124 Staffordstown Road, Randalstown, Antrim, Co Antrim, BT41 3LH

124 Staffordstown Road, Randalstown

A single-storey thatched dwelling with a flat-roofed rear extension, located on the east side of Staffordstown Road about three miles from Randalstown, facing west.

The main house walls are whitened and roughcast with wet dash of small stones, featuring a slightly projecting smooth rendered plinth painted green and slightly raised vertical end strips at each extremity, also painted green. The thatch roof has three scollops to the ridge with eaves protected by chicken wire. Cement skews are fitted to each gable, and projecting sandstone coping runs along the gables. The roof thatch is a replacement of 1982 with later repairs.

The west elevation has one window to the left of the entrance doorway and two to the right. The windows are rectangular timber vertically-hung sliding sash, 3 over 6 with horns, with exposed sash boxes recessed in slightly raised smooth rendered and green-painted surrounds; projecting concrete cills. These windows are replacements of 1982. Two chimneys are rendered and whitened: one on the north gable and one in line with the left-hand jamb of the entrance; neither has pots. The main entrance is a rectangular timber ledged door with translucent glazed panel and traditional metal latch, set in a plain timber frame recessed in a raised smooth cement rendered surround painted green. This door is also a replacement of 1982.

The north gable is blank, rendered with roughcast without plinth or corner strips. The south gable is similar except for a small square single-pane window at upper level set in wooden frame with slightly recessed rounded reveals, which lights the roof space.

The rear elevation is rendered as the north gable, with the thatch roof continuing as on the entrance elevation. Two windows are positioned to the right of the projecting rear return: the right window is a recessed rectangular timber 6-pane fixed light with a top-hung 3-pane vent set in smooth rendered reveals with a projecting painted concrete cill; the left window is similar but has only a 3-pane fixed light. A third window to the left of the rear return is similar to the extreme right window.

The rear return forms an L-shaped extension with a flat roof, timber fascia, and metal upstand all round with a gravel top covering. The north wall of the rear return is rendered with wet dash of crushed stones and has two rectangular timber windows, each a fixed light with top-hung vent and projecting concrete cill. The east wall of the return is blank with PVC guttering and downpipe. The south elevation of the return is rendered and features a recessed rectangular flush timber glazed door to the left in plain smooth rendered reveals; to the right of the door is a rectangular timber fixed light window with top-hung vent, recessed in smooth rendered reveals with a projecting concrete cill; further right the return projects forward with a blank west return wall and a window of similar type in the projecting south face. A PVC soil pipe is also present.

The house stands facing a side road with its north gable close to the corner with the main road. It is set back the depth of the adjacent footpath to the north, with a narrow border of concrete across the front. A small plain iron gate to the left of the entrance leads to a paved path to the rear garden, bordered by greystone rocks. Low screen walls to the right of the entrance front are smooth rendered and painted white, flanking an open gateway to a gravelled and concrete flagged area to the south; a steel-barred cattle grille is set in the opening. In front of the south gable stands an iron-handled water pump inscribed 'J. Lowden & Co Belfast' mounted on a circular concrete base.

To the rear of the return is a small detached smooth rendered boiler house with a ledged door and preformed metal sheet roof. The rear boundary is formed by a horizontal timber fence.