Historic Building Details

HB Ref No:
HB16/14/037

Address :
Tower Hill 29 Turmore Road Donaghmore Newry Co Down BT34 1PJ

Townland:
Corcreeghy

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Survey 2:
Record Only

Date of Listing:

Date of De-listing:

Current Use:
House

Former Use
House

Conservation Area:
No

Industrial Archaeology:
No

Vernacular:
No

Thatched:
No

Monument:
No

Derelict:
No

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OS Map No:
252/11

IG Ref:
J1020 3178

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Owner Category

Private

Exterior Description And Setting

Two-storey/ three-bay mid 19thC farmhouse in mature ground on the N of Turmore Road. Hipped natural slate roof aligned NE-SW with overhanging boxed eaves carrying modern aluminium rainwater goods. There is a modern red brick chimney to either side of the central bay. Right gable has a similar modern chimney on an advanced chimneybreast. Rear pitch has a wall-head chimney on its right side. Principal elevation faces SE. Left and right bays are advanced and narrower central bay is recessed. Walls are modern pebble dashed with painted V-channelled quoins to either side of the left and right bays. Smooth rendered and painted basecourse. Left and right bays of façade are identical. Each floor on each bay has a modern uPVC casement window with granite cill. Those to first floor are diminished in height and width. All windows are as this unless otherwise stated. Central bay has ‘crazy paving’ stone cladding and is abutted by a single storey porch. Its stucco walls are band rusticated with channelled quoins over doorway to front. The left and right cheeks are blank. Its roof is concealed behind a moulded entablature with plain frieze and shallow pediment framed by plain blocks supporting painted concrete eagles. The doorway on front contains the original 19thC door which is 9-panelled with 3x3 paned transom (glazed in blue and green glass). It has brass furniture and four dressed granite steps up from the driveway. On the central bay, to either side of the doorcase, is a narrow 1/1 uPVC window with granite cill. Window to middle at first floor is as those on the left and right bays. Left gable of house has a uPVC window to each floor. Rear elevation is much altered. Left bay has a window to each floor (not aligned). Right bay is blank. Central bay is abutted by a narrow return (see later) at right; non-aligned window to each floor at left. Return is detailed as house under a cat-slide of the main roof. Its right cheek has a modern casement window with concrete cill to ground floor. Its rear face has a small 2/2 sash window to first floor with sandstone cill. Right gable of the house is abutted (at right) by a small modern single storey extension. Above, at first floor, it has two 2/2 sliding sash windows with sandstone cills (one to each end). Extension is detailed as the house with pitched artificial slate roof, pebble dashed walls and with windows to its front gable and left cheek. Its right cheek has a door. Setting House is accessed by a tree-lined avenue from Turmore Road. At the road there is a small derelict gate lodge. It is single storey / two bay and direct entry in plan. It has a modern corrugated metal roof but retains the remains of overhanging boxed eaves and a single red brick chimneystack. Harled walls and central door flanked by window openings with sandstone cills. Few original features remain. Some scalloped bargeboards to right (N) gable. Farmyard to rear of main house is enclosed to SW by a high rubble stone wall. It is embattled and has a slightly taller archway dressed with a sandstone platband and brick voussoirs. On NW side of the rear yard there is a two storey outbuilding with pitched natural slate roof, random rubble stone walls and a flight of external stairs. Remains of a small walled garden to N of house.

Architects

Not Known

Historical Information

Cited as 'Castle' on the 1834 OS 6" map. A building corresponding with the position of the gate lodge is also shown. The 1836 Valuation notes the castle's occupant as George Higgins and its dimensions are given as 34ft x 18ft x 12ft. It is cited as 'Tower Hill' in the 1860 map, and the gate lodge is explicitly captioned. According to the 1862 Valuation, it was occupied by Holt Waring Lindsay and its measurements are given as 60ft x 21ft x two storeys. Clearly the original structure has been rebuilt or enlarged. The house was refurbished in 1987 and the abutting servants’ quarters demolished. The HMBB first survey slides dated 1982 show the demolished block to have had 2/2 sliding sash windows to each floor. The central bay is finished as walls. The right gable of the house was at that time abutted by low one and half storey vernacular dwelling (tenant’s quarters). It has pitched natural slate roof aligned parallel with main roof. Its walls are harled rubble stone. Front gable has a central porch (ruinous) and left and right bays have a window to each floor, with those to attic set in gabled wall-head dormers. It is presumed that the narrow rear right room was a corridor linking the main house to the vernacular house. Dean describes the derelict gate lodge as “To a residence previously ‘The Castle’ a simple single-storey lodge. Three bay symmetrical and gabled with nice pendulous carved bargeboard pattern, with shamrock or trefoil toes. Built in random rubble with harling. Derelict.” Primary sources: 1. OS 6" map, 1834, Co Down sheet 46 (PRONI OS 6/3/46/1). 2. First Valuation, 1836 (PRONI VAL 1B/389, p.327). 3. OS 6" map, 1860, Co Down sheet 46 (PRONI OS 6/3/46/2). 4. Second Valuation, 1862 (PRONI VAL 2B/3/69E, p.340). 5. HMMB slide dated September 1982. Secondary Sources 1. J.A.K. Dean “The Gate Lodges of Ulster”. UAHS 1994, p.98.

Criteria for Listing

Architectural Interest

Not listed

Historic Interest

Not listed

Evaluation

Much altered mid 19thC farmhouse with derelict gate lodge. Neither house nor gate lodge retain any features of special architectural or historical interest.

General Comments

Date of Survey

21 February 2000