Historic Building Details

HB Ref No:
HB18/18/001 Q

Address :
'Threshing barn' and site of horse walk at Finnebrogue estate farmyard at 31 Killyleagh Road Finnabrogue Downpatrick Co Down

Townland:
Finnabrogue

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Survey 2:
Record Only

Date of Listing:

Date of De-listing:

Current Use:
Farm Buildings

Former Use
Farm Buildings

Conservation Area:
No

Industrial Archaeology:
Yes

Vernacular:
No

Thatched:
No

Monument:
No

Derelict:
Yes

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OS Map No:
205/16

IG Ref:
J4922 4804

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Owner Category

Private

Exterior Description And Setting

Relatively large, pre 1834 two storey rubble-built gabled building, formerly a threshing barn and stables, now disused with some openings blocked up. Adjacent to the building is the site of a former horse walk. The building is part of a large farm 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 N of Downpatrick, with the former threshing barn etc. roughly to the centre of the grouping. The building is now entered from the N elevation, where to the right on the ground floor there is a large flat arch vehicle doorway with dilapidated timber sheeted double doors. The masonry above the door suggests the doorway originally had an elliptical arch head. To the left of the doorway there projects a long, low rubble-built wall, formerly belonging to a single storey shed, built in the later 1800s but now largely demolished, with only this wall remaining. A (still extant) door opening connected the threshing barn to this shed. To far left is a window filled with a crude grill. To the first floor there are three small windows with the remains of two pane frames. There is probably another window between the second and third window, but as this portion of the façade is covered in thick plant growth it is difficult to be sure of this. The E gable is blank (and partly covered in thick plant growth). The W gable has a small window to the centre of the first floor, with lattice-paned frame. To the ground floor there is the outline which shows that this level was once abutted by a single storey gabled building. To the left on the ground floor of the S elevation a large elliptical arched vehicle doorway has been blocked up in concrete block. To right of this the ground floor level is largely covered in thick plant growth and only the very tops of two openings (probably a doorway and window) can be seen. To the first floor are four small windows, as N elevation. The window to far right is largely smothered by thick plant growth. The façade of the barn is in random fieldstone rubble, with the gabled roof slated. The site formerly occupied by the horse walk is now covered in thick grass and shrubs.

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. Threshing barn and site of horse walk This barn and the former horse walk are both shown on the OS map of 1834 and recorded in the valuation of 1838. The valuation states that the horse walk (at that date at least) measured 25ft x 25 x 9, later photographic evidence showing it to have been octagonal in plan with rubble walls and a slated roof. The horse walk powered a thresher inside its larger neighbour, with the latter also containing stables. The horse walk was demolished some time after 1900. 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

Relatively large, pre 1834 two storey rubble-built gabled building, formerly a threshing barn and stables, now disused with some openings blocked up. Adjacent to the building is the grass-covered site of a former horse walk. The barn is part of the large Finnebrogue estate farm 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 HB18/18/058.

Date of Survey

10 October 2001