Rookmount, 17 Ballycastle Road, Ballyblack, Millisle, Newtownards, Co Down, BT22 2AT

Rookmount is a large, much-extended farmhouse, likely of early 19th-century origin, situated on the east side of Ballycastle Road, approximately two miles west of Carrowdore. The building has undergone significant alterations, including a raised roof in the late 19th or early 20th century and large extensions added in the 1970s and 1980s.

The two-story section of the farmhouse forms the eastern part of the building, with a single-story section attached to the west gable. The north facade of the two-story section features a central timber-sheeted door with a fanlight, flanked by large windows with modern frames. Three evenly spaced windows are located on the first floor, also with modern frames. The north facade of the single-story section is flush with the main facade and contains two sash windows with horizontal glazing bars. The east gable of the two-story section is blank, with a small extension resembling a boiler house and nearby metal oil tank. The exposed section of the west gable is also blank. The west gable of the single-story section is blank. The rear of the main house is now dominated by large, modern one- and two-story extensions with various sizes of modern windows and doors. One of these extensions extends onto the rear of the single-story section. The rear of the single-story section features a large modern timber sliding door on the left and a modern window on the right.

The two-story section and the extensions are finished with dry-dash “salt and pepper” render, while the single-story section has a rough cast finish. The roofs are pitched and covered with Bangor blue slates, featuring two yellow brick chimney stacks and rendered parapets on the two-story section, and two rendered stacks on the single-story section. The roof has a mixture of cast iron and PVC rainwater goods.

A building is depicted on this site on Ordnance Survey maps from 1833/4 and 1858-60. According to the owner, the present two-story section initially existed as a single-story structure, with the roof raised at some point in the late 19th or early 20th century. The extensions are all relatively recent additions. Historical records from the Public Record Office of Northern Ireland (PRONI), including Valuation records (VAL 1B/34), Ordnance Survey Maps (First Edition 1833/4 and First Revision 1858-60), and Griffith’s Valuation (1863), document the site’s history.