30 Springvale Lane, Ballywellan Road, Castlerock, Co. Londonderry, BT51 4XB

Springvale is a detached, multi-bay rendered house built in several distinct stages between approximately 1800 and 1860, representing a remarkable and largely intact progression from early vernacular farmhouse through Georgian farmhouse to Victorian villa. The building is irregular in plan, facing east, and comprises three principal elements: a three-bay single-storey house to the north (built around 1800), a single-bay two-storey block to the centre (built around 1820), and a larger single-bay two-storey block to the south (built around 1860). Unusually, the two earlier incarnations of the farmhouse have been retained as returns to the later villa rather than demolished, making this an exceptionally legible example of evolving rural domestic architecture. The house sits to the west of Springvale Lane within mature landscaped grounds and is accessed via a winding gravel drive passing a duck pond. Single-storey stone outbuildings form an informal yard to the north.

ROOFS AND RAINWATER GOODS

All roofs are natural slate throughout. The north block has a pitched roof with black clay ridge tiles, cast-iron guttering on iron drive-through brackets to a brick eaves course, and a single rendered brick chimneystack to the north gable. The central block has a half-hipped roof with rolled lead ridges to the hips, black clay ridge tiles, replacement moulded steel guttering, and a tall rendered chimneystack to the centre of the plan. The south block has a hipped roof with rolled lead ridges, two rendered profiled chimneystacks to the north wall, replacement moulded steel guttering supported on deep overhanging boarded eaves with decorative timber brackets and drop finials, and cast-iron downpipes.

EXTERNAL WALLS AND WINDOWS

The north block is finished in limewashed lime render with cement repairs to the front elevation only. The central and south blocks are finished in ruled-and-lined cement render with rusticated render quoins — vermiculated to the ground floor only — and a moulded render plinth course to the south block. Unless otherwise noted, all window openings are square-headed with painted masonry sills and timber sash windows.

The south block presents a single-bay front elevation of considerably larger proportions than the rest of the house. It features a full-height three-sided canted bay window, a continuous render platband between floors, and moulded architrave surrounds to both windows. The ground-floor windows are horizontally-glazed 2/2 timber sash windows with angled horns; those to the first floor have margin panes. The lower central block is stepped back slightly from the south block and is abutted by a veranda with a natural slate roof hipped to the north with a rolled lead ridge and cast-iron guttering, supported on three slender timber posts. At first-floor level there is a 6/6 timber sash window with angled horns and a tripartite window with horizontally-glazed 2/2 timber sashes. To the left is a square-headed door opening with a moulded architrave surround, a four-panel timber door with bolection mouldings and arched upper panels, brass door furniture, and a rectangular overlight; it opens onto a granite platform with two granite steps.

The single-storey north block has a symmetrical front elevation with a central square-headed door opening containing a salvaged flat-panelled timber door with a rectangular overlight, and early tripartite windows to either side comprising 6/6 central sashes flanked by 4/4 sashes, all without horns and retaining some historic glass.

The south elevation of the south block is four windows wide. Ground-floor windows are square-headed; first-floor windows are segmental-headed. All are horizontally-glazed 2/2 timber sashes with angled horns, those to the first floor also having margin lights. First-floor windows have render keystones, while ground-floor windows have moulded architrave surrounds with vermiculated keystones and sill brackets. The rear west elevation of the south block is detailed in the same manner as the front. The central block is stepped back from the south block at the rear and is abutted by a lean-to rear entrance porch. Each floor of the porch has a single replacement timber casement window with concrete sills and projecting render surrounds, and there is a replacement timber sheeted door. The north side elevation of the central block is abutted by a two-storey extension with a riveted water tank on the roof and a further lean-to projection. The rear elevation of the single-storey north block is abutted by a lean-to projection with a timber sheeted door, diminutive square-headed window openings with bipartite timber casement windows, and no sills. The north gable of the single-storey block has a pair of square-headed window openings at attic level, now boarded up, and a square-headed door opening with a replacement timber door.

SETTING

The house is set back on the west side of Springvale Lane within mature landscaped grounds, approached by a winding gravel drive passing a duck pond. The single-storey north block has a front garden enclosed by rubblestone walls with wrought-iron gates. To the north of the house is an informal yard with some early cobbles adjoining the north block, enclosed by single-storey rubblestone outbuildings with pitched natural slate roofs and timber sheeted doors. The outbuilding to the north of the yard has segmental-headed redbrick door linings. Some original wrought-iron gates survive, with rubblestone walls enclosing a rear access lane running to the northeast.

HISTORICAL CONTEXT

An L-shaped structure is shown on the first edition Ordnance Survey map of 1831–32, which appears to correspond to the two buildings now forming the return to the main house — the vernacular dwelling and the more formally proportioned Georgian farmhouse. Some of the outbuildings surviving on the site also appear to date from this early period. The Townland Valuation of 1828–40 records the occupier as a Mr Grier, with the buildings valued at £6 16s. Griffith's Valuation of 1856–64 records Samuel Greer leasing the farm from the Worshipful Company of Clothworkers; the house and outbuildings were then valued at £11 18s and stood on a farm of over 89 acres. Between 1862 and 1864 a new mansion was constructed and the valuation rose accordingly to £21 18s.

Samuel McCurdy Greer was a Member of Parliament and County Court Judge who also kept a house in Gardiner's Place, Dublin, where he was accustomed to spend the winter. He was a son of Thomas Greer, minister of Dunboe Presbyterian Church from 1802 to 1812, and lived at Springvale with his brother Joseph McCurdy Anderson JP, who continued to reside at the house after Samuel's death. Samuel Greer had a large family who were all remembered in his will; one of his sons was particularly wished to choose any one of the horses then in use or being reared at Springvale. Greer was a staunch liberal and champion of tenants' rights who ran for parliament and beat Sir Henry Hervey Bruce, third baronet of Downhill, for one of the Londonderry seats in 1857. The Belfast Newsletter records that the Worshipful Company of Clothworkers established an estate farming society in 1867, which held a ploughing match in one of the fields at Springvale that year; twenty-two competitors competed for prizes totalling £10, with a special prize of a silver tea-pot and coffee-pot awarded for the best turnout.

In 1885 the house passed to James Watson, who sub-let the main dwelling to Samuel Greer's brother Joseph McCurdy Anderson while living in the old house to the rear. The valuation that year rose slightly to £22 18s, suggesting some remodelling may have taken place. Joseph Anderson is recorded in the 1901 census as a 74-year-old bachelor of private means with a live-in general domestic servant; the 11-room house was designated first class. In 1908 the house and the old house at the rear passed to John Mark, who was present at the time of the 1911 census. John Martin Mark, solicitor, lived there with his wife, three young children, his mother-in-law, sister-in-law, two teenage domestic servants, and a farm servant. The two houses were subsequently treated as one and taken over by Richard Duggan in 1918, passing through the Duggan family at least until the 1930s. Valuer's notes record a plan of the farmhouse and rear returns along with a number of outbuildings, largely of rubble masonry with tin roofs. The ground-floor accommodation comprised a kitchen, pantry, and two reception rooms; the first floor contained four bedrooms, two reception rooms, a bathroom, and a WC. The house was listed in 1977 and renovations took place in the 1990s.