60 Kilcarn Road

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

Much extended two storey house, possibly of mid 19th century origin, set to the W of the Kilcarn Road c.1.5 miles W of the village of Killinchy.

Front SE facade is symmetrical. In the centre there is a timber panelled door with elliptical arch radial fanlight and three pane sidelights with panelled aprons. Around the doorway are moulded ‘voussoirs’. To the left and right of the entrance is a single window with simple surround but now with PVC frame. To the first floor are three similar, but smaller windows.

The SW gable has a window, as front, to the ground and first floors. The NE gable is blank. Both gables merge into very large rear extensions which are entirely modern, though there appears to have been an older two storey gabled return which the new extensions have built around.

The facade is covered in lined cement render with chamfered quoins and plinth to the original house. Eaves course to front. The roof of the original section has concrete tiles and an overhang with plain barges. Two gable yellow brick chimney stacks, with one to rear (on gable of original rear return). PVC rw goods.

Extensive but mainly badly dilapidated outbuildings to rear of house.

Historical information

The 1834 OS map shows a much longer building on this site, but the revised map of 1859-60 shows a building with a similar plan to the present (minus the modern extensions). It is possible therefore that this house dates from c.1835-59, (a date closer to 1859 appearing the more likely), though it is always difficult to date rural houses with a seemingly ‘Georgian’ symmetry and appearance as this style was popular in the Irish countryside well into late Victorian times. If the property was indeed built in the mid 1800s, the present render (and perhaps the chimneys) suggest it may have been renovated c.1880- 1900.

The owner stated that he had been lead to believe that the property was once the steward’s house for the relatively near by Florida Manor estate, but this seems highly unlikely as there exists a ruin of an early 19th century steward’s house within the immediate grounds of Florida Manor itself. Moreover, the 1861 valuation returns reveal that the building was at this stage the property of John Lowry of the even nearer Close Park (to the S), a member of a family who appear to have held much of the land with Ballymacashen during the 18th and 19th centuries.

References- Primary sources
1 PRONI D.2005/1/1-47 Lowry Family Papers- Title deeds to lands in Ballymacashen 1741-1930.
2 PRONI OS maps 1st ed. 1834, Co. Down 16.
3 PRONI VAL 1B/335 p.61 (131) 1st valuation, Killinchy parish, Ballymacashen td., c.1835. [At this stage the buildings on this site were in possession of a William Hewitt, with the ‘house’ and ‘offices’ having a rateable value of £5-5-4.]
4 PRONI OS maps 1st rev. 1859-60, Co. Down 16.
5 PRONI 2nd valuation, Killinchy parish, Ballymacashen td., 1861.

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

Not listed

Criteria for listing: historic interest

Not listed

Evaluation

Large two storey former farm house of possible mid 19th century (?c.1860s) origin, now with large unsympathetic extensions to the rear and PVC window frames throughout.