Historic Building Details

HB Ref No:
HB07/11/012

Address :
Marlagh Lodge 71-73 Moorefields Road Ballymarlagh Ballymena Co Antrim BT42 3BU

Townland:
Ballymarlagh

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Survey 2:
B1

Date of Listing:
20/06/1980 00:00:00

Date of De-listing:

Current Use:
House

Former Use
House

Conservation Area:
No

Industrial Archaeology:
No

Vernacular:
No

Thatched:
No

Monument:
No

Derelict:
No

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OS Map No:
68/9

IG Ref:
D1386 0131

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Owner Category

Private

Exterior Description And Setting

Small gentleman’s country house of c.1850 in a slightly eclectic early(ish) Victorian mixture of picturesque and late Georgian elements, with gabled bays, render, roof overhang and finials, neo-classical window surrounds and half dormers. To front is a square porch with a lean-to roof which was probably originally flat, and to the rear is a long single storey return which may originally have contained rooms for a servant, but which was a separate dwelling for much of the 1900s. To the rear is a relatively large yard with contemporary two and single storey outbuildings. The property is set on the S side of Moorefields Road, (relatively close to the road itself), roughly 3 miles SE of Ballymena. [The house actually faces NW but for the purposes of this description will be taken as facing W.] The front elevation is symmetrical. To the centre of the ground floor is a square lean-to porch, which, as stated above, probably began as flat roofed. To the N face of the porch is a panelled timber door with three-pane rectangular fanlight. The door is encased with plain pilasters with decorative scroll brackets supporting a plain blocking course. The line of the roof has cut off the top right corner of the blocking course. To the W face of the porch is a large sash window with typical early Victorian ‘broad’ margin panes. The window has plain surrounds to sides, but the roof has cut off the top of the surround (it was undoubtedly similar to the surrounds to the windows to left and right of porch). To the S face of the porch is a window as before with surround as doorway (again, with part of blocking course cut off by roof). There are plain pilasters to the corners of the porch. The lean-to roof of the porch is slated and has a slight overhang with plain barges and eaves. The porch spans between two large identical shallow, full height gabled bays. Each bay has a window, as porch, to the centre of the ground floor, with simple surround with plain ‘pilasters’ entablature and cornice. To the first floor of each bay is a slightly smaller Georgian-paned window (6/6) each encased with pilasters with simple scroll brackets supporting a tympanum. To the gable apex of each bay is a very small loft window with semicircular head, plain [?]sash frame and label moulding. Each gable has a roof overhang with exposed rafter ends and finials and to each edge of each gable are plain pilasters, as porch. Between the bays, directly above the porch, is a slightly recessed bay with a relatively large double sash window with Georgian panes (6/6 x 2). The window is encased with plain pilasters. The whole of the front elevation (minus pilasters) is finished in painted lined render. The N elevation has a complex appearance. To left is a long single storey return which probably once contained quarters for a servant(s) as well perhaps as utility rooms, but which later became a dwelling. To right is the main two storey section of the house. The single storey return is itself in two sections. To far left is a small slightly lower portion with a hipped roof, whilst to centre and right is a marginally taller gabled portion, with both portions connected by a short flat roofed link. The N face of the hipped roof portion has a Georgian-paned sash window (6/6) with plain surround; the gabled portion has two plain sash windows and a central c.1950s partly glazed door, all with plain surrounds as before. The whole N face of this single storey return is finished in unpainted lined cement render. The main two storey section to the right hand (W) side of the N elevation is itself in two portions, that to left slightly lower and set back. The lower portion has a double sash window to the ground floor with Georgian panes, (6/6 x 2), and plain surround. To the first floor is a window as first floor of bays to front, but partly set within an unusual tall gabled half-dormer. This half-dormer has a roof overhang with plain barges. To the ground floor of the taller portion to right there is a small canted bay in timber with rendered aprons and felted hipped roof. To the broad (N) side of the bay is a sash window as porch with much narrower sash windows to the outer sides (horizontal glazing bars- 3/3). To the first floor is a window / half-dormer as first floor lower portion. The two storey section of the N elevation is finished as front. The S elevation of the main two storey section is as the far right hand portion of the of the N elevation except that to right (E) it merges with the S face of a rear single storey lean-to (with a rendered wall abutting the elevation just to left of the side of the lean-to). The S face of the lean-to has two small Georgian-paned sash windows (both 6/6). This whole section of the S elevation is finished in plain painted render. The S elevation of the single storey return has three sash windows, that to left with Georgian panes (6/6), those to right plain. The window to far right (which sits within the flat roofed linking portion- see above) is smaller than the other two. To far left there is a gabled half-dormer with plain sash window. To the exposed E facing gable of the return (which overlooks the linking portion) there is a small window with modern frame. To far right (E) of the single storey return the hipped portion projects to the S. The S face of this portion is blank, whilst the E face has a plain sash window, then a timber sheeted door, then another plain sash window, then another door. These faces (and the blank W face) of the hipped roof portion are finished in rough harling (which has been painted at some stage). The S elevation of the main (gabled) portion of the return (and the linking portion) are finished in plain render (also painted some time ago). The rear (E) elevation of the main two storey portion of the house has a complex appearance. To far left on the ground floor is a small-ish single storey lean-to (see above). The E face of this is blank. This leans-to a full height gable whose first floor level is blank. To the right the lean-to is attached to a larger lean-to whose ground floor level projects further to E and is in fact a lean-to in its own right. The E face of the ground floor portion of this lean-to has a timber sheeted door and small, Georgian-paned sash window (6/6). The S face of the lean-to is another similar sash window. The ‘set-back’ first floor / half-landing level portion of the lean-to, merges, to right, with a small gabled bay. To this level the lean-to has a sash window, as previous only larger, whilst the bay has a semicircular headed sash window with Georgian panes (8/6). To right of this whole lean-to ensemble there projects a full height gabled bay which merges with the single storey return. The rear elevation of the two storey portion is finished in a mixture of plain and lined render (all painted). The roof of the whole property is slated and has a slight overhang to the main two storey section with exposed rafter ends in many places. There is a cast iron skylight to the S side of the return roof. The main two storey section has five relatively small rendered chimneystacks with bases, string courses and (largely) matching octagonal pots. There is a cruder rendered stack to the return. Cast iron rw goods. To the immediate rear of the property is a yard surrounded by a rubble wall. To the S side of the yard there is a single whitewashed hipped roof row of sheds, with three timber sheeted doors and three windows (of various size and with various frames). Outside of the yard to the E there is a large two storey hipped outbuilding, basalt rubble constructed with brick dressed openings and slated roof. To the rear of the outbuilding is a long single storey (mid 20th century) lean-to in brick with a corrugated-asbestos roof. A tall rubble wall extends from the N and S ends of the outbuilding. To the N wall there is a vehicle gateway with square basalt pillars with stone pyramidal caps.There are timber gates. The S wall incorporates a tall bellcote structure whose uppermost portion is in brick (and may not be original. To the W of the bellcote is another gateway with pillars as before only lower and there is also a timber gate. To the E of the large outbuilding is a large walled garden (now simply a field) with remains of relatively low walls, partly patched in breeze block. To the front (W) of the house there is a garden (with short drive) bordered by low rubble wall with mid 20th century looking vehicle gateway to far W.

