Historic Building Details

HB Ref No:
HB03/06/011 B

Address :
10 Rectory Road Coleraine Co. Londonderry BT52 2LR

Townland:
Glebe

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Survey 2:
B1

Date of Listing:
22/06/1977 00:00:00

Date of De-listing:

Current Use:
House

Former Use
Rectories/ Manses etc

Conservation Area:
No

Industrial Archaeology:
No

Vernacular:
No

Thatched:
No

Monument:
No

Derelict:
No

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OS Map No:
13-11

IG Ref:
C8939 3371

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Owner Category

Private

Exterior Description And Setting

A three-bay, two-storey-over-partial-basement detached former Rectory with attic and outbuildings, built c.1830 to designs by James Sands and situated on a large site opposite St John’s Parish Church (HB03/06/011A) to the north side of Rectory Road east of Coleraine. T-shaped plan with two-storey entrance porch to re-entrant angle; stairwell projection, two-storey return and single-storey linking block to rear. Pitched and hipped natural slate roof with blue/black angled tiles to hips and ridges; raised masonry verges with kneeler stones to gables. Pebbledashed chimneystacks with moulded caps. Aluminum half-round rainwater goods on metal brackets. Walling is pebbledash on a rendered plinth with rendered quoins; painted smooth render to north elevation and east gable. Windows are timber sash with horns in cement rendered reveals with concrete sills, 3/6 to first floor and 6/6 to ground floor; replacement timber casement windows to rear. The principal elevation faces south; L-shaped block comprises projecting gable at left with a window at each floor; right bay has two windows at each floor; to re-entrant angle, and flush with gable, is a full-height entrance bay with hipped roof. Entrance bay has a window to each floor at south; opens to east with a raised-and-fielded six panel timber door having bronze door furniture and surmounted by transom light with glazing bars. Door is flanked by panelled pilasters with corniced canopy on scrolled and carved console brackets; accessed via three modern tiled steps. The west elevation has four windows 3/3 to attic and basement and three windows at ground floor; windows at left are more widely spaced. The north (rear) elevation comprises L-shaped block with stairwell projection at centre abutted at ground floor by linking block and at left by the two-storey hipped roof return. Projecting bay at right has a window at first and ground floor. Long rectangular timber window to stairwell projection and two windows to linking block under, with access to basement through square-headed arch and timber-sheeted door. The return has a window to ground and first floor to north; east elevation has a timber casement window in a red-brick stepped surround at first floor, over raised-and-fielded sis panel timber door accessed by three concrete steps. The east gable is blank. Setting: Situated in rural surroundings on a large mature site to the north side of Rectory Road, looking towards St John’s Parish Church (HB03/06/011A). Accessed from Rectory Road to south by a sweeping tarmacadamed avenue with replacement pebbledash entrance walls and tall round gate piers topped by ball finials to entrance. Gravelled to front of house with modern paving. Informal yard at east is enclosed to south by a pebbledash wall with two glazed occuli at south face. Wall is abutted by a single-storey rubblestone outbuilding with slate lean-to roof and raised masonry verges, opening to yard with replacement timber-sheeted doors framed in red-brick. To the north side of the yard is a relatively intact two-storey outbuilding with natural slate roof; original timber-sheeted louvered openings and loading door at first floor over three rectangular metal lattice windows with slate sills and a timber-sheeted door. Yard is enclosed to east by a double-height cement render church hall, abutted at north gable by a single-storey extension. Variety of original wrought-iron gates to yard and at entrance to basement of main house, supported on pointed concrete piers. Modern corrugated tin agricultural shed to north side of yard. Cast iron cow tail water pump to SW of house. Roof: Natural slate Walling: Pebbledash Windows: Timber sash with horns RWG: Aluminium

