99 Castlevennon Road, Katesbridge, Banbridge, Co Down, BT32 3SD

A single-storey vernacular hearth-lobby dwelling pre-dating 1833, located at the end of a lane approximately 4 miles east of Banbridge. The building retains its original hearth-lobby layout and thatched roof structure, though twentieth-century modifications have compromised its originality. It is not among the finest examples of this building type.

The dwelling has a rectangular plan form with detached outbuildings arranged in a half-courtyard pattern. The pitched roof is clad in corrugated asbestos with plain ridging and cement skews. Metal rainwater goods comprise half-circle gutters. Brick chimneys with corbelled upper courses retain vestiges of roughcast render. The walling is finished in roughcast cement render with some areas showing partially exposed rubble masonry where render is failing.

The principal elevation faces east and is asymmetrical, five openings wide. An entrance porch with a gabled windbreaker (featuring corrugated roofing and dry-dashed walling with plaster banding) is positioned left of centre, containing a replacement mid-twentieth-century timber front door with an oval glazed panel and associated mouldings. Flanking the porch are windows. To the right is a 2/2 timber sliding-sash window with horizontal glazing bars, beyond which is a projecting flat-roofed toilet surmounted by a water tank. A further window occupies the far right. The left gable is blank with an apex chimney and a plinth projected approximately 300mm. The rear elevation is asymmetrical, with windows positioned centre and right, and a 2/2 timber sliding-sash window with vertical glazing bar to the left. The far left bay is set back with a single window. The right gable is blank and is abutted by a single-storey rubble masonry outbuilding with a pitched corrugated-iron roof and sawn timber roof structure. All windows are replacement steel-framed casements with concrete cills except where stated otherwise.

The wider farm complex consists of traditional buildings set out in a half-courtyard arrangement within a rural landscape not visible from the road. Single and two-storey outbuildings stand perpendicular to the east of the dwelling, constructed of lime render over rubble masonry with natural slate roofs and sawn timber roof structures. Timber sheeted doors and various window openings and ventilation apertures are present. The south building has an upper deck carried by a timber post and beam structure, accessed by masonry and concrete steps to the west gable. Evidence of previous abutments to both buildings and vestiges of a rubble masonry enclosure wall to the east survive.

The buildings appear on the first edition Ordnance Survey map of 1833, corresponding with the dwelling and outbuildings present today. Though the buildings have undergone remodelling and extension over the years, the original plan form persists. The farmhouse was not listed in the Townland Valuation (1828–40) as it would have fallen below the threshold for inclusion. Griffith's Valuation (1856–64) identifies the tenant as James Watt, leasing the 26-acre farm from Michael Jones, with the house and outbuildings valued at £1 5s. The farm passed to Richard Hook in 1879, and in 1882 the valuation rose to £3, suggesting additions and improvements at that time. Robert Smyth took over in 1884 and was resident at the time of the 1901 census with his wife and six children aged between 5 and 15; the two-room house was designated second class. Smyth became the owner in fee of the farm in 1909 under land purchase legislation, and the farm remained in the Smyth family at the time of the First General Revaluation (1933–34). The farm was still thatched in the 1930s, with accommodation comprising three bedrooms, a 'room', and kitchen. The property has been vacant for some years.