Former number 35 Cockhill Road, Hannahstown, Ballymena, BT42 2JP

Former No. 35 Cockhill Road, Hannahstown, near Ballymena

This is a semi-detached, asymmetrical, two-bay single-storey vernacular dwelling built around 1830, constructed from lime-washed rubblestone and located within a linear group of similar buildings on the south side of Cockhill Road. It is currently vacant and recorded as derelict.

The building is rectangular on plan and sits within what was historically a clachan — a type of small rural settlement once common across Ulster but now increasingly rare. The group as a whole, including the associated outbuildings, constitutes a significant example of a large traditional farmstead. The adjoining buildings make an important contextual contribution to one another, and it should be noted that any structural alterations to this building could directly affect the structural integrity of the immediately adjacent thatched dwelling, No. 37B (HB 07/10/035), to which it is abutted at its south gable.

Architectural Description

The walls are of random rubblestone construction with lime mortar joints and vestiges of lime-wash over lime-render, most visibly on the north gable. The roof is pitched natural slate, set at a lower ridge-line than the abutting buildings. The timber roof structure is entirely exposed to the left-hand side of the west elevation and appears to be a 20th century replacement, with evidence suggesting the original roof covering was thatch, later replaced by slate in the late 19th or early 20th century. There is a single red brick chimneystack to the north, without pots. There are no rainwater goods.

The principal elevation faces west and is three openings wide, with a door opening to the left-hand side. The door is square-headed with a timber lintel, plain rubblestone reveals, and a painted timber-sheeted door set within a timber frame. The two windows have timber lintels, ogee horns, shallow cement-rendered reveals, and painted concrete sills, and are largely glazed with 1/1 timber sliding sashes with partially exposed sash boxes and replacement glass. The north gable elevation is blank. The rear elevation faces east and comprises three window openings with plain rubblestone surrounds, no sills, and windows set almost flush with the wall surface. Those to the right-hand side have chamfered horns, and the far-right window has margin-lights. The left-hand window on this elevation is a nine-paned fixed-light timber casement with an exposed frame. The south elevation is abutted by No. 37B.

Setting

The building forms part of a linear row of similarly dated vernacular dwellings, orientated perpendicular to Cockhill Road, with the north gable of the former No. 35 directly fronting the southern side of the road. The immediate surroundings are rural farmland, wooded and overgrown. A small shared yard to the east is overgrown and bounded by a low rubblestone wall curving from north to south. The building forms part of a wider complex of vernacular farm structures within a separate yard to the south and east, thought to be associated with the thatched dwelling at No. 39 (HB07/10/017) to the south. That yard of outbuildings, together with No. 39, is separately accessed from Cockhill Road via a sweeping path to the north-east. Whilst the southern dwellings in the terraced row have principal elevations facing east, the former No. 35 and the abutting No. 37B both face west.

Historical Background

The linear group of buildings appears on the first edition Ordnance Survey map of 1833, forming part of a larger cluster and shown with two small outbuildings to the north-west. By the second edition map of 1853, the group comprising the present Nos. 39, 37, 37B, and the former No. 35 had remained largely unchanged, though the northernmost of the two outbuildings had been removed and the other connected to the west elevation of No. 37.

The property is recorded in Griffith's Valuation of around 1859, though the handwritten numbering on the accompanying map is difficult to read. As best as can be determined, the small dwellings comprising Nos. 37, 37B, and the former No. 35 appear to have been those leased by a Robert Dill to a Hugh Campbell and a Thomas Tweedy, valued at £1 and 15 shillings respectively, and one leased by a John Hanna to a Samuel McDonnell, valued at 10 shillings. The fact that the buildings had different owners suggests the settlement may have originally developed as a clachan. Some buildings may also have served as lodgings for farm workers; in particular, the adjoining No. 37B, which contains a single room with a hearth, is characteristic of workers' lodgings.

The building's footprint has remained unchanged since at least the mid-19th century. By the fourth edition Ordnance Survey map of 1936, the complex is captioned 'Hannastown', reflecting the continuous occupation of a number of the buildings by the Hanna family since at least the mid-19th century. The rateable value of the buildings appears to have remained largely unchanged until at least the First General Revaluations of around 1930. Census records for 1901 and 1911, read in conjunction with Annual Revision records from 1894 to 1920, suggest the house may have been occupied by a master carpenter named Robert Agnew, though this information remains unclear. The building continued in use as a dwelling until at least the mid-20th century and has been vacated in recent years along with the other buildings in the wider complex.

Significance and Condition

Although this is a fairly good example of an early to mid-19th century vernacular dwelling, characterised by modest proportions and locally sourced materials, the poor condition of the building and the extent of 20th century alterations are considered to have removed much of its original historic character and fabric. Insufficient remains for the building to be considered of special architectural or historical interest in its own right. However, it is of significant local interest and plays an important role in the setting of the adjacent thatched dwelling, No. 37B, which is a rare surviving structure retaining a lobby-entry plan form and an early example of a raised cruck-framed thatched roof. Vernacular dwellings of this type are an increasingly rare building type in Ulster, threatened by demolition, modernisation, and dereliction.