Architects

Not Known

Historical Information

This house is first shown on the OS map of 1857. The valuation of c.1859 tells us that it was occupied by Henry Hutchinson Hamilton O’Hara at that point and ‘all new and in superior order’. It is highly likely that O’Hara, (one of the gentry family of O’Hara of Crebilly), built the property, probably around 1850 or slightly later. Henry died in December 1875 (apparently in London and apparently in poverty) and Marlagh Lodge passed to his only sister, Mary, the wife of General Robert Wardlaw. The Wardlaws appear to have leased the property firstly to a Robert Craig then (by 1884) a Robert Esler, the valuation of 1890-1904 snobbishly commenting that the house though ‘built for a gentleman’s residence [is] now occupied by a farmer’. In c.1901 Esler acquired the freehold of the property and leased it to a John Dinsmore and then (from 1908) to a Dr Alexander Duncan. By this stage, (the valuations indicate the 1890s), the single storey return, -which was probably originally contained quarters for a servant / servants and service rooms- had become a separate dwelling rented out by the owner of the main house. In 1920 the house and the rear dwelling were sold to a Thomas McAllister, passing to a John McFetridge in 1926. They remained in the possession of McFetridge’s relations until acquired by the present owner in the 1990s. References- Primary sources 1 PRONI VAL/1B/11 First valuation, Parish of Ballyclug, c.1836 2 PRONI OS/6/1/38/2 OS map, Co Antrim sh 38, 1857 3 PRONI VAL/2B/1/1 Second valuation, Parish of Ballyclug, c.1859 4 PRONI VAL/12B/3/2a Annual valuation revision book, Parish of Ballyclug, 1864-79 5 PRONI VAL/12B/3/2b Annual valuation revision book, Parish of Ballyclug, 1880-89 6 PRONI VAL/12B/3/2c Annual valuation revision book, Parish of Ballyclug, 1890-1904 7 PRONI OS/6/1/38/3 OS map, Co Antrim, sh 38, c.1903 8 PRONI VAL/12B/3/2d Annual valuation revision book, Parish of Ballyclug, 1905-14 9 PRONI VAL/12B/3/2e Annual valuation revision book, Electoral division of Ballyclug, 1915-29

Criteria for Listing

Architectural Interest

A. Style B. Proportion C. Ornamentation D. Plan Form H-. Alterations detracting from building J. Setting

Historic Interest

X. Local Interest

Evaluation

Small gentleman’s country house of c.1850 in a slightly eclectic early(ish) Victorian mixture of Picturesque and late Georgian elements, with gabled bays, render, roof overhang and finials, neo-classical window surrounds and half dormers. To front is a square porch with a lean-to roof which was probably originally flat, and to the rear is a long single storey return which may originally have contained rooms for a servant, but which was a separate dwelling for much of the 1900s.

General Comments

Date of Survey

16 October 2001