5 Reagh Island

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

Description at 22.06.2009
Small, single-storey, detached house of c.1850s, with hipped roof and relatively plain and simple rubble facade, delightfully sited on the eastern shoreline of Reagh Island on the western side of Strangford Lough, roughly 4.5km north of Killinchy (7.5km south-east of Comber.)

The house is rectangular; it presents a blank gable to the road. It faces the narrow causeway that links Reagh Island to Cross Island. To the north side, and sharing the same small garden, there is a former outbuilding that was recently converted as a dwelling; the gravelled area between is used as a communal car park. To the north-west corner of the site there is a small corrugated-iron garage and a pre-fabricated summerhouse.

The north front is almost symmetrical. To the centre there is a flat-arched door opening with a timber-sheeted part glazed door, above is a shallow plain fanlight; this is employed as the main entrance. To the left there is a flat-arched window opening with 4/4 timber sash frame; the opening is roughly dressed with red clay facing brick.

The west façade has a lean-to boiler house to the left and a uPVC oil tank to the right side but is otherwise blank.

The south façade is symmetrical with a central flat-arched door opening with a bracketed slated canopy; the door is as before. To either side there is a paired window arrangement, each resting on a common stone sill. Openings have brick dressings. Frames are as before.

The east façade is blank.

The roof is hipped with natural slate covering and grey fireclay ridge tiles; rainwater goods are uPVC. To the centre of the ridge there are two rendered chimneystacks with two corbelled brick courses. Decorative pots are matching. Walls are constructed in random rubble field stone with a sawtooth brick eaves course.

Description at 27.11.2009
The description is as above except: A small uPVC porch has been added at the door on the South elevation. It has natural slate double pitched roof with a fully glazed uPVC double, the sides have differing uPVC windows; uPVC eaves boards have been added to all sides; Chimney stacks have been rendered; and the rear door have been changed to a half glazed typr with a cat flap.

Historical information

A building is shown on this site on the OS map of 1859 whose plan appears somewhat more square than the present house. Unfortunately the near contemporary (c.1861) valuation does not supply dimensions for the property, however as the later valuations do not record demolition or any major structural changes, and seeing as later (20th century) also show the property as 'square', we must assume that the present house is indeed that shown on the map, and that the discrepancy in the plan is merely due to the small scale of the maps themselves.

The occupant in c.1861 is recorded as a Samuel Robinson, with Samuel Murland the immediate lessor and the 'house and garden' rated at a fairly modest 10/-. In 1883 a Stewart Blakeney is listed as the immediate lessor, and in 1903 as the occupier. He was followed (as resident) by Samuel McKee in 1907 and by Samuel Russell in 1909, who is also noted as the freeholder ('in fee'). In 1911 the house had passed to Samuel Drain, then to John Gordon in 1915. In 1923 it is noted as vacant and appears to have remained so until the early 1930s. A Rev. Canon Manning is listed as the owner in 1936, Richard Chamberlain in 1937, Hugh Chambers in 1945 and Samuel McKee in 1946. In 1956 Emily E. Johnston is listed as leasing the property from Sarah McKee, with an Arthur Hanna noted as the next occupant in 1965 and remaining there until at least 1972.

Externally the house would appear consistent with a building of the 1850s. Its location, beside the ford leading to Cross Island, could indicate that it may have served a particular role, perhaps a gamekeeper's lodge, there appears to be no evidence to support this. The internal detailing suggests the building underwent major renovation in the very late 1800s or early 1900s- perhaps even as late as c.1920. The preponderance of tongue and groove timber sheeting has a nautical feel, which, combined with the building's island setting, would almost lead one to believe that a local boat fitter was responsible for the work.

The outbuilding to the north (now converted to a separate dwelling) is not shown on the 1859 map and appears to be of late 19th century date. It was converted to a dwelling in the late 1900s.

References- Primary sources
1 PRONI VAL2A/3/17A OS map, County Down sheet 17, with valuation
references, 1859(-c.1861)
2 PRONI VAL2B/3/23 Second valuation, Tullynakill parish, c.1861
3 PRONI VAL12B/23/28A Annual valuation revision book, Tullynakill ED, 1866-79
4 PRONI VAL12B/23/28B Annual valuation revision book, Tullynakill ED, 1880-82
5 PRONI VAL12B/23/28C Annual valuation revision book, Tullynakill ED, 1883-1903
6 PRONI OS6/3/17/3 OS map, County Down sheet 17, 1903
7 PRONI VAL12B/23/28D Annual valuation revision book, Tullynakill ED, 1903-12
8 PRONI VAL12B/23/28E Annual valuation revision book, Tullynakill ED, 1912-29
9 NIEA OS map, County Down sheet 17, 1933
10 PRONI VAL3B/4/17 First General Revaluation of Northern Ireland, Kilmood ED, 1935
11 PRONI VAL3C/4/36 First General Revaluation of Northern Ireland, Kilmood ED, 1936-56
12 PRONI VAL4B/3/74 Second General Revaluation of Northern Ireland, Kilmood ED, 1956-72

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

Not listed

Criteria for listing: historic interest

Not listed

Evaluation

This house is a good example of a formally designed cottage of the mid 19th century, with an interesting Edwardian era interior whose tongue and groove walls and ceilings have something of a nautical flavour. The delightful setting, on the shoreline of an island within Strangford Lough, is also untouched by modern development. Unfortunately the addition of a uPVC porch and some other alterations have detracted from its architectural interest.