In the listing of proposed additions to the RPS Knockaphuca House is described as 'Detached five-bay two-storey late-nineteenth century house with outbuildings.'
This is not an entirely accurate description. There is an original three-bay section of the house which does indeed date from the nineteenth century. However, the house was extensively rebuilt circa 1950. At this time the house was extended significantly to the east side and to the rear with typical 1950s block construction, although with matching granite facing on the front elevation, along with windows matching the style of those in the older part of the building. The footprint of the building was doubled. Some of the original stone walls remain to the front and to the west of the house, and some were removed or incorporated into the internal structure of the house.
The original front door was replaced with a window (the current front door is in the 1950s-built extension). The original staircase is gone, replaced with a concrete staircase in the extension. The roof and chimneys were rebuilt, and the shape of the roof was changed to accommodate the larger footprint of the structure. In short, the interior of the house was gutted. The internal layout and all internal fixtures and fittings, as well as the windows, all date from the 1950s onwards. There are no lathe-and-plaster ceilings or walls, original plasterwork, old flooring, or other such period detailing remaining. Despite its misleading appearance, Knockaphuca House dates substantially from the 1950s, rather than the nineteenth century.
The house is nevertheless beautiful and we intend to maintain its current appearance and architectural character (while carrying out necessary maintenance). However, sadly, it is best understood as a twentieth-century pastiche of a Georgian house, albeit with a small and much-modified core of the authentic thing. Perhaps a quarter of the exterior walls of the house are original to the nineteenth century, and almost nothing of the interior.
We hope this submission on the architectural characteristics of Knockaphuca House guides the committee in its decision regarding its addition to the RPS. To our knowledge there has not been a recent site visit and we would be happy to facilitate a visit by representatives from KCC.