Historic Building Details

HB Ref No:
HB13/03/059

Address :
35 Ballynanny Road Lisdoart Ballygawley BT70 2LZ

Townland:
Ballynany

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Survey 2:
B2

Date of Listing:
06/06/2012 00:00:00

Date of De-listing:

Current Use:
House

Former Use
House

Conservation Area:
No

Industrial Archaeology:
No

Vernacular:
Yes

Thatched:
No

Monument:
No

Derelict:
No

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OS Map No:
177/15SW

IG Ref:
H6117 5502

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Owner Category

Private

Exterior Description And Setting

One and a half storey house of pre-1834 construction, whose present appearance –with cantered bays and half-dormer to front- appears to date from a major refurbishment of 1893. Setting The site is located within the rolling countryside, roughly 3km southwest of Ballygawley, some 300m to the west side of the Ballynanny Road, and surrounded by a series of small, irregular-shaped fields. The property comprises a former farmhouse and associated outbuildings along with a small farmyard and garden. The plot is roughly square in plan and slopes from west to east and slightly from south to north. The house lies along the western site boundary, with the farmyard in the southeastern corner and the garden to the northeast. Immediately behind the house and adjoining outhouses is an open drainage ditch. The house is one and a half-storeys in height and gable-ended, with single-storey canted bays to the east-facing front and a single-storey rear kitchen return. Attached to the north gable is a range of stone-built outhouses (‘Adjoining Outhouses’- see below). All are arranged in typical vernacular, linear fashion. To the east side is a range of outbuildings that are loosely grouped around a small rectangular farmyard. The buildings around the farmyard are named as follows: that to the west side- ‘Outbuilding One’; that to the north- ‘Outbuilding Two;’ that to the east side-‘Outbuilding Three’ and that to the south-‘Outbuilding Four’. To the northern boundary of the site is a small stone-build piggery. East The eastern front of the house is asymmetrical with a single-storey, hipped-roof canted bay either side of the right of centre front door. The flat-headed door opening has a painted, moulded render surround. Directly over is a gabled half-dormer. North The exposed northern gable that rises above the adjoining outhouse has a first-floor window opening to the left side but is otherwise blank. West The west (rear) façade is roughly symmetrical with an almost central, gabled, single-storey return. To the left side is a small window opening while to the right side is a wide window opening. The northern and western faces of the return are blind; a squat, flat-headed door opening is positioned to the right side of the southern face. South The south façade is symmetrical with a small window opening either side of the upper floor. The ground floor is blank. Set to the right side is a (now dilapidated) small timber greenhouse. Materials The main roof and that to the return are pitched while roofs to the canted bays are hipped. The main roof and those to the bays are covered with natural slate, and a decorative pattern is formed on the bay roofs with diamond-shaped slates. The return roof is covered with corrugated asbestos sheeting. Either side of the main roof are brick chimneystacks with corbelled caps and some plain clay pots. Sides of the roof are flanked with shallow, concrete-capped parapets. The timber verges to the dormer gable have scalloped decoration. Rainwater goods appear to be largely cast-iron with sections in uPVC. The front and gable walls are finished with pebbledash render with plain cement-rendered moulded quoins with bevelled edges, and some slightly naïve decorative details. The western gable is decorated with a series of smooth render bands (in imitation of timber framing), whilst the exposed area of the northern gable is similarly, but more plainly decorated. The rear façade is finished with smooth, ruled and lined render. Window openings are framed with smooth rendered bands with decorated ‘keystones’. Below the stone sills of the upper level windows is a decorative ‘apron’ in cement render. The window to the right rear has a Crittall-style steel frame; all others are 1/1 timber sash. The front door is c.1930s timber panelled example with an glazed oval panel. The rear door is plain and timber sheeted. Adjoining Outhouses. Attached to, and slightly set back on the north gable of the house is a row of three outhouses, which reduce from south to north following the sloping ground level. The first, on the south side has a flat-headed door to the left of centre at front, whilst to the rear (west) face there is one flat-headed window opening. The central outhouse has two flat-headed door openings, one to the far left and one to the middle, with a window opening to the right of each of these (the left-hand window much smaller than that to right); there are no openings to the rear. The third outhouse, (to the northern end), leans-to the gable of its southern neighbour. To the eastern face of this is a flat-headed door opening with a small square central window opening to the north and no openings to the west. The roof to Outhouse one and two are pitched, while number three is a lean-to. All are sheeted with corrugated iron. Walls are whitewashed rubble with a painted plinth. Doors are timber sheeted with stable-door arrangement. Window frames are a mixture of Crittall-style steel frames and fixed timber lights. Some of the openings are blocked. The central outhouse was completely filled with chopped firewood. The other houses were locked and no access given. Outbuilding One This is a gabled rubble stone outbuilding with a later block-built lean-to (containing a toilet) attached to the north end. On the eastern face is a flat-headed central door opening with timber-sheeted stable door. To each gable is a small louvered opening, but otherwise walls are blank. There is a door to the western side of the lean-to. The walls of the main building are whitewashed random rubble with a painted plinth. The roofs of both the main building and the lean-to are covered with corrugated iron. The toilet was plainly detailed with a concrete floor and rendered walls; the other room was locked and no was access given. Outbuilding Two This is a long, low, gabled-ended range. The western gable has a wide flat-headed door opening with paired doors. There is a small, square window opening to the right side of the north façade. The eastern gable is blind. To the right side of the southern face is a further wide flat-headed door opening with paired doors, much as before while to the left side there is a window opening. The roof and walls are covered with corrugated iron. These rest on plain collar trusses and a simple timber frame. The floor is covered with gravel. Window frames are timber framed. Outbuilding Three This is a tall hay shed with barrel-vaulted roof. To the left of centre of the western façade is a large door opening with sliding vehicular door. Either side of the upper level is a translucent panel while to the far right is a small window and door. The northern gable has two high level translucent panels. The southern gable and the rear east face are blank. The corrugated cladding is supported on plain radial trusses and a simple timber frame. The internal floor is covered with gravel. Outbuilding Four. This is a low concrete block built range. To the left side of the northern face a wide opening is filled with a timber sheeted door and corrugated iron panel. To the right side is a wide opening; this area is used for storage. The roof is covered with corrugated iron. There is a small rubble stone outbuilding with a lean-to corrugated iron roof and single timber sheeted door on the north boundary of the site. The farmyard is now covered with gravel.