Architects

Sands, James

Historical Information

The former St John’s Rectory, now a private house, is situated in the glebe townland to the north of St John’s Church, parish of Ballyrashane. Building work on St John’s Rectory began in 1827 to designs by James Sands, who later furnished designs for Hillsborough Castle to the 3rd Marquess of Downshire. The house was completed in 1828. (www.dia.ie; Lewis) The ‘Glebe Ho[use] is shown, captioned, on the first edition OS map of 1830 and is rectangular on plan with a small return. By the third edition of 1904 the house had been extended and had acquired a number of outbuildings, forming a stable courtyard to the rear. A stable to the east was converted for use as a church hall in the 1920s. (Parish of Ballyrashane and Kildollagh) OS Memoirs describe the Glebe House as the residence of the Rev Thomas Cupples and give it a mixed review as ‘a good house but the approach to it from the public road is not good, being between two office houses [shown on the first edition OS map], neither is the ground around the house ornamented with planting’. Work on the house began in July 1827, three months after the church was consecrated. The cost was 565.7s.8½d which was composed of a grant from the Board of First Fruits (£415.7s.8½d), a loan from the Board (£120) and a loan from the vicar (£30). James Sands is identified in the Memoirs as the architect. (OS Memoirs) The Townland Valuation fieldbook for this parish is unfortunately missing. Griffith’s Valuation (1856-64) records the occupier as Rev William P Oulton. The house and outbuildings are valued at £18 and are situated in a plot of over 32 acres. Occupancy of the house then changes with incumbency of the parish and in 1875 a gatehouse was added to the valuation, causing an increase in the valuation to £19. The First General Revaluation of the 1930s gives the accommodation as, on the ground floor, two receptions, a study, kitchen and pantry and on the first floor, four bedrooms, a WC and bathroom. The basement was used as stores and had a servants’ hall. Water was fed by a force pump to a tank on the roof and the house was lit by oil lamps, having no electricity or gas. Among the facilities outdoors was a hard tennis court. The associated plan of the 1930s shows the house and outbuildings much as they remain today. (Valuation records) The house was listed in 1977 and remained in church use until 1987 when it was sold, a condition of the sale being that it could no longer be referred to as a rectory. Some alterations and improvements took place in the late 1980s. (Owner information; HB file) References: Primary Sources 1. PRONI OS/6/5/8/1 First Edition OS Map 1830 2. PRONI OS/6/5/8/2 Second Edition OS map 1849-53 3. PRONI OS/6/5/8/3 Third Edition OS Map 1904 4. PRONI OS/6/5/8/4 Fourth Edition OS Map 1922-3 5. PRONI OS/6/5/8/5 Fifth Edition OS Map 1950 6. PRONI VAL/12/B/30/14A-F Annual Revisions (1864-1929) 7. PRONI VAL/3/C/6/2 First General Revaluation 1933-57 8. PRONI VAL/3/D/6/3/P/3 First General Revaluation 1933-57 9. Griffith’s Valuation online 10. HB file – 03/06/011 Secondary Sources 1. Day, A., P. McWilliams, English L., eds. “OS Memoirs of Ireland, Parishes of County Londonderry VI, 1831, 1833, 1835-6, Vol. 22.” Belfast: Institute of Irish Studies, 1993. 2. Girvan, W D “Historic Buildings, Groups of Buildings, Areas of Architectural Importance in Coleraine and Portstewart” Ulster Architectural Heritage Society, 1971-2 3. Lewis, Samuel. “A Topographical Dictionary of Ireland” London: S. Lewis & Co., 1837. 4. “The Parish of Ballyrashane and Kildollagh” Belfast: Newtown Publishing, c1930 5. Rowan, A “The Buildings of Ireland: North West Ulster” Penguin, 1979 6. www.dia.ie

Criteria for Listing

Architectural Interest

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

Historic Interest

R. Age S. Authenticity T. Historic Importance X. Local Interest Y. Social, Cultural or Economic Importance

Evaluation

A three-bay, two-storey-over-partial-basement detached former Rectory with attic and outbuildings, built c.1830 to designs of James Sands and situated on a large site opposite St John’s Parish Church (HB03/06/011A) to the north side of Rectory Road east of Coleraine. Retaining much of its original detailing, with some alterations and refurbishments, this is a fine example of an early-nineteenth century rural Rectory. Set into picturesque rural surroundings, opposite the associated church (HB03/06/011A) with which it has group value, an informal rear yard with rubblestone outbuildings, original wrought-iron metal work gates and cast iron water pump add to the interest. It is of social interest to the local community.

General Comments

Previously recorded as HB03/06/012 Listing Criteria R - Age; S - Authenticity and T - Historic Importance also apply.

Date of Survey

19 October 2012