Historic Building Details

HB Ref No:
HB20/01/021 B

Address :
Stable yard Moneyglass Demesne Duneane Road Toomebridge Co Antrim BT41 3PS

Townland:
Moneyglass

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Survey 2:
B1

Date of Listing:
18/11/2009 00:00:00

Date of De-listing:

Current Use:
Farm Buildings

Former Use
Stables

Conservation Area:
No

Industrial Archaeology:
No

Vernacular:
No

Thatched:
No

Monument:
No

Derelict:
Partially

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OS Map No:
94-4

IG Ref:
J0125 9245

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Owner Category

Private Private

Exterior Description And Setting

Detached multi-bay two-storey Italianate stable court complex, built c.1790, remodelled c.1855; located northeast of the surviving country house ruins (HB20/01/21A) set within extensive grounds of Moneyglass House Demesne, to the southeast corner of the five-acre estate walled garden (HB20/01/21F), and to west of the estate farm buildings (HB20/01/21C). Quadrangular on plan, with another courtyard adjoining to north. Hipped natural slate roofs, except where otherwise stated. Courtyard elevations are block-marked over random rubble stone walling. Window and door openings, except carriage arches, are square headed; openings to first floor are louvred, except the sheeted doors to wallhead half-dormers. Segmental headed carriage arches with rendered V-jointed reveals and voussoirs. Southeast Block External southeast elevation walling is roughcast rendered with central carriage arch accessing internal court. Openings at mezzanine level are boarded. Courtyard-facing NW elevation has central carriage arch flanked to either side by five openings. Southwest Block Two rendered chimneystacks to ridge flanking central section. External southwest elevation walling is lime-washed lime-rendered with two first floor boarded openings to extreme right end above a single blocked window to ground floor. Courtyard-facing NE elevation has a central coupled carriage arch flanked to both sides by three windows. First floor has three equal-spaced wallhead dormers containing painted timber vertically boarded loft doors (centre and one to left both have wrought-iron projecting crane arms over). Northwest Block External northwest elevation opens onto the concrete-paved rear carriage yard. Southeast stable court elevation comprises a central two-storey pavilion flanked by single-storey wings. Northwest (carriage yard) elevation is blank but for two painted timber doors to right end. Two rendered brick chimneystacks are located on the north apex of the pavilion and to right. Stable yard SE elevation has a central two-storey pedimented pavilion with a chamfered plinth, rendered V-jointed quoins and block-marked rendered with patches falling away to reveal squared basalt random-coursed walling. Ground floor window and door openings are all round-headed with painted timber 1/1 sashes, and the central entrance opening has moulded architraves, reticulated keystone, a timber raised and fielded four-panel double-leaf door. The pediment has a central oculus with moulded architrave and moulded stone cornice. The pavilion is flanked by two single-bay single-storey rooms, both once accessed through round-headed doors from the courtyard (but now east room door converted into 2/2 sash window). The west room entrance has the remains of a plate glass fanlight (no door). The single central first floor pavilion window is tripartite with 1/1 sliding sash flanked by single-light casements. There are single-storey open sheds to either end of the block with the roof supported on slender cast-iron columns. The northeast end (kennel) is closed by a full-height wrought-iron screen with hinged door section. Northeast Block External NE elevation has roughcast walling with two wallhead dormers containing painted timber vertically sheeted loft doors to left end and two blocked windows with cills to the mezzanine level at right end. Inner courtyard-facing elevation has multiple bays with three door openings; centre ground floor door is surmounted to the first floor by lucarne loft door. Ground floor windows are painted timber bipartite 1/1 side-hung casements. The three ground floor door openings painted timber vertically sheeted (stable) half-doors have five-light overlights. Carriage Courtyard The external elevations of the rear carriage courtyard are all blank with unrendered rubble stone walling built to courses. South edge defined by the north elevation of the stable court. West range consists of a multi-bay single-storey stable block with lean-to corrugated metal roof and rendered walling containing stable half-door openings. Courtyard-facing elevation of north wall has a slate lean-to canopy supported on slender cast-iron columns. There is a segmental carriage arch to left side of the north wall opening onto the walled garden enclosure (now pastureland with a modern agricultural structure). Courtyard-facing elevation of east block has a carriage arch to right end. The remaining two bays have similar cast-iron column-supported slate lean-to canopies (northern corner bay collapsed c.2005). Both have timber gabled dovecots. Roof covering Slate Walling Roughcast; Random rubble; Lime-washed lime render Windows Timber louvres Rainwater goods None

