Rockhall,

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

Large, two storey, double gabled farm house, oddly set with its N gables to the S side of the Tullygarvan Road, just over a mile NW of Ballygowan.

The front (E) façade appears symmetrical at first glance but is in fact asymmetrical. To the slight left of centre is the doorway with a fairly recent looking panelled and glazed (stained glass) door and’spoked’ elliptical fanlight. The doorway is encased with panelled pilasters and archivolt. To the left of the doorway is a modern four pane window (designed to resemble sash). To the right of the doorway is a similar window and to the first floor are three further windows, all similar to the ground floor only smaller.

The N façade has three window to the centre and left on the ground floor and three in equivalent positions on the first floor. All have frames as front. The far right of this façade has a broad chamfer (the wall of the right gable of this façade is extremely thick).

The S façade has a panelled and glazed doorway to the centre left on the ground floor with two windows to its right (as front). Roughly to the centre on the first floor is a very small window with frame as before.

The rear has a window to the far left and far right on the ground floor with three more to the first floor. These windows are of various size with frames as before, except that to the right on the ground floor which has a curious ‘canted’ frame giving the window a small ‘oriel’ appearance.

The entire façade is covered in rough cast with Bangor blue slates to the roof and PVC rw goods. There are four chimney stacks (one to each gable) all in sandstone

Historical information

The oldest section of this house appears to be that encompassed by the rear gable, which corresponds with the building shown on the 1834 OS map. On the revised map of 1858-60 the plan matches that of today and is marked ‘Rockhall’. Thus it seems that the present dwelling was built in two stages, a hypothesis supported by the differing wall thickness’ at front and rear. It is possible that the original rear portion may even have began life as single storey.

The valuation returns of 1835 note that the house was at stage in the possession of a Widow Orr. By c.1863 it had passed to a William Orr Lowry [?a relative] and was valued at £10.

References- Primary sources
1 PRONI D.354 Mussenden Papers. [These papers include documents relating Mussenden family property to 1831, however they have not been catalogued in detail.]
2 PRONI OS map 1st ed. 1834, Down 16.
3 PRONI VAL1B/316B, p.143 1st valuation Comber parish 1834.
4 ‘Ordnance Survey Memoirs of Ireland Vol.7: Parishes of County Down II’, ed. Angelique Day and Patrick McWilliams (QUB 1991), pp. 37, 39.
5 PRONI OS map 1st rev. 1858-60, Down 16.
6 PRONI 2nd valuation Comber parish c.1863.
7 George Henry Basset ‘Co. Down Guide and Directory’ (Dublin 1886), p.282.

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

Not listed

Criteria for listing: historic interest

Not listed

Evaluation

Two storey double gabled farmhouse which probably assumed its present form in c.1840-50 but whose rear portion is of pre 1834 construction. The window frames and doors now modern and the interior layout has been radically altered.