Survey Data
Reg No
41401828
Rating
Regional
Categories of Special Interest
Architectural
Previous Name
Craig's Castle
Original Use
House
Date
1760 - 1800
Coordinates
270121, 320629
Date Recorded
29/04/2012
Date Updated
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Description
Detached five-bay two-storey house with attic and raised basement, built c.1780, having lean-to single-storey addition to north-west gable end. Now vacant. Pitched slate roof, with rendered chimneystacks to gable ends, and cast-iron rainwater goods. Smooth rendered coursed rubble limestone walls, with smooth rendered quoins and chamfered plinth course to window level of basement. Square-headed window openings, with moulded bull-nosed window surrounds. Six-over-six pane timber sliding sash windows to ground and first floor of front (north) elevation, having rendered and painted reveals and stone sills throughout. Timber casement windows to basement level of north elevation, and to all of rear elevation. Two six-pane timber windows to attic storey of east and west elevations. Square-headed door opening to centre of north elevation, with moulded render surround having bull-nosed reveals, original timber panelled door with six raised-and-fielded panels, cast-iron door furniture, and overlight. Door opens onto stone platform and flight of eight nosed stone steps over basement area, with stone balusters, handrail and square-plan piers with round finials. Lean-to addition has slated roof. Two single-storey farm outbuildings to south, with pitched slate roofs and roughcast rendered walls. Rendered coursed rubble stone boundary wall to west, with double-leaf wrought-iron gate hanging on square-plan rendered rubble stone gate piers. Located south of Ballybay to Newbliss road, in close proximity to Derryvally House and First Ballybay Presbyterian complex to north-west.
Appraisal
This attractive country house retains its late eighteenth-century character, with elegant classical proportions. Many original features survive, including timber sliding sash windows, doorcase and the flight of stone steps to the front elevation. The farm buildings to the south illustrate that this was a productive farm until the late twentieth century. The house, which retains a strong sense of its original splendour, faces north on a hill overlooking the Ballybay to Newbliss road in close proximity to Derryvally House and the First Ballybay Presbyterian complex to the north-west which includes First Ballybay Presbyterian Church, Derryvalley church and former Derryvally School.