Architects

Lanyon, Charles

Historical Information

The stable court lies within the eighteenth century Moneyglass demesne, a rural estate owned by the Jones family. The 1833 OS map records the stableyard as three large buildings, two rectangular and one L-plan, forming a courtyard. The 1857 map records the quadrangular form seen today. It appears that the west range shown in the 1833 map may have been incorporated into the new stableyard. The 1921 OS map shows the plan of the current stableyard. It is likely that the stableyard shown in the 1833 map is contemporary with the 1787 Moneyglass House and that this was later extensively remodelled c.1855, possibly by Sir Charles Lanyon. There appear to have been three main phases of change at Moneyglass House. The first recorded occupant of Moneyglass. W. M. Jones had leased the estate on the 15th of April 1726 from French John O'Neill for a term of three lives at £25 rent per annum, which was renewable forever. He was second generation in Ireland, a scion of an ancient Welsh family that had arrived during the reign Charles II, and was himself the inspiration of Carolan's “celebrated planxty,” “Bumper Squire Jones.” (OS mem p.117). According to the OS Memoirs, a replacement house was built in 1787 by Thomas Morres Jones Esq. (p.117). A third stage (c.1855) is thought to be associated with Lanyon who is known to have worked on the gate lodge (HB20/01/21D). The stableyard is thought to have been heavily remodelled at this time. References: Primary sources 1. PRONI OS/6/1/94/1, OS Map, 1st edition, Co Antrim, sheet no. 42 (1833) 2. PRONI OS/6/1/94/2, OS Map, 2nd edition, Co Antrim, sheet no. 42 (1857). 3. PRONI VAL/1A/1/42, Townland Valuation Map, Co. Antrim, no. 42, 1836 VAL1 1836 4. OS Memoirs of Ireland, Parishes of Co Antrim VI 1830, 1833, 1835-38 (South west Antrim) Vol 19 Secondary sources Brett, C. E. B. “Buildings of County Antrim.” Belfast: Ulster Architectural Heritage Society, 1996 Dean, J. A. K. The Gatelodges of Ulster: A Gazetteer, 1994 Girvan, W. D. & Rowan, R. J. “Ulster Architectural Heritage Society Second List of Historic Buildings, Groups of Buildings, Areas of Architectural Importance in West Antrim, Within the Designated Area of the Antrim and Ballymena Development Commission.” Belfast: Ulster Architectural Heritage Society, 1970. Young, Robert Magill. “Belfast and the Province of Ulster in the Twentieth Century.” Pike's New Century Series, ed. W. T. Pike. Brighton : W. T. Pike, 1909.

Criteria for Listing

Architectural Interest

A. Style B. Proportion C. Ornamentation D. Plan Form I. Quality and survival of Interior J. Setting K. Group value

Historic Interest

W. Northern Ireland/International Interest V. Authorship Z. Rarity

Evaluation

The Italianate stable court survives unaltered as a testament to the high status of stables in large country house estates. Architecturally, it displays fine style, proportion, plan form, preserved setting and group value within the extensive remaining estate grounds. In particular, the quality and survival of its highly ornamented groin-vaulted stable interiors are of note. The historical association of the structure has long associations with several members of the aristocracy and is likely to be the remodelling work of Sir Charles Lanyon.

General Comments

Date of Survey

05 September 2008