Architects

Not Known

Historical Information

A structure matching the size and location of the present house (minus the attached outbuildings) is shown on the OS six-inch map of 1834, but not recorded in the near contemporary valuation. What appears to be a slightly longer building is shown on the revised map of 1854, which is recorded in the second valuation of 1858 as occupied by James and Henry McMaster, and valued for rating purposes at a modest 10 shillings. Henry McMaster is noted as the sole occupant in 1876. In 1893 a William Wishart is listed as resident and the rateable value is given as £2-10-0. This jump in value suggests an upgrading of the property, possibly the addition of the bays, and raising of the wall height / replacement of the roof; however, (unusually) the valuers give no other indication of any changes. In 1901 a Henry McMaster -probably a son or other relative of the previous Henry- is noted as the occupier and the freeholder, having acquired the property outright from the Moutray (Favour Royal) estate. The house is shown on the OS 25-inch map of 1907 along with a small section to the south gable (possibly the glasshouse in a longer form), the northern outbuilding and the lean-to, but not that directly abutting the north gable, nor any of the freestanding outbuildings. In 1913 the valuers make a point of writing down the dimensions of the building (29 x 18 x 15, with offices of 13 x 15 x 11 and 24 x 10 x 10), which could suggest that some change had taken place around this time, but once again, no other details are supplied. By 1936 the all of the present structures were in place, and by 1956 George McMaster is noted as the owner. By 1964 the valuers describe the property simply as ‘offices and land’, which appears to imply that the house was not occupied, at least for a time, however its internal appearance shows that it was occupied after this date. A [?Meta] Armstrong became owner in 1969, and the house remains with her relative. References- Primary sources 1 PRONI OS6/6/59/1 (1834) 2 PRONI VAL/1B/64A-B (1835) 3 PRONI OS6/6/59/2 (1854) 4 PRONI VAL2B/6/4A (1858) 5 PRONI VAL12B/3/13A-F (1860-1929) 6 OSNI OS6-59-8-1 (1907) 7 OSNI OS6-59-8-2 (1936) 8 PRONI VAL3B/7/2 (1935) 9 PRONI VAL4B/6/4 (1956-72)

Criteria for Listing

Architectural Interest

A. Style B. Proportion C. Ornamentation D. Plan Form F. Structural System I. Quality and survival of Interior J. Setting

Historic Interest

R. Age S. Authenticity X. Local Interest

Evaluation

This house is a good, little changed, example of a 19th century rural dwelling, which was substantially modernised in the late 19th century. The later detailing, which has intrinsic interest, including pebble dash render and canted bays has been retained. It is enhanced by the interesting collection of vernacular outbuildings both attached in a linear layout and forming an informal yard, and by the unspoiled rural setting.

General Comments

Listing Criteria: R- Age and S- Authenticity apply to this house and outbuildings.

Date of Survey

07 February 2012