A property on Armagh’s high street that had previously been home to it’s former resident for an incredible 102 years has been given a new lease of life by a husband and wife team who moved “back” to the city just over a year ago.
The quaint, little terraced property at 31 Lower English Street was previously the much-loved and incredibly well cared for home of Mrs Cullen who lived to the grand age of 103.
Mrs Cullen had known no other home, she was born in the house and lived there her entire life. So naturally, the building came replete with an invisible but undeniable sense of personality… something that its new owners were instantly captivated by.
And those new owners – under the name of Rove Properties – have been diligently spending the last year renovating and refurbishing the space to transform it into “luxury” rentable accommodation after taking the leap to leave Canada in pursuit of pastures new.
One half of Rove Properties, Carly spoke to Armagh I about their journey: “It’s my husband and I. He’s from Armagh originally but we met out in San Francisco and he has always worked in construction and I have always worked in the home and we loved doing projects together.”
In between living in California and Armagh, the pair spent a number of years in Canada before finally making the decision to lay down roots… moving home in July 2024 with their two children, who have also pitched in with the development.
“We invested in the property in town and we looked at… I don’t know how many, before we decided on this one but knew we really wanted to work together and design a property that we thought there was really a space for in the market,” said Carly.
Describing it as such a “cool” property, Carly explains that Mrs Cullen’s family have also been a huge support throughout the process: “Her children know my husband and have been great and stopped by the house a few times.
“As we were doing demo I saved tiles from the bathroom, tiles from the kitchen and found a box of birthday cards to their dad. Then they gifted us two pictures that their mum always had hanging in their house.
“They have been wonderful and helpful too because there were some quirks of the space that I couldn’t really work out in my head and they would come in and say, ‘This kitchen was never here, this was the exterior door and we added it on in the 60s!’
“As cliché as it is, there were so many properties we looked at that would have been just fine as projects, but you could tell this home just had heart. It was well loved well cared for and it turned out that that couldn’t have been more true.
“She was such a well-loved woman that it’s just been such a privilege to take on her house and see it forward in a new way.”
The work has been intense. The pair stripped everything down to the concrete but retained the basic footprint of the home.
Of the course of the year they have built and entirely new kitchen, took out walls, extended the living room and opened up the space under the stairs to create a “vinyl listening area” with records of all Irish artists.
On the first floor which Carly said was “technically” three bedrooms – Mrs Cullen had changed one into a small bathroom in her later years – they have created a “spa” bathroom with walk-in shower.
Carly – who typically designs properties to a more “rustic” style – said she has enjoyed working to a more “feminine” feel in Lower English Street, saying “it just felt like what the property wanted”.
Their goal has been to create a “luxury stay in terms of the fit, finish and fixtures” and for their new premises to eventually become a hotspot Airbnb destination and now they are working towards official Tourism NI certification.
Having officially caught the reno-bug, the couple hope to continue with more projects like this in the future… and where better than in Armagh?
Said Carly: “There are just so many incredible properties in Armagh. Our family also love visiting here so if nothing else it will be a great place for family to stay!
“There’s also just so much potential in Armagh. There’s so many beautiful properties and incredible talent in the tradespeople and vendors, from Glenvale Kitchens to Killeen Hardware and some of the most amazing plumbers, tilers, electricians and painters I’ve ever met!”
