140 Tromra Road, Cushendall, Co. Antrim

No. 140 Tromra Road, Cushendall, is an early 19th-century farmhouse built prior to 1832 in the townland of Clegnagh near Glendun Viaduct. The building underwent substantial refurbishment around 1907, when it was raised from single storey to two storeys and its thatched roof was replaced with natural slate.

The farmhouse is rectangular on plan, facing east, with a symmetrical three-bay two-storey front elevation. It is constructed of rubblestone walling rendered in painted rough-cast over which sits a pitched natural slate roof with black clay ridge tiles, cement parged verges, and three rendered chimneystacks. The windows are square-headed with concrete sills, featuring original 3/3 timber sliding sash windows with ogee horns and exposed sash boxes. The central square-headed door opening contains a replacement flush timber door. The south gable is blind rubblestone. The rear elevation is cement rendered with two square-headed window openings at ground floor level, now fitted with replacement timber casement windows. Plastic rainwater goods are throughout.

The north gable is abutted by two single-storey rubblestone byres. The byre adjoining the house has a pitched natural slate roof, whilst the smaller byre has a pitched corrugated iron roof. To the west of these outbuildings, set at right angles, stands a single-storey stone outbuilding with a slated roof.

The building sits on an elevated site on the south side of Tromra Road, accessed via a steep grassy driveway that meets the road at an acute angle. A pair of decorative cast-iron gate posts marks the entrance. The elevated position and unaltered setting, together with the outbuildings and gateposts, contribute significantly to the property's architectural and historic interest.

The original structure was a single-storey thatched farmhouse, first recorded on the first edition Ordnance Survey map (1832) as a rectangular dwelling with two small outbuildings to its east and south-east sides, now demolished. The 1834 Townland Valuations did not record the building as it was worth less than the £3 minimum for inclusion. By the mid-19th century, the eastern outbuilding had been removed and was not shown on the second edition Ordnance Survey map (1857). Griffith's Valuation (1859) recorded the farmhouse with a rateable value of 10 shillings, leased to Denis McKillop by Edmund Cuppage, a prominent local landowner of Mount Edwards House in Cushendall.

McKillop remained at the farm until his death around 1890, when it passed to his widow, Bridget McKillop. The 1901 Census of Ireland recorded Bridget McKillop living at No. 140 Tromra Road with six children, all working the farm. The accompanying census building return described it as a third-class dwelling with a thatched roof, two rooms, and outbuildings comprising a stable, cow house, and barn. The Annual Revisions note a significant increase in value to 2 shillings and 10 pence in 1907, indicating substantial refurbishment at that date. The 1911 census building return confirmed that the farmhouse had been raised a storey, with the number of rooms increased to four and the thatch replaced by a slate roof. The single-storey outbuilding to the north-west was likely added at this time, appearing between the third and fourth edition Ordnance Survey maps (1903-04 and 1922).

The McKillop family purchased No. 140 Tromra Road outright from the Cuppage estate by the 1930s. The First General Revaluation of Property in Northern Ireland (1936-57) increased the farm's value to £5, recording James McKillop as occupant. Following McKillop's death in 1947, the farm passed to Daniel McKillop, who remained at the site until the Second General Revaluation (1956-72), at which time its rateable value stood at £10.

This farmhouse remains a largely intact vernacular example that has undergone historic development, contributing to its architectural and historic significance as an increasingly rare building type.