It struck me as we work away here that our efforts are incredibly transient – part of a cycle of ebb and flow at Lackan, as occupants appear, make their mark, the place blooms, and then they age, and the place ages with them, falls into disrepair, and is ready for the next wave of inhabitants to come and bring it back to life. So many details remain of everyday lives that are long gone – the footprints of children and chickens in the concrete outside the stables; the pieces of the old sash windows that were once in the house used haphazardly in the walls of the hayshed. All signs of the effort that has at times gone into creating, maintaining and improving this little farmstead.
So I wondered whether I could look at what I know about the history of the farm and work out when it might have been at its peak. After all we know quite a lot about the history of the place over the last 160 years.
We think the house was build around 1850, based on its appearance on the Ordnance survey map. Alexander Speers, is the tenant listed. He paid relatively little rent, but as the land was poor, we guess that the price reflected that, and he probably built the house himself. What we do know is that he sensibly decided to build on the highest point of the land, cutting the stone from a rocky outcrop, which still exists as a lump either side of the cottage. For this feat alone he has my utmost respect. He cut larch to create the roof structure, which was covered with turf, and thatched with rushes, all of which grow or are found within 100 yards of the building. One window still survives from this time, now in the bathroom, and is incredibly small. We believe that all the windows were of this type, although they fell victim to improvements in the 1950’s as we will see.
So the cottage and grounds were probably in a fine state between 1860 and 1880-1890 when Alexander was relatively young and fit.
By the turn of the century, Alexander would have been around 70, and here he is pictured sitting front left with a lady who may be his wife, The couple behind are his daughter Susan, born around 1855, and her husband.
In 1908 the Irish Land Act allows tenants to own their properties, and as it is Susan Rowan who’s name is on the deeds, we assume that Alexander had now passed away, as had her husband.
We don’t know whether Susan lived here, as her address is recorded as having been in Scotland, but think that the cottage spent some time in a poor state, judging by large repaired holes in the thatch, and some evidence of fire. Anyhow, in 1920, the cottage changes hands, and Samuel Anderson (snr) becomes the owner of Lackan. He purchased the cottage for £85, so we assume that Susan may have passed away and her estate been sold in the absence of any decendants.
In 1942, the cottage was rethatched – this time not with rushes, but with straw, and a variety of repairs and patches using bits of tin and sacking seem to have been applied to keep the roof going. It seems safe to assume that as a new owner, Samuel probably applied himself to ‘sorting the place out’, and so the cottage probably saw good times between 1920 and 1950.
For some reason (presumably Samuel passed away), the cottage passed to a Jane Anderson – perhaps Samuel’s wife in 1956, and it was around this time that major renovations happened at the cottage. The old windows at the front were torn out, the openings made larger, and new lintels put back in. At the time the eaves were raised about 1 foot. A little porch was added to the front of the cottage at this time. The exterior was heavily rendered with a pebble dash render, decorated with little bits of pottery and glass.
Inside major work was carried out. The old chimney flues were opened up and new liners put in. The old open fire in the kitchen was covered over and a range cooker put in. New ceiling timbers were fitted, using sawn timber, and the laths and timbers of the thatch saw the light of day for the last time as the tongue and groove ceilings covered it over. A skim of concrete covered over the old earth floors, and stud wall covered over some of the damper interior walls, and at least one of the windows.
In 1966 the house passed to Samuel Anderson, their son. By this time the house and gardens were well kept; the little cottage to the rear had been modernised; the pig sheds built, and more formal gardens established around the house. A fairly liberal application of concrete on paths and walls left the place looking much as it did in 2012.
Samuel and his sister lived here, until they too grew old, and eventually Samuel died. His sister lived on here alone, until her health, and the property deteriorated, and she was taken into care. A couple of years later the family decided to sell the house, and in May 2012, we arrived.
And so we have begun to tidy, and renovate, and repair the place so that it will last another 160 years, and the cycle begins once more.
So the good times were – 1860-1890, 1920-1950, 1960-1990. We arrived in 2012, with any luck the place will be well kept until around 2040. In 2014 we hope to return the exterior of the cottage to something more resembling its pre-1950’s appearance.
Update: It is now 2016, and in 2015 we finally got the chance to work on the exterior of the cottage. The concrete pebbledash is replaced with lime plaster, the 1950’s windows replaced with new double glazed timber units that have better proportions, and the whole place limewashed, and the roof painted.
Our next job is to replace the concrete at the front, and also the old garage with something less obtrusive. We’ve also made progress with the little cottage at the back, which is also more in keeping with its original appearance-
