11 Ballycoshone Road, Rathfriland, Newry, Co Down, BT34 5HJ

11 Ballycoshone Road, Rathfriland

A mid-19th century vernacular grouping comprising a dwelling, farm buildings, and associated structures, dating from around 1840 to 1859. The complex is notable for retaining most of its original features and for the survival of gates, pillars, and outbuildings that form an important group value.

The main house is a single storey structure of three bays with a single bay outhouse abutting its west gable. It faces north with a pitched natural slate roof aligned west to east, fitted with terracotta ridges and two small cast iron rooflights. Four smooth rendered chimneys with projecting copings are positioned one to each gable and one on each side of the central bay. The rubble granite walls are unevenly lime rendered and whitewashed with an advanced eaves course. There are no rainwater goods.

The principal façade has a main entrance to the right side of the central bay, set within a shallow porch with a lean-to natural slate roof. The porch walls match the main house, with blank cheeks and the door positioned on the front wall. It is fitted with a broad tongue-and-groove sheeted door with cottage latch and traditional iron hinges, and an additional half door now in advanced decay. To the left of the porch is a 2/2 vertically divided sliding sash window with horns and granite cill. Each remaining bay of the façade has a similar window with timber lintels, now boarded over. The rear elevation of the house has a matching window to each bay.

The single storey outbuilding abutting the right gable of the main block has a roof with a distinct break from the house roof. Its walls are similar to the main house but feature a brick eaves course and a distinct wall break. It is accessed by a tongue-and-groove sheeted door to the right of centre, and has a small tongue-and-groove sheeted loading door in its right gable facing the road. The rear wall is blank.

Opposite and parallel to the house is a substantial outbuilding of similar length to the main block, comprising three bays of varying heights. The left bay is two storeys high, the central bay is one and a half storeys, and the right bay is single storey. All bays have pitched natural slate roofs with terracotta ridge tiles and brick eaves courses. The walls are lime rendered and whitewashed random granite rubble. The left bay features a pair of sheet metal top-hung doors, with a tongue-and-groove sheeted door with cottage latch to its right. A loading door to the first floor centre is now boarded up. The central bay has a pair of sliding top-hung sheeted metal doors set to the left. The right bay contains a small window opening to the left and a tongue-and-groove sheeted door to the right. The left gable facing the road is blank.

The rear elevation of the outbuildings shows the left bay blank, the middle bay with a small blocked up window to the left and a blocked up doorway to the right, and the right bay with a former loading door at first floor with remains of steps up. The right gable is blank.

The east ends of both the outbuildings and main house are linked by a high painted rubble wall enclosing the yard. A pedestrian gateway in this wall has been infilled. The western end of the yard facing the road is occupied by entrance gates. A pair of gate piers built in lime washed squared granite blocks with pyramidal caps support the gates. At centre is a pair of carriage gates in flat iron with vertical divisions, twisted tops and arrowheads. A gap to the left is infilled with rubble wall, while a similar space to the right contains a pedestrian gate detailed as the carriage gates. The yard is paved with granite cobbles.

On the road at the rear corner of the outhouse is a length of stone walling terminated with a cylindrical stone gate post with a conical cap of rendered brick and rubble; its opposite number is gone. Across the road is a similar gateway with only one pier remaining. To the south, opposite the house, is a complete set of cylindrical piers.

In the field to the east of the house stands a one and a half storey pig house. It has a pitched natural slate roof and granite rubble walls brought to courses, with its front wall facing west. It is fitted with two three-quarter height doors and was formerly divided into two pens by a boundary wall, some remnants of which survive. Its left gable contains a loading door in the loft. Both the rear elevation and right gable are blank.

A building was shown on this site on the 1834 Ordnance Survey 6-inch map, but as its alignment differs from the present complex it is unlikely to be the structure now standing. The present complex is first shown on the 1859 map, confirming a mid-19th century construction date. According to the circa 1861 Valuation, it belonged to William Roonan and was valued at £2 5s 0d.