteria for listing: historic interest

Not listed

Evaluation

Much altered one and a half storey farm house of possible pre 1834 origin but completely renovated and extended in recent times and now relatively modern looking.