The Rookery

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

Large two storey gabled farm house on the N side of Kerr’s Road c.2 miles NE of Newtownards, much renovated with PVC windows, modern doors and a recently added porch and other extensions.

Front (W) facade has a large right of centre porch with a hipped roof. To the S face of the porch is a modern glazed door, with a modern window to the to the W and N faces. All windows frames throughout the house are modern PVC. To the right of the porch are two similar windows, with four similar, evenly spaced windows to the first floor.

Flush with the front facade (and attached to the N gable) is a long single storey extension. The front facade of this extension is topped with a castellated parapet, which hides a corrugated asbestos mono-pitched roof. There are two modern window openings and a glazed door to the front facade of this section with three similar windows and a similar door to the rear.

The main N gable above the extension is blank.

The S gable is a window (as front) to the right of the ground and first floors.

To the left hand side at the rear is a large full height gabled return with various modern windows of varying size and shape, but all modern. Attached to the N face of this return and to the rear of the main house is a single storey projection with an odd ‘hipped’ roof. This projection also has modern windows and doors. To the rear of main building are two windows to the centre and right on the first floor, with one to the right on the ground floor, all much as front.

The entire facade is finished in lined cement render and unpainted. The roof of the main house is covered in Bangor blue slates with four brick chimney stacks. The roof has a slight verge overhang, with decorative barge boards to the N gable and plain to the S. The return roof also has Bangor blue slates and a brick chimney stack to the gable. Mixture of PVC and cast iron rw goods.

There is a curious stone embedded in the wall to the south of the house which appears to be inscribed ‘1697’.

Historical information

Although buildings are shown on this general site on the OS Maps of 1834 and 1858-60, none matches the orientation of this house exactly, thus the present dwelling is probably post 1860. The decorative barge boards to the N suggest a late Victorian/Edwardian date, however, the fact that the original entrance had an ‘Ards’ door surround could mean that the house is slightly earlier, perhaps 1860s. It is probable that the house underwent renovation c.1900.
The return is a relatively recent addition (c.1970s) with the single storey extension to the north added c.1960s.

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

Not listed

Criteria for listing: historic interest

Not listed

Evaluation

Large two storey farm house of probable late nineteenth century origin, now plain in appearance with various relatively recent extensions and PVC windows and modern doors.