Roddans House

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

Roddens House is an odd sprawling complex consisting of recently modernised and extended two storey (roughly ‘L’ shaped) house partly set on a rise and partly set around a lower level courtyard, with various stables and other farm buildings. The house itself is possibly almost two hundred years old, but appears as if it has been modernised and extended on several occasions recently.

The main body of the house is set on a rise to the N and is reached by a long driveway. There is what appears to be a timber and glazed front door to the E elevation of this flat roofed extended portion of the house, however, it appears unused and it is more likely that the house is usually now entered through the lower level ‘courtyard’ section to the SW. This courtyard section appears substantially intact, but the windows are all modern (though with horizontal and vertical astragals) and various window and door openings have been altered.

The N main section of the house has a collection of similar modern windows and has been greatly extended with the full height flat roofed extension to the E and a single storey hipped roof extension to the N, and a large conservatory and further single storey flat roofed extension to the W. Taken altogether it is difficult to imagine what this section of the house originally looked like, as the original hipped roof section has now been smothered by the extensions.

The stables and other farm buildings which make up the rest of the courtyard to the S are substantially intact and arguably of greater merit than the house itself. This section has mainly hipped roofs, with the roof of the section to the far S covered in moss. The courtyard is entered at the SE through a large elliptical headed arch set in a tall buttressed rubble wall. There is a smaller pedestrian arch on the opposite side from this to the SW with leads into a smaller secondary courtyard with mainly single storey stables. The house itself is finished mainly in rough cast render, whilst the rubble built farm buildings are partly whitewashed.

Historical information

Roddans House and the surrounding complex (minus extensions) are shown on the OS Map of 1834. The main house was undoubtedly the section to the north and was probably originally ‘Georgian’ in style, perhaps with a hipped roof, still partially visible today. The writers have been able to find very little concrete information concerning the history of this building. There may be some facts regarding the house within the Orr/McClure family papers held at PRONI [D.2908], which contain documents relating to this area, possibly dating back to the early 1700s, however, these papers have not yet been listed and are therefore currently unavailable. A local resident did inform the writers that she believed that the house had been badly damaged by fire about thirty years ago, which may account for the ‘modernisation’ of the property.

References- Primary sources
1 PRONI Ordnance Survey Maps, 1st Edition, 1834, Co. Down 18.
2 PRONI VAL 1B/312 1st valuation, St. Andrews, c.1835.
3 PRONI Ordnance Survey Maps, 1st Revision, 1860, Co. Down 18.
4 PRONI 2nd valuation, St. Andrews, c.1863.
5 PRONI D.2908 Orr/McClure Family Papers. [Not listed and therefore currently unavailable.]

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

Not listed

Criteria for listing: historic interest

Not listed

Evaluation

Large, sprawling, L-shaped house of pre 1834 origin, set on a rise and incorporating a court yard with outbuildings. Due to its positioning the building can be entered on various levels and has an odd, informally arranged façade. The 'front' section of the house may have been altered in the mid 20th century as the result of a fire. The interior layout also appears to have been altered at that time.