ANNAHILT ALMSHOUSES
181-197 Magheraconluce Road, Annahilt, Co Down
1987
Elevation to Magheraconluce Road
Until the arrival in recent years of extensive new housing developments,
Annahilt was a small hamlet at a crossroads between Hillsborough
and Ballynahinch. In his will dated May 1833, one Robert Sharland
left the balance of his estate, after giving £25 to his
sister Sarah and five guineas to be distributed amongst his servants,
for the erection of 'ten Almshouses for ten old men and ten old
women, all belonging to the Parish of Annahilt'. Each beneficiary
was to receive £5 per annum, and the Almshouses were to
include a house for 'a housekeeper to inspect the houses and keep
them clean'.
Sharland actually died during 1833, and it appears that the Almshouses
were built shortly after that, in two stages (evidence of an old
external wall was un-covered in the roofspace of no.191 during
restoration). The portion closest to the crossroads was built
first, including a larger central block that may have been intended
for the housekeeper, and when nos. 191-197 were added, the resulting
nine houses became a symmetrical design. Over the years the original
fund had dwindled, and the Sharland Charity was wound up, permitting
Hearth to purchase and restore the building.
The original Almshouses were tiny, and the renovation of the property
involved combining three units into one throughout. The building
was reslated, chimneys rebuilt, and old cast-iron lattice windows
restored. Many of the old internal sheeted doors were re-used,
although the houses are otherwise modern inside. An utterly unassuming
building, this looks more like a farmhouse than an Almshouse,
but it is a delightful element in the countryside.
Client: Hearth Housing
Association
Architect: Hearth
Main Contractor: R Uprichard & Sons, Portadown
Restored: 1987
Funded by Housing Association Grant
Accommodation: Two one-bedroom houses, one two-bedroom
house
