73 Carrickgallogly Road, Whitecross, Armagh, Co. Armagh, BT60 2JS

A well-preserved evolved farm complex dating from the early 19th century, located on the south side of Carrickgallogly Road north-west of Newry, with significant later 19th and early 20th-century alterations. The complex represents a traditional 'street' layout once more common throughout Ulster and demonstrates the evidence of alteration and enlargement characteristic of working farmsteads.

The Main Dwelling

The principal building is a symmetrical three-bay two-storey house abutted to its east by the surviving remains of an earlier single-storey dwelling. The main house is characteristic of the late Victorian period and retains salient fabric including margined timber sliding sash windows and a geometric transom light. The pitched natural slate roof features angled ridge tiles and three cement-rendered shouldered chimneystacks with replacement terracotta pots. Rainwater goods are aluminium and uPVC.

The principal elevation (north) and central projecting porch are painted in ruled-and-lined render with contrasting quoins and plinth. The east and rear elevations are rough-cast lime rendered, while the west gable is unpainted cement rendered. Windows are 3/3 timber sliding sashes with central panes wider than outer lights, set in contrasting lugged rendered surrounds on painted concrete cills. A square-headed door opening to the porch holds a timber sheeted door with latticed timber-framed overlight. The rear elevation (south) has a 2/2 timber sliding sash window to the first floor and two ground-floor windows covered by security grilles. The west gable features a first-floor window and a single-storey concrete block abutment (store) with corrugated metal roof, timber casement window to the rear and timber sheeted door to the north.

The Earlier Dwelling

The surviving section of the original dwelling abutts the east gable of the main house. It retains a pitched slate roof with angled ridge tiles and a redbrick and rough-cast cement rendered chimney stack to the east. Plastic rainwater goods are fitted. The north elevation displays layers of lime-wash over thick solid masonry walls. One half of a 6/6 timber sash window has been inserted into an earlier timber frame with splayed reveals and stone cill. A square-headed door opening with painted timber-sheeted door and stone plinth stops serves the north elevation. The east gable is lime-washed, while the rear elevation (south) is roughcast with an infilled window opening and concrete cill.

Outbuildings and Setting

The complex is bounded by single-storey outbuildings and lime-wash and rubblestone walls, all rectangular on plan. Outbuildings have pitched corrugated tin roofs, lime-washed rubble walls and a variety of painted timber fixed windows; doors are either painted sheeted timber or painted metal. These buildings are set in the traditional 'street' layout running parallel to the road at the east.

The complex sits slightly back from Carrickgallogly Road with panoramic views to the north, positioned parallel to the roadside behind a small concrete yard. The boundary to the road features an alcoved lime-washed rubblestone wall with plain gate piers and hand-forged iron gates. To the rear lies a large open space with mature vegetation providing access to a modern farmyard to the east.

Historical Development

The house and part of the abutting outbuilding first appear on the first edition Ordnance Survey map of 1834–35. It is likely that the original structure was a single-storey thatched building to which an additional storey was added later, though Valuation Records show no evidence of such change, remaining at a rateable value of £4 from 1862 onwards. The second edition Ordnance Survey map of 1860 shows that the western portion of the present house had been removed by this time, whilst the abutting outbuildings to the south-east had been extended eastward with additional detached outbuildings added to the north and south (the northern building survives, lining the roadside). By the early 20th century further detached outbuildings had been erected lining the roadside to the west, though these were removed by the mid-20th century. Contemporary maps show that the footprint of the house, abutting outbuildings and the roadside-facing detached building have remained largely unchanged since, though additional outbuildings with concrete walls and corrugated iron or asbestos roofs were added to the south-east yard in the latter half of the 20th century.

Griffith's Valuation (1862) records the house as occupied by Daniel McPartland, followed by another Daniel McPartland in 1890 and Michael McElroy c.1924. The front elevation was altered in the 1950s and the house was re-roofed in the 1970s. Traditional finishes remain much in evidence, including layered limewash to the farm buildings and what appear to be retention of historic interior features in the house. The complex contributes to the historic rural landscape in this part of County Armagh.