Historic Building Details

HB Ref No:
HB16/05/009 A

Address :
Mourne Park House Newry Road Kilkeel Newry Co Down BT34 4SD

Townland:
Ballyrogan or Mourne Park

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Survey 2:
B+

Date of Listing:
14/08/1981 00:00:00

Date of De-listing:

Current Use:
Country House

Former Use
Country House

Conservation Area:
No

Industrial Archaeology:
No

Vernacular:
No

Thatched:
No

Monument:
No

Derelict:
No

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OS Map No:
284/2

IG Ref:
J2702 1588

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Owner Category

Commercial

Exterior Description And Setting

A double pile/ three bay house with two storeys to front, and three to rear, and two-storey kitchen block abutting NW corner. Faces to S in a large mature demesne, with three yards of outhouses to rear (HB16/05/009B) and gardener’s house behind (HB16/05/009C). Early 19th century in origin, but much altered and extended in early 20th century. Hipped natural slate roof with flat central leaded section. Deeply overhanging eaves to main façade, with timber sheeted soffit and decorated rafter tails to remaining elevations. Six chimneys in all: some are ashlar granite, and others are cement rendered. South elevation Front (south) elevation is symmetrical and in finely dressed ashlar granite with advanced moulded granite eaves course and plain blocking course over. Central bay is narrower than others and slightly advanced. It has three equally spaced, full height openings to ground floor, each with voussoired flat heads. The middle opening has a pair of glazed and panelled doors with large sliding sash transom over. Left and right openings contain casement windows (height of door) with large fixed transoms over. To first floor of central bay is a slightly recessed, segmental headed panel, leaving two ashlar piers and spandrel over, flush with ground floor. In this panel is a pair of 1/1 sliding sashes with two piece ashlar mullion between them. They have no cills and their heads are in line with the spring of arch of the recess. Along this line, and defining the bottom of the spandrel, is a very narrow ashlar string course, flush with façade. Left and right bays of façade are identical. At ground floor are advanced rectangular ashlar bays with moulded eaves cornice and blocking course over (flat roofs behind). Each has three tall two-paned casement windows to front and a single one on each cheek. All windows are detailed as those to central bay. Projecting ashlar platband between ground and first floors. To first floor the wall is recessed, in line with bay window below and recessed with two windows etc as central bay, but narrower. Abutting to ground floor left is the south elevation of the single storey (billiard room) extension. It is in ashlar as façade with similar moulded cornice and blocking course (flat roof behind). To centre is an advanced rectangular bay (detailed as those on main facade) with a single full height casement window (as before) to main wall on either side. Turning left corner leads to left elevation. West elevation West (left) elevation is completely abutted to ground floor by the single storey extension; remaining wall to upper floors is ashlar granite and is four opening wide. Left section of wall is original house and contains three storeys (diminishing in height); the more recent right-hand portion is two storeys high; both sections share a common eaves height. On the left are two 6/6 sliding sashes (no horns) to first floor (cills at roofline of the one-storey extension) and two 3/6 sashes in line above (heads at eaves). To their right, on the first floor of the two-storey block, is a pair of large 1/1 sliding sashes in a single opening, and to right a single 1/1 sash window. The west elevation of the extension is dressed as its front facing (south) wall, but wider. Its roof is concealed behind a parapet and has two hipped timber framed roof lights. To centre, up a wide flight of four ashlar granite steps, is a pair of large stained timber panelled doors. Each is five panelled (bottom two shorter and top one horizontal). These have plain ashlar jambs and a flat voussoired head. Door has a bronze lion’s head knocker and a similar door pull. Above is a bronze pendant light (possibly Edwardian). To either side, resting on the top step, are two free standing ashlar granite pillars, with moulded plinths and thin moulded capitals. There is no evidence of any entablature over. To wall between each pair of pillars, are single narrow two paned casement windows. To left and to right, beyond the pillars, are two large 1/1 sliding sashes with dressed granite cills. North wall of extension (left cheek) detailed as others with moulded cornice and blocking course. Its left half is abutted by the south wall of kitchen block (see later). Remaining wall to right has two equally spaced, same height openings. That to left is a large 1/1 sliding sash window with dressed granite cill. At right, a similar window has been turned into a doorway. Door is t+g sheeted with large sheeted transom over (size of top sash of left window). This sheeted transom has a diagonal timber post attached which suggests that a green house or conservatory was once attached (ground to front has a raised concrete floor). North elevation North (rear) elevation is lined rendered and painted. It is abutted at right by a two-storey return and at left by a single-storey yard block (HB 16/5/9B). Between these returns are four 2/2 (horizontally divided) sliding sashes with granite cills: three are large 2/2 sashes and the third one is a smaller 1/1. The size of the first and second floor openings suggests they are original: there are four 1/1 sashes to first floor and five 6/6 sashes to second floor (the fifth is abutted by the roof of the return). All are concentrated to centre, with no openings to either end, and all have dressed granite cills. The two-storey return is in two stages and infills the corner formed by the two-storey kitchen block abutting the north-west corner of the main house. The first stage, which is two storeys high, abuts rear elevation of main block. Hipped lean-to natural slate roof, with notch cut out to accommodate fifth second floor window on main block. Its north-facing wall is abutted at right by the two-storey part of the second stage and at left by the single-storey section of this stage. The exposed section of the north-facing wall at first floor has a large 6/6 sliding sash window. The left cheek of this first stage has a pair of glazed and panelled doors at ground floor. The right cheek abuts the kitchen block. The