Historic Building Details

HB Ref No:
HB01/02/030

Address :
Glenalla House 102 Cumber Road Claudy Co. Londonderry BT47 4JB

Townland:
Lower Alla

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Survey 2:
B1

Date of Listing:
26/02/1979 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:
61-4ne

IG Ref:
C5405 0514

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Owner Category

Exterior Description And Setting

Detached symmetrical three-bay two-storey over basement rendered former rectory, built c.1760, with substantial rear return to SW side and hipped roofed extension to NE. Now L-shaped on plan facing SE on an elevated mature site on the W side of Ling Road. Three outbuildings enclose a rear yard with two avenues leading N passing the front and rear of thehouse, leading to a single-storey bow-fronted gate lodge and continuing as a long winding avenue opening onto Cumber Road. Three distinct roof sections comprising; pitched natural slate roof to the front pile (the main block) with roll-moulded black clay ridge tiles and rendered chimneystacks with octagonal clay pots rising from either gable end. Pitched artificial slate roof to the SW return with further pair of rendered chimneystacks to either end, and two traditional ci rooflights on each pitch. Hipped artificial slate roof to the NE extension with rolled lead ridges and a single rendered chimneystack to the SW pitch. Replacement moulded steel guttering to stone eaves course and cast-iron downpipes with some cast-iron hoppers. Painted rough-cast rendered walling throughout. Elliptical and square-headed window openings with sandstone ashlar sills. SE front elevation - Symmetrical three-bay east front elevation with central door opening and tripartite Wyatt windows to all three levels set within shallow elliptical-headed recesses; timber sliding sashes with no horns complete to gd and first floor. 6/3 to first floor, 6/6 to ground floor and 3/3 to the basement (some replacements at this level). Three-centred arched door opening with tripartite timber doorcase comprising; double-leaf timber panelled door with plain timber surround flanked by three-pane sidelights and original interlacing Gothic tracery fanlight. Door opens onto seven stone steps with two short platforms enclosed by replacement iron rails, swept to the final steps. SW side elevation comprises a two-storey over basement gable to the right and extended three-bay two-storey with attic return to the left. Modern lean-to extension to the left two bays. The gable has a single off-centre window at each level, 9/6 to the first floor and 6/6 to the ground floor with narrow basement well. Three small three-pane pivoting casement windows to the attic level of the return, with two tripartite Wyatt windows to the first floor (as front elevation), 6/3 with a paired sliding sash window in the centre, 4/2, all three in elliptical headed recesses. Modern window in ground floor opening to third bay (modern lean-to obscures remainder of ground floor to return). NW rear elevation comprises a blank gabled elevation to the right (the gable end of the return) abutted by single-storey lean-to extension having natural slate roof and modern 3/3 timber sash windows. To the left, and stepping back, the rear wall of the hipped roof extension. Three timber sliding sash windows, including tall round headed 6/6 window with Gothic tracery to stair. The extension and return abut each other thus completing obscuring the rear of the front block. NE side elevation comprises the two-storey over basement gable of the main block to the left, with an off-centre 6/6 timber sliding sash window to gd and first floor, and three-bay two-storey over basement gable elevation to the right (ie the side wall of the hipped roof extension). Both gables align with each other. Symmetrical 'dolls house' fenestration to the extension, with modern timber door opening onto a concrete platform bridging the basement well. Three pane rectangular fanlight. One 6/6 sliding sash window either side of door. Three 6/6 sliding sash windows to first floor. Basement lit with smaller 6/6 sliding sash. Visible on the NE side, the rear wall of the SW return. Fenestration matches the SW front. To attic, one three-pane casement, to first floor, two sliding sashes, one 6/4 to LHS (adjacent to abutment with rear of extension) and one 3/3. To ground floor, one 6/4 to LHS, and centred on this portion of wall, a tripartite window in elliptical-headed recess. Setting: Set on a mature elevated site to the west of Ling Road and to the south of Cumber Road accessed via long winding bitmac avenue with a single-storey rendered gate lodge flanked by two piered entrances. The gate lodge (now derelict) has a semi-conical roof to its north bowed elevation. Parking area to the front of the house with the avenue continuing past the SE elevation and opening into a concrete paved rear yard. Yard enclosed to the south by two-storey lime-rendered outbuilding having pitched natural slate roof, concrete loading steps to the west gable and lean-to timber-frame greenhouse to the east gable. The west of the yard is enclosed by a substantial two-storey pebbledash rendered outbuilding having pitched natural slate roof, cast-iron rainwater goods, square-headed door and window openings with timber sheeted doors, multi-pane timber windows, sandstone sills and two camber-headed carriage arch openings to the centre. The north of the yard is enclosed by a lofted rubblestone outbuilding with corrugated iron roof, replacement red brick window and door surrounds and replacement timber sheeted doors. The east gable is rough-cast lime rendered with flight of external stone steps with a ramped mound to the north elevation. The rear avenue passes this gable with a rubblestone wall to the east screening the north garden. Materials Roof Natural / artificial slate RWG Replacement steel guttering / cast-iron downpipes Walling Painted lime roughcast, part cement render to outbuildings Windows Timber sliding sash (most original) and casement

