41 Rowreagh Road

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

Substantial two storey gabled farmhouse, with small single storey extension to SW gable and return to rear, situated back from the Rowreagh Road, S of Kircubbin.

Front SE elevation has central timber and glazed double door with four pane sidelights and elliptical arch ‘radial’ fanlight, all encased with fluted pilasters and moulding to arch (now obscured by ivy). Two sliding sash and case windows, with horizontal and vertical astragals to left of door, with two to right and five similar, evenly spaced to first floor, with centre window tripartite.

Single storey gabled extension attached to SW gable with smallish mullioned window to its SE side.

NE gable blank.

Rear has large full height gabled return with three modern two pane timber windows to the NE side and four similar windows and a plain timber sheeted back door to the SW side. Attached to the rear of the main house and the NE side of return is a small single storey lean to ‘shed’ with a corrugated asbestos roof. Above this (to main house) is window as front, only narrower. To right of return of main house are two windows to ground floor, as front, and two similar, but narrower, windows to first floor. The rear of the small gabled extension attached to the SW gable has a plain timber sheeted door with a blocked up fanlight. This small extension is rendered, but appears to be brick built.

Rear of main house and return finished in rough cast render. Front and NE gable finished in lined render with chamfered quoins. Large sections of the front facade are now covered in ivy.

Roofs gabled and pitched, with Bangor blue slates. Four rendered and potless chimney stacks to main house, with another to gable of return and one to gable of extension to SW. Cast iron RW goods.

There appear to have been some farm buildings to the SW of this house, however, these have been demolished fairly recently

Historical information

A building is shown on this site, much as today but without the return and extension, but with adjacent (presumably farm) buildings on the OS map of 1834. There appears little reason to suppose that this is not the house shown on the map and that it dates from the early 1800s at least. On the cill of the first floor central window (but now obscured), however, there is said to be a date of 1867 inscribed, which may perhaps suggest that the house was remodelled or reconstructed at this date, or represent a date of renovation, or merely the replacement of a window cill! Alternatively this date might not relate to the fabric of the house at all, but allude in some way to a past occupant. A reasonable hypothesis might be to suggest that this house was standing in the early 1800s but was perhaps renovated in some fashion in the 1860s. The large rear return, according to the present owner (1997) , was added in the 1940s, however, the small single storey extension attached to the SW gable may be Edwardian. The sash and case windows to the front and rear of the main house were replaced in 1993. In recent years the farm buildings to the SW, some of which may possibly have been as old as the house itself, have been demolished.

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

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

Large two storey farm house of probable early to mid nineteenth century origin. The front facade with its 'vernacular Georgian' appearance is still largely intact, however, the window frames to the (c.1940s) rear return and the small Edwardian extension are mainly modern.