Historic Building Details

HB Ref No:
HB17/13/030

Address :
Gillhall (Gill Hall) Bridge Dromore Co. Down

Townland:
Gillhall Demesne

---

Survey 2:
B+

Date of Listing:
16/02/2009 00:00:00

Date of De-listing:

Current Use:
Bridge

Former Use
Bridge

Conservation Area:
No

Industrial Archaeology:
No

Vernacular:
Yes

Thatched:
No

Monument:
No

Derelict:
No

---

OS Map No:
202/02 SE

IG Ref:
J1668 5349

---

Owner Category

Exterior Description And Setting

Elegant late 17th century bridge of four semicircular arches in random rubble composed of mostly Silurian stone with some sandstone. The Lagan River in normal circumstances flows through the two central equised arches, while those at each end, which are smaller, both in height and width. are normally dry. Indeed, one of the smaller arches, that on the north side, is partly infilled and a blocking wall build into the face of the west side. Both this arch and the one on the opposite are used as cattle shelters. These smaller arches would have been built to accommodate the river on the adjacent flood plain in time of floods. Rather than having a humped back, the carriageway, which measures around 100 feet in length and 14 feet 6 inches between the 18-inch wide parapets, has a slight upward slope from south to north, with a short causeway approach to the south. The bridge boasts piers with angled cutwaters, three on each side, which continue upwards into three pedestrian refuges in each parapet. The parapets are coped with irregular Silurian stonework, in part replaced with dressed granite, sandstone and concrete flags in the more recent past. There is no embellishment on the bridge. In the recent past, possibly during the 1970s, the face of the bridge was given a skim of cement plaster and the stone joining accentuated. The piers of the mains arches also have been faced with concrete, although much of this has fallen away and the mortar jointing eroded. The soffit of the south arch is also badly cracked, and tie rods would be necessary to hold this together. Masonry buttresses at the south-east and north-west ends also helps to counteract the outward bulge of the approach walls. The top of the down stream right-bank pedestrian refuge has also fallen away, and there is considerable ivy growth over part of the bridge face. The bridge lay at the centre of a major late 17th century formal demesne layout and stands adjacent to the site of a once important late 17th and early 18th century mansion. This stood a short distance to the north-west. While part of the 1730s stable block still survives, no fragment of the original house exists. Adjacent to the bridge on the north-west side are the remains of a wall (largely composed of early brick) revetting the river bank, possibly part of a garden terrace. To the south of the bridge, and aligned upon it, lies a long straight half-mile avenue, which formally led to the house. This is still lined with common lime (mostly) and oak and is a notable surviving feature in its own right. The area around the bridge on both sides is used as a farm yards, with a modern farm building just south west of the bridge. The area around the bridge nonetheless retains many trees and is an attractive location.

Architects

Historical Information

Introduction: The bridge lies adjacent to and was directly associated with the great house of Gill Hall, a very important late 17th and early 18th century mansion that was, destroyed by fire in 1969 and later demolished. The bridge was probably built in the 1670s at the same time as the house and formal demesne layout. The House: The house comprised a three storey seven bay building built in the 1670s by John Magill, whose family had acquired the land though the Act of Settlement, as a reward for helping Cromwell in the 1650s. In his will of 1677 John Magill left the house to his heir and grandson, Sir John, the first Baronet. After Sir John’s death in 1699 the house passed to his sister’s son, John Hawkins of Rathfryland, who assumed the name Magill. It was probably who engaged the famous architect Richard Castle, who added the wings around 1736. At the time Castle was engaged upon work on the Newry Canal. The enlargement included the addition of shallow full height, curved bays on each side of the front, each storey with rusticated Venetian windows. The house was entered through a magnificent doorway under a segmental arch with carved stone dolphins in the spandrels. Internally, the house retained it original 1670s wainscot panelling and its superb wooden staircase, notably for its barley-sugar banisters. The house became famous for being one of the most haunted in Ireland. In a bedroom of the former house, Sir John Magill’s sister-in-law, Nicola, Lady Beresford, when staying there in October 1693, claimed to have received a visitation of the ghost of John Power, Lord Tyrone who came (as he promised to do) to relate his own death and tell whether God existed or not. His report was in the affirmative. He also foretold accurately that Lady Beresford would die in her 47th year. When the 5th Earl of Clanwilliam, whose forebear had married the Hawkins-Magill heiress, Theodosia, in 1774, brought his bride to Gill Hall in 1909 she found the ghosts too much and the house was abandoned in favour of Montalto, Ballynahinch, which the earl had bought in 1910. In 1964 when the house was in a poor state, the Irish Georgian Society sent out an appear to repair roof and carry out other renovation work. This was carried out by the society in the Spring and Summer of 1966 and 1967 under Desmond Hodges. In 1968 it was ‘bought as an investment’ by a Scottish woman and in 1969 was burnt by fire. The ruin was subsequently blown up by the army. Only the stable block (HB17/13/21), built was Richard Castle in the 1730s, survived, together with the bridge. The Bridge: This stands close to the site of the former house and spans the River Lagan. It is shown crossing the river hereabouts on Harris’s 1743 Map of County Down. It is also depicted on the 1834 Ordnance Survey 6-inch map (sheet 20) and later OS map editions.. While there appears to be no direct evidence for it, the bridge was almost certainly built as part of the original formal demesne layout of the 1670s and constructed at the same time as the 1670s house. While it may in theory be possible that the bridge was built in the early 18th century, it would have been surprising if only a wooden bridge was built here in the 1670s, when such a major building programme had been focussed at the time on the adjacent house and formal layout. In stylistic terms the bridge has affinities with other late 17th century bridges. An example of a similar bridge of this date lies at Custer, in Clare (Tandragee); this too has angled cutwaters which extend to form pedestrian refuses at parapet level. The lands here at Gill Hall were sold by private treaty in March 1997. References: Bence-Jones (1976) Irish Country House). London, Burkes, p133. Anon (1966) Irish Georgian Society Bulletin, April-September Vol VII, No 2-4 Preservation in Ireland, p45 De Breffny B and R. Ffolliott (1975) The House of Ireland. Thames and Hudson, London, pp72-3. Ordnance Survey Memoirs, Parish of Dromore, 13641 (1837) Jope, M (ed.) (1966) The Archaeological Survey of County Down, p367. Weekly Irish Times, May 29th 1937. Brett, CEB (1999) The Buildings of Armagh. Belfast, UAHS, p252. Hamond, F (1994) Report for EHS. Mss Notes.

Criteria for Listing

Architectural Interest

Historic Interest

Evaluation

This is a rare example in Ulster of a good quality 17th century bridge. Of note are the angled cutwaters that extend up to parapet level to create pedestrian refuges - a rare feature in Ulster. The bridge also survives as a strong landscape feature in an important demesne - and was once associated with Gill Hall house, now sadly gone, but once one of Ireland's most distinguished late 17th and early 18th century country houses.

General Comments

One of a select number of surviving 17th century bridges in Ulster. It is an excellent example of its type, being a good piece of vernacular engineering, a strong landscape feature and an important surviving relic of a major formal demesne layout. Bridges of this kind, whose angled cutwaters extend up to parapet level to create pedestrian refuges, is very rare in Ulster.

Date of Survey

28 March 2008