Scarvagh House, 31 Old Mill Road, Scarva, CRAIGAVON, Co. Down, BT63 6NL

Scarvagh House is an asymmetrical early-eighteenth century country house set in extensive grounds to the south of Scarva village. The building is two storeys tall, constructed to a U-shaped plan with a central three-bay double-pile block flanked by perpendicular east and west wings, and with a two-storey extension to the rear west.

The main structure features a hipped and pitched natural slate roof with leaded hips and ridges to the central block and ridge tiles to the wings. Replacement red brick chimneystacks with decorative brick detailing are present. Profiled cast iron gutters run along a fascia with exposed rafter tails visible to the wings only. The walling is cement rendered throughout except where otherwise stated, with a moulded string course between floors to the principal elevations.

Windows are predominantly timber sliding sash, though the east wing principal elevation has timber casement replacements. Windows to the central block are set in label mouldings; elsewhere reveals are plain. All cills are granite, with those to the principal façade being original and most rear cills replaced.

The principal elevation faces south and is nine openings wide, dominated at centre by a full-height porch with a slender profiled Dutch gable topped by a ball finial. The porch corners are articulated by columns with heavy entasis set on pedestals at ground floor, and by scrolled diagonal buttresses at first floor, with string courses between floors and at eaves level. The entrance comprises a four-centred arched timber door with cusped panelling set in a chamfered reveal; the cheeks are lit by diminutive segmental-arched latticed stained and painted glass windows. On either side of the porch are full-height breakfront bays, also with profiled gables and tall tripartite windows to ground floor surmounted by open scrolled pediments. To the left and right are three further windows to each floor; the right side includes a projecting box bay with a quinquepartite window and, at the far right, a painted glass Gothic arched window set in a square frame.

The courtyard-facing elevations of the east and west wings are similar but not identical. The west wing is eight windows wide with unevenly spaced alignment, an off-centre replacement timber door with square-headed overlight, and a Gothic arched plate glass window insertion at ground floor left end. The east wing, set at a higher level, is six casement windows wide with a central entrance in a brick surround accessed by granite steps with carved stone urns flanking the top step; at the ground floor far right end is an infilled Gothic arched doorway also accessed by steps. Each wing terminates at the south end with a crow-stepped parapet; that to the west is lit by a tripartite window to each floor flanked by sidelights, and the west wing end is pierced with a bellcote and lit at first floor only by a replacement margin-paned round-arched window.

The west elevation is abutted by a full-height extension at right, flush with the gable of the east wing, featuring a variety of windows to each floor including several replacements and a fully glazed canted bay insertion with French doors; a modern entrance door is present at north and a pointed arched window insertion to the west.

The rear elevation is abutted at right by a two-storey extension sympathetic to the house. To its left are three closely spaced openings to each floor, including a modern timber door with Gothic panelling, square-headed overlight and sidelights. To the left of centre is a tripartite stained lattice window lighting the stairwell; a smaller similarly detailed window is present at ground floor left. The left side has a timber sheeted loading door in a segmental-arched opening and windows to the first floor.

The east elevation comprises the exposed gable of the rear pile to the main block, which is of exposed coursed rubble stone with some snecking, red brick quoins, apex and dressings to openings. There are two slightly staggered windows to the first floor, that to the left with decorative glazing, and a single window to ground floor with the reveal rebuilt in concrete block. The front pile is abutted by a lean-to outbuilding with chamfered corner. The east elevation of the east wing is dominated by two large square-headed coach-openings with decorative segmental-arched detailing to the heads, infilled with modern timber and glass screen doors; these are each flanked to the right by a timber entrance door with a decorative triangular pediment. A small canted bay window is present to the left, and an additional entrance bay is set in a lean-to porch.

The house is set in extensive grounds overlooking farmland to the south and east with woodland to the west, opening onto a tarmac courtyard finished with a shrub perimeter. The 'Dane's Cast' ancient earthwork is situated to the north on a north-east/south-west axis. Access is via a tarmac drive at north through the listed gatescreen, with the historic main entrance reached via a tree-lined avenue to the west. The north entrance leads to an extensive stud farm immediately to the north-east comprising stables and modern buildings ranging from the early twentieth century to present. Alternative access exists at the eastern boundary of the site with a concrete pillbox adjacent outside the boundary.

The only outbuilding of architectural interest is a red brick storey-and-a-half stable block built in the early to mid-twentieth century to the east of the house. The stables have a natural slate roof with corbelled verge and eaves with exposed rafter feet and a chamfered brick string course at first floor level to front and side elevations. The front elevation faces south-west and comprises six square-headed timber sheeted half doors surmounted by natural slate roofed lean-to canopies supported on cast iron brackets and flanked by segmental arched fixed paned timber windows, with that to the far right flanked to the left only and the far left opening louvered. Gabled end bays contain single 4/2 timber casement windows at first floor. The south-east elevation is blank. The north-west elevation is abutted by steps rising to the rear with a half landing, the exposed section blank. The north-east (rear) elevation has six diminutive square-headed timber sheeted doors to ground floor and a square-headed timber sheeted door within a pitch roofed wall-headed dormer to the first floor right, accessed by a modern cantilevered steel walkway. Internally the stable block is divided into stalls by masonry walls; the loft was not viewed.