Survey Data
Reg No
13304007
Rating
Regional
Categories of Special Interest
Architectural, Artistic, Social
Original Use
Rectory/glebe/vicarage/curate's house
In Use As
House
Date
1820 - 1830
Coordinates
222132, 280013
Date Recorded
26/07/2005
Date Updated
--/--/--
Description
Detached four-bay two-storey Church of Ireland rectory, built 1822 or 1827, with central two-bay two-storey breakfront to the main elevation (southwest) and single-bay two-storey breakfront to the centre of the three-bay rear (northwest) elevation. Shallow hipped slate roof with overhanging eaves, central pair of cut stone chimneystacks and cast-iron rainwater goods. Roughcast rendered walls over smooth rendered plinth. Square-headed window openings with painted stone sills and timber sliding sash windows, six-over-three pane to first floor and six-over-six pane to ground floor. Square-headed door opening to central breakfront with timber panelled door, spoked fanlight and timber doorcase. Segmental-headed recess to breakfront (adjacent to the southwest of doorway) with square-headed opening having six-over-six pane timber sliding sash window. Square-headed opening to the centre of the rear elevation (northwest) with glass double doors, overlights and concrete steps. Set in extensive mature grounds to the south west of Ballinalee. Two-storey outbuilding to the rear (13304008). Main entrance gate to the south. Former entrance gate to the east comprising pair of cut limestone gate posts on octagonal-plan with moulded heads and cast-iron gates.
Appraisal
This well-proportioned former Church of Ireland rectory retains its original character and form. The advanced breakfront and the shallow hipped roof lend it a Regency character and it is of a higher architectural standard than most of its type in County Longford. It retains interesting features such as the timber sliding sash windows and timber doorcase. Lewis (1837) records that it was built in 1822 using a gift of £200 and a loan of £250 from the Board of First Fruits (c. 1711 - 1833). However, the Irish Parliamentary Returns (1837) states that it was built in 1827 at a cost of £825, of which £369 was a gift from the Board of First Fruits. It was built to designs by the eminent architect John Hargrave (c. 1788 – 1833), the architect responsible for the design of the associated Church of Ireland church (3304009) at Ballinalee. It forms an attractive pair of related structures with the outbuilding (13304008) to the rear (northwest). The cut limestone gate posts and decorative cast-iron gates to the former entrance add artistic interest to the site and show evidence of fine craftsmanship and add incident to the roadscape to the southwest of Ballinalee.