Historic Building Details

HB Ref No:
HB18/18/001 K

Address :
Small house at Finnebrogue estate farmyard 31a Killyleagh Road Finnabrogue Downpatrick Co Down BT30 9

Townland:
Finnabrogue

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Survey 2:
Record Only

Date of Listing:

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:
224/4

IG Ref:
J4915 4799

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Owner Category

Private

Exterior Description And Setting

Very small rubble-built single storey gabled dwelling house of probable pre 1834 construction, incorporating a converted rubble-built lean-to, with a recently added conservatory section. The dwelling is part of a complex built in various stages from (perhaps) c.1790s, to the mid 1900s. The farmyard is located on the SE side of Killyleagh Road, roughly two miles north of Downpatrick, with the dwelling itself to the south-west side of the grouping, next to the main gateway. The property is entered on the NE gable. To the centre of the gable is the main doorway with a recent timber-sheeted door with kite-shaped glazed panel. The doorway is brick dressed and is flanked by high level brick dressed narrow windows with lattice frames. Above this doorway and window grouping is a linked brick label moulding. To the left the gable merges with the NE face of the lean-to. This lean-to appears to have originally been a shed and to the NE face the stonework shows evidence of the one-time presence of a doorway; in place of the doorway there is now a very small window with brick dressed sides and lattice frames. The longer SE elevation consists exclusively of the lean-to. The right half of the lean-to is the original section- it has no openings. The left half is a recently constructed conservatory, with rubble constructed base. The NW elevation merges with the boundary wall facing onto the Killyleagh Road. There are no openings to this side. The SE gable has a central brick dressed window with what appears to be a recent frame (this was difficult to see clearly). The façade (outside of the conservatory) is in random fieldstone rubble. The main gabled roof and the roof non-conservatory section of the lean-to are slated. Velux window to SW side of main roof. Stone parapets and central brick chimneystack. PVC rw goods.

Architects

Not Known

Historical Information

The Finnebrogue estate farmyard The early development of the Finnebrogue estate farm is unclear. The earliest extant plan of the complex is that supplied on the OS map of 1834, which shows much of the long range of buildings straddling the boundary wall to the north-west side, the large stable to the south-east of this, the house east again, the smaller house to the south end of the yard, and the large threshing barn, (with horse walk next to it), to the east of the long range. It is difficult to ascertain when these buildings appeared. The 1838 valuation grades some buildings ‘A’ (possibly built in the previous 25-30 years) and ‘B’ (possibly over thirty years old), implying that the complex witnessed various periods of development. Industrial archaeologist Dr Fred Hammond has suggested that much of the construction work may have taken place shortly after the refurbishing of Finnebrogue House itself, i.e. c.1795-1800, and that the creation of a ‘model’ farmyard may have been intended. Map evidence shows that between 1834 and 1858 the long north-west range was extended northwards, with the large cow shed, corn store (with drying kiln), steam engine house and chimney grouping- a collection of structures all geared towards the feeding of cattle- built to the north-east, with the single storey range to the south, (opposite the large stable), also added to the site. Plans within the Perceval-Maxwell Papers at PRONI (see refs below) show that the large ‘cattle-feeding’ grouping to the north-east was built around 1854. Between 1859 and 1900 the single storey stable block to the far east side of the complex appeared along with the single storey shed to the immediate east of the threshing barn, the brick gate house was built to the north side of the south gateway and a building (now demolished) was added to the very north-east corner of the yard. Unfortunately the valuation revision books give little indication of exact dates of construction or the original functions of each building. In the early 20th century a long single storey side was added to the north side of the old threshing barn, circular grain silos erected to the north end of the yard (but now demolished), and two metal-framed Dutch barns built just to the north of the large stables (also demolished). In the course of the 1900s many of the buildings became adapted to new farm uses. Much of the long north-west range was demolished at some point and partly replaced with a corrugated-metal roofed lean-to structure. In the latter decades of the century the complex appears to have fallen into disuse. It was sold to the present owner in c.1990-91. Since then the large house to the south-east has been refurbished, along with the smaller dwelling to the south-west. Some of the farm buildings are currently used as stores. The small house This building is shown on the OS map of 1834 and recorded in the valuation of 1838 as a house. The lean-to does not appear to have been present at this stage, but its construction suggests it may have been added not long after this (and incorporated into the dwelling some time ago). The conservatory appears to have been added relatively recently, certainly post 1976 and probably after 1991 References- Primary sources 1 PRONI T.1023, D.1556, D.2480, D.3244, D.3817, D.4218 Perceval-Maxwell Papers, 1606-1969 [Of particular interest are D.1556/11/21, a mid 19th century plan of the farmyard, and D.1556/11/5 & 16, plans of the ‘cattle-feeding’ complex dating from 1854.] 2 Walter Harris, ‘The ancient and present state of the County of Down’ (Dublin, 1744), p.39 3 ‘Taylor’s and Skinner’s maps of the roads of Ireland’ (Dublin, 1777), map 282 4 PRONI OS/6/3/31/1 6in OS map, Co Down, sh 31, 1834 5 PRONI VAL.1B/372 First valuation, Inch parish, 1838 6 ‘Ordnance Survey Memoirs of Ireland’ vol.17, ed Angelique Day and Patrick McWilliams (QUB, 1992), pp.74-75 7 PRONI OS/6/3/31/2 6in OS map, Co Down, sh 31, 1858 8 PRONI VAL.2B/3/74 Second valuation notebook, Inch Parish, 1861 9 PRONI VAL.12B/18/13a-d Annual valuation revision books, 1864-79, 1880-97, 1898-1911, 1912-29 10 PRONI OS/6/3/31/3 6in OS map, Co Down, sh 31, c.1901 Secondary sources 1 ‘Archaeological survey of Co. Down (Belfast, HMSO, 1966), pp.362-63 etc. 2 Fred Hammond, ‘Farmyard, Finnebrogue estate, Downpatrick, Co Down’ [Survey report for EHS, September 1991] 3 Anthony Malcomson, The Perceval-Maxwell Papers- Introduction (1998) [Available at PRONI]

Criteria for Listing

Architectural Interest

Not listed

Historic Interest

Not listed

Evaluation

Very small rubble-built single storey gabled dwelling house of probable pre 1834 construction, incorporating a converted rubble-built lean-to, with a recently added conservatory section. The dwelling is part of a complex built in various stages from (perhaps) c.1790s, to the mid 1900s. It is of little architectural interest.

General Comments

In the first survey this record was numbered HB18/18/060.

Date of Survey

10 October 2001