Survey Data
Reg No
15702023
Rating
Regional
Categories of Special Interest
Architectural, Artistic, Historical, Social
Original Use
Farm house
Date
1800 - 1840
Coordinates
299874, 142208
Date Recorded
30/08/2007
Date Updated
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Description
Detached three-bay two-storey over part raised basement farmhouse with dormer attic, extant 1840, on a T-shaped plan centred on single-bay single-storey projecting open porch to ground floor; three-bay full-height rear (east) elevation. "Improved", pre-1904, producing present composition. Occupied, 1911. Reroofed, 1987. Now disused. Replacement hipped artificial slate roof with clay ridge tiles, paired cement rendered central chimney stacks having concrete capping supporting terracotta pots, rooflights to rear (east) pitch, and no rainwater goods surviving on slightly overhanging rendered slate flagged eaves. Roughcast battered wall to front (west) elevation; roughcast slate hung surface finish (remainder). Segmental-headed central door opening approached by flight of eight cut-granite steps between wrought iron railings, bull nose-detailed timber mullions supporting "Cyma Recta"- or "Cyma Reversa"-detailed timber transom, and concealed dressings framing glazed timber panelled door having sidelights on panelled risers below fanlight. Square-headed window openings including square-headed window openings to rear (east) elevation centred on segmental-headed window opening (half-landing), cut-granite sills, and concealed red brick block-and-start surrounds framing three-over-six (basement), six-over-six (ground floor) or three-over-six (first floor) timber sash windows with three-over-six timber sash windows to rear (east) elevation centred on fixed-pane fitting having fanlight. Interior including (ground floor): central hall retaining carved timber surrounds to door openings framing timber panelled doors; and carved timber surrounds to door openings to remainder framing timber panelled doors with timber panelled shutters to window openings. Set in unkempt grounds with roughcast piers to perimeter having moss-covered capping.
Appraisal
A farmhouse representing an important component of the early nineteenth-century domestic built heritage of the outskirts of Enniscorthy with the architectural value of the composition, one rooted firmly in the contemporary Georgian fashion, confirmed by such attributes as the deliberate alignment maximising on scenic vistas overlooking gently rolling grounds with the meandering River Slaney in the near distance; the compact rectilinear plan form centred on a restrained doorcase showing a simple radial fanlight, albeit one largely concealed behind a later pillared porch; and the diminishing in scale of the openings on each floor producing a graduated visual impression. Having been reasonably well maintained, the elementary form and massing survive intact together with substantial quantities of the original fabric, both to the exterior and to the interior, including a plastered slate hung surface finish widely regarded as an increasingly endangered hallmark of the architectural heritage of County Wexford: meanwhile, contemporary joinery; chimneypieces; and sleek plasterwork refinements, all highlight the artistic potential of the composition. Furthermore, adjacent outbuildings (extant 1840) continue to contribute positively to the group and setting values of a self-contained ensemble having historic connections with Richard Rudd (d. 1844), 'late of Yorkville [sic]'; and Matthew Cullen (d. 1880), 'Farmer late of Yorkville [sic] County Wexford' (Calendars of Wills and Administrations 1881, 138).