The Old House

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

The Old House is a recently renovated two storey gabled house, built in Scrabo stone with an ‘Ards’ doorway and odd brick dressings to some openings. It is situated at the end of a short lane, on the NW side of the Ballyrainey road c.1.5 miles N of Comber.

The front S facade has right of centre ‘Ards’ doorway with plain pilasters and keystone, panelled timber door and ‘spoked’ semicircular fanlight. To the right of this is a large opening with PVC French doors with simulated ‘Georgian’-like panes. There used to be two windows in place of this new doorway. To the left of the main entrance door are three windows with dressings patched in red brick (where the original stone has presumably worn badly). These windows now have PVC frames, as do all windows throughout the house. To the first floor are six evenly spaced smaller windows, with the three to the left with dressings patched in red brick. The three to the right are totally dressed in red brick, through their ‘lintels’ are constructed in an earlier looking brown brick.

The E gable is blank but partly attached at the right side of the E gable is a former single storey rubble built outbuilding now converted to a dwelling.

The W gable is also blank but merges into the W facade of a rear lean to extension, also in rubble, which may have been added some considerable time ago. The W facade of the lean to has a small red brick dressed fixed light window to the left on the ground floor and another to the right at the upper level. The left side of the W facade of the lean to is attached to a small single storey gabled outbuilding.

The rear is taken up with the lean to facade which is single storey. To the left of centre is a timber stable door with small glazed panel in its upper half. To the right of this are two squat looking kitchen windows, with a narrower window to the left of the doorway. All the rear openings have red brick dressings, though the brickwork on the window to the far right appears to have been replaced recently. To the far left at the rear (where the former outbuilding/new dwelling house is attached) there is an open porch/store.

The entire facade is unrendered. The stonework to the W gable is semi-coursed and looks as if it was reconstructed at some point. There are asbestos free slates to the main roof with two Velux windows to the rear. Two (recently reconstructed) red brick chimney stacks. The rear extension has Bangor blue slates. PVC rw goods.

Large two storey rubble built outbuildings to rear and to E (attached to recently converted dwelling house). Remains of dry toilet to rear.

Historical information

There are buildings shown on this general site on the OS Map of 1833/4 but it is almost impossible to tell whether any match the site of the present house exactly. The valuation records do tell us, however, that one of the buildings present at this time was a dwelling house, in the then possession of one Samuel Ferguson. On the revised OS Map of 1858-60 the plan of the buildings closely matches those of today. The presence of an ‘Ards’ doorway (a design which appears to have become particularly prevalent in the 1840s and 50s) suggests that the house way date from these decades.

References- Primary sources
1 PRONI VAL 1B/317 1st valuation, parish of Dundonald, townland of Ballyrainey, 1833.
2 PRONI Ordnance Survey Maps 1st Edition 1833/4, Co. Down sheet 5.
3 PRONI Ordnance Survey Maps 1st Revision 1858-60, Co. Down sheet 5.
4 PRONI 2nd (‘Griffith’s’) valuation, parish of Dundonald, townland of Ballyrainey, 1863.

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

Not listed

Criteria for listing: historic interest

Not listed

Evaluation

Two storey rubble built farm house of (possibly) c.1840s-50s with ‘Ards’ doorway. This house was extended at the rear some time ago and has been renovated recently. There are now PVC French doors to the right on the front facade where there were previously two windows.