second stage of return is two storeys at right and single storey to left. The single storey section to left has a mono-pitched natural slate roof (sloping left into yard). Its has three segmental headed 3/3 (vertically divided) windows to its left cheek. Wall to yard is blank. The two-storey section has a flat leaded roof, with tall cement rendered chimney. Its left cheek is abutted at ground floor by the previous block. First floor has two 2/2 horizontally divided sash windows. Its rear wall has a single similar 2/2 window to each floor. Its right cheek abuts the kitchen block. Kitchen block This encloses the west side of the yard behind the house. Hipped natural slate roof with terracotta ridges, overhanging eaves and boarded soffit. It has a cement rendered chimney rising from centre of ridge and a similar but taller chimneys rising from wall heads on north and south ends. Its east wall (fronting rear yard) is lined render and painted. At its left end is the abutting two-storey return on the main block (previously described). To the right, the wall is also abutted to centre by a shallow two-storey return. At ground floor right is a flat roofed outbuilding rising from a low basement to a height of 1m above the yard. On the exposed wall to either side of the middle return, are single sliding sash windows to each floor (that at left is 6/6; that to right is 3/3, its cill having presumably been raised to accommodate the single storey outhouse). Below the left-hand window is a four panelled door into the kitchen basement. Right again on this wall is a 2/2 (horizontally divided) sash window to first floor. The two storey middle return has a flat roof. Its walls are rendered and painted and it has a concrete block chimney rising up its right (north facing) cheek. It has a four-panelled door at basement level, in elevation to yard, and a small 1/1 sash at first floor. On its left cheek at basement level is a similar 1/1 window. Its right cheek (to north) is blank. The single storey outhouse at right has a shallow mono-pitched concrete roof. Its walls are painted render and it has a window opening just above ground level on its east and north walls (both now without frames), and a sheeted timber basement door on south wall. North wall of kitchen block is lined rendered with a single 6/6 sliding sash window (now partially boarded over) centred to ground floor. Its west elevation faces the demesne and is architecturally treated. It has ashlar dressed walls with a slightly raised low basecourse. There are four windows to each floor (not quite symmetrically arranged). Those to ground floor are 6/6 sliding sashes and those above are similarly sized 2/2 (horizontally divided) sliding sashes. Those to ground floor have flat voussoired heads and all have dressed granite cills. The three first floor windows to left (serving nursery) have vertical wrought iron barred grills over their lower sash. Its south elevation is abutted by the billiard room extension on west wall of main block. The exposed first floor section of wall was not visible, but is probably blank. East elevation East (right) elevation of main building is ashlar granite and is four openings wide. The right hand section is the original block and contains three storeys (diminishing in height); the left section is later and of two storeys. At ground floor right are two tall openings: that to right is a full height glazed casement with fixed transom (as those to façade). The left opening contains a pair of glazed and panelled doors set within an open timber porch. Porch is c.1900 in style and has a pitched corrugated metal roof (possibly once glazed). It has a chamfered ashlar plinth to left and right supporting a frame and t+g sheeted dado. Turned posts at either end of dado rail form an open panel with spandrel brackets. Over this is a rail of four short turned balusters. A curving timber support rises from the front of each front post to support the ogee cast iron rainwater goods. At first floor right are two sliding sashes: left one is 1/1 and right is 6/6. Both are in line with ground floor openings. At second floor level, in line with openings below, are two 3/6 sashes (heads at eaves). At centre on ground floor (in later section of this elevation) is a wide opening containing a pair of narrow fully glazed French windows with matching sidelights and transoms over all. At first floor is a pair of large 1/1 sliding sashes in a single opening, in line with and a similar width to that below. At left is a full height opening containing a pair of fully glazed French windows with fixed transom over. Above, at first floor, is a tall 1/1 sliding sash window. Setting To front of house is a three stage terrace with central linking steps between levels. There is a raised paved area in front of the house, and beyond this a lawned section enclosed by a low granite wall and containing an ornamental pond on either side of a central pathway. Steps link with the lowest terrace, also lawned. All paths have been formed used large concrete blocks. The right elevation has a lawned garden enclosed by a low granite wall to three sides and contains a sundial and a low, rock faced family mausoleum. The sundial is a single cushion moulded dressed granite pillar with moulded base and head, supporting a bronze dial inscribed, ‘Gardiner, Belfast Oct.1820’. It has etched Roman numerals and a scrolled gnomon. The lid of the tomb is inscribed: Nicholas Needham Anley/ Born and died at/ Mourne Park/ 30.3.1943 – 13.2.1992/ Safe in your beloved Mourne/ Rest in peace”. Beyond, to NW, is a large garden with mature yews, paths and a pergola with concrete block path at the end of which is a pair of wrought iron gates c.1890 leading to a concrete swimming pool which enclosed by a hedge. Also within this enclosure is a small Buddha statue on a concrete plinth. Elsewhere in this garden is a white marble statue of a man in Grecian clothing (early 19th c) on a pedestal which is inscribed ‘Francis Jack, 13th Viscount and 2nd Earl of Kilmorey B.1787 D.1880.’ Left elevation provides main entrance and has a loop of gravel driveway, with lawns to the centre and edges. Beyond to all sides the domain has picturesque garden to far right with statuary and pergola etc. The lake to south of house is now mostly silted up and a falling tree has destroyed a rustic-style boathouse. A now disused driveway runs from Green Gates (HB16/05/005A) to the front of the house and is lined with mature beech trees. Elsewhere in the grounds are the concrete foundations of numerous WW2 huts, but none survive intact. The rear yards and extensions are separately listed (HB16/05/009B).