Architects

Historical Information

Glenalla was built as the residence of the Church of Ireland prebendary of Cumber and was used as such up until the end of the Second World War. A parliamentary return of 1768 noted that Dr Ledwich, the prebendary of Cumber, had recently built a house in the parish and was resident for at least part of the year. This probably refers to Glenalla, though other sources give a slightly later date for its construction. In Sampson’s Memoir of 1814 the condition of the glebe-house was given as ‘excellent’. The Ordnance Survey Memoir for the parish of Cumber of 1832 has the following to say about the house: “The Glebe House, the residence of the Revd Francis Brownlow, is in Lower Alla, on the western bank of the Glenrandal and 2 miles south of Claudy . It was built [insert addition: in 1772 at the cost of 1,070 pounds 12s. 4d. British] during the incumbency of Dean Edward Ledwich, who planted some trees, to which more were added by the Revd Francis Gauldsburry about 25 years ago.” A further ‘insert addition’ to the above paragraph stated that the glebe house had been repaired in 1818 at a cost of £1,103 6s. 11d. The house is named simply as ‘Glebe’ on the 1st edition Ordnance Survey map of 1830, though on the revised Ordnance Survey map of 1853 it is called ‘Alla Rectory’. The House Book of 1856 provides the following dimensions for the house. (Though the way that the information is presented in the house book would give the impression that three houses are being described, it seems that the other ‘houses’ are wings or returns to the original house. These may be the ‘large extensions’ referred to by Rowan (p. 191).) Building Length Breadth Height House 48 21 18 Basement 48 21 8 House 24 32 18 Basement 24 32 8 House 56 28 18 Basement 56 28 8 In Griffith’s Valuation (1858) the buildings on the property (referenced no. 11) are given a valuation of £42. The Valuation Revision Books show a reorganisation of the property into 11A and 11B. Property 11B remained in the possession of the incumbent of Cumber Upper parish. The house and offices on this property were given the valuation of £25. The Annual Revisions List of the First General Revaluation shows that in 1946 the occupier of the house ceased to be the rector of the parish. In that year Samuel Eakin became the occupier and the immediate lessor was changed from the Representative Church Body to ‘in fee’. The value of the buildings was £35. In 1966, Eakin’s name was removed from the Annual Revisions and replaced by John J. Kells. The valuation of the buildings at this time was £48. Dean (p. 116) dates the gate-lodge to c. 1820 during the incumbency of Rev. Francis Gouldsbury and believes it may have been based on a design from Edward Gyfford’s Designs for small picturesque cottages of 1807. He also makes the point that the arrangement of the gate-lodge and entrances is ‘An interesting solution to the problem of separating the “quality” from tradesmen visitors to a demesne with minimal road frontage.’ References Primary sources 1. PRONI, First Valuation fieldbook, c. 1835 – VAL/1/B/554 2. PRONI, Primary Valuation house book, 1856 – VAL/2/B/5/50 3. PRONI, Valuation Revision Books, 1860-1929 – VAL/12/B/32/5A-F 4. PRONI, First Northern Ireland General Revaluation Books, 1935 – VAL/3/B/6/7 5. PRONI, Annual Revisions List of the First General Revaluation, Rural District of Londonderry, 1936-57 – VAL/3/C/6/8 6. PRONI, Second General Revaluation, Rural District of Londonderry, 1956-72 – VAL/4/B/5/20 7. PRONI, Ordnance Survey 6-inch map, 1830, OS/6/5/23/1, /29/1 8. PRONI, Ordnance Survey 6-inch map, 1853, OS/6/5/23/2, /29/2 9. PRONI, Ordnance Survey 6-inch map, 1905, OS/6/5/29/3 10. Angélique Day & Patrick McWilliams (eds), Ordnance Survey Memoirs of Ireland, vol. 28 (Belfast, 1995) 11. NIEA, First Survey Card 12. NIEA, HB Records Secondary sources 1. George Vaughan Sampson, A Memoir: Explanatory of the Chart and Survey of the County of London-Derry (London, 1814) 2. Alistair J. Rowan, The Buildings of Ireland: North West Ulster (Harmondsworth, 1979) 3. J. A. K. Dean, The Gate Lodges of Ulster: a Gazetteer (Belfast, 1994)

Criteria for Listing

Architectural Interest

A. Style B. Proportion C. Ornamentation D. Plan Form I. Quality and survival of Interior J. Setting K. Group value

Historic Interest

U. Historic Associations X. Local Interest Z. Rarity R. Age S. Authenticity T. Historic Importance

Evaluation

Detached symmetrical three-bay two-storey over basement rendered former rectory, built c.1760, with substantial return and extension to rear. L-shaped on plan facing east on an elevated mature site on the west side of Ling Road. Fine Georgian house with elegant proportions, particularly distinguished by its fenestration - most of which, including the distinctive Wyatt tripartite windows, is original. The building retains all original external fabric (with the exception of artifical slates to some slopes) and is enhanced by a good range of outbuildings, a picturesque gate lodge and a mature landscaped setting.

General Comments

Date of Survey

11 November 2014