Architects

Historical Information

Present house was built by Robert Needham (later Lord Kilmorey) in 1806, He was descended from Nicholas Bagnall, owner of the lordship of Newry and Mourne during the 16th century. There had been an earlier house on this site, a small hunting lodge marked as ‘Siberia’ on Taylor & Skinners 1777 map. The early 19th century building was two storey / three bay with Venetian windows and a doorway with sidelights. It is believed that a third storey was added sometime after 1820. Sometime after 1859 a new two-storey/ three bay front was added, with higher ceiling heights than the old house. The rectangular bays were added to its principal elevation in 1892. The long room was added at rear right in 1904 (HB16/05/009B). Around 1920, the one-storey extension at west was added; the staircase was also remodelled at this time. The estate was used to the Divisional Artillery HQ, HQ battery and 46th Field Artillery of the 5th Infantry Division of the American Army from October 1943-March 1944. During this period numerous Nissan huts were erected in the grounds. Secondary sources: 1. Document held in Historic Building File HB16/05/009A 2. L. Murphy, ‘The United States Army Fifth infantry Division …’, in 12 miles of Mourne, vol..6, (1993) pp5-12. 3. Occupant (1998) 4. Taylor's and Skinner's Map of 1777. 5. PRONI - OS 6/6/55/1 (1834 OS 6'' map) (Down sheet 55). 6. Jupp. B. 'Historic Gardens Inventory of Northern Ireland' (1994): D/039.

Criteria for Listing

Architectural Interest

A. Style B. Proportion C. Ornamentation D. Plan Form E. Spatial Organisation H-. Alterations detracting from building H+. Alterations enhancing the building I. Quality and survival of Interior J. Setting K. Group value

Historic Interest

X. Local Interest

Evaluation

This attractive and much evolved building remains intact within its demesne, which contains many interesting structures. It is of much architectural and historic interest.

General Comments

Date of Survey

23 October 1998