Historic Building Details

HB Ref No:
HB19/05/076 A

Address :
Hillsborough Castle The Square Hillsborough County Down BT26 6AG

Townland:
Small Park

---

Survey 2:
B+

Date of Listing:
01/12/1976 00:00:00

Date of De-listing:

Current Use:
Parliament Building

Former Use
Country House

Conservation Area:
Yes

Industrial Archaeology:
No

Vernacular:
No

Thatched:
No

Monument:
Yes

Derelict:
No

---

OS Map No:
184/05

IG Ref:
J2416 5865

---

Owner Category

Central Govt Commercial

Exterior Description And Setting

Detached two and three-storey multi-bay Neo-classical large house on an L-plan with the west wing built c.1780 and the east wing added c.1795, with a Giant Ionic portico added to the south garden front c.1835. Laid out around a front courtyard on the west side of The Square enclosed by decorative gate screen (HB19/05/076B) with extensive mature gardens to the south and west. Built as the seat of the Marquesses of Downshire, the demesne was sold to the state during the 1920s and re-named Government House. Damaged by fire in 1934, the interior of the house has had a succession of reinstatement works carried out since. Hipped natural slate roofs with lead ridges and several tall sandstone ashlar chimneystacks with clay pots, set behind parapet wall. Lead hoppers breaking through parapet wall and lead downpipes to the main elevations with cast-iron to the remainder. Red sandstone ashlar walling and projecting plinth course with moulded sandstone cornice to lead-lined parapet wall. Square-headed window openings with sandstone sills and timber sash windows (some replaced with security windows). West Wing: Central two-storey block seven windows wide with pedimented breakfront, three windows wide, flanked by pair of single-bay projections (two-storey to the south, three-storey to the north). The north projection is extended by a further three-storey over basement north wing, two windows wide. Sandstone architrave surrounds with pediments on scrolled console brackets to the central opening and to both ground floor windows to the south projection and to the ground floor window of the re-entrant bay of the north projection. 6/9 timber sash windows to the ground floor, except the central opening having timber French doors with six-pane overlight and opening onto four nosed steps. Security windows to the first floor and 3/3 or 3/6 timber sash windows to the remainder. The central block opens onto a gravel terrace with nosed stone steps to either end opening onto formal gardens. North wing has two painted gabled elevations to the north with a tall sandstone chimneystack to each and a lower flat-roofed central connecting section. The front pile of the north wing is abutted by a single-storey over basement laundry wing with hipped natural slate roof and 6/6 timber sash windows. The east elevation is four windows wide and three storeys tall with rendered walling, with timber sash windows and abutted by sandstone accretions extending from the east elevation of the east wing. Symmetrical two-storey east elevation is five windows wide with a slight breakfront fronted by a tetrastyle Ionic portico and flanked by a pair of single-bay three-storey decorative projections. Security windows to the first floor with a pair of large round-headed window openings to either end bay having tripartite timber sash windows and fanlight over. The portico comprises; paired Ionic columns supporting full entablature with a central square-headed door opening with pediments on scrolled console brackets and double-leaf flat-panelled timber doors. Door flanked by pair of 6/6 timber sash windows with several wall-mounted coat-of-arms stone plaques and a cast-iron wall-mounted post box. The projections to either end have a breakfront bay to the upper floors to both elevations, supported on decorative console brackets with French doors to the ground level and 3/3 timber sash windows. East Wing: Fronting onto the front courtyard, the two-storey east wing has an informal composition to this north elevation, seven windows wide with a two-storey projection at its east end abutted by a further two-storey over basement with attic block further east and fronting onto The Square. Extending from the south projection of the west wing is a flat-roofed single-storey gallery, five windows wide, terminated by a tetrastyle Ionic portico to an entrance breakfront. 3/3 timber sash windows to the first floor, 6/6 to the ground floor. Shallow portico has four Ionic columns supporting plain entablature containing a square-headed door opening with architrave surround and double-leaf flat-panelled timber doors flanked by pair of 2/1 timber sash windows. The east projection, is three windows and wide and three windows deep, abutted by a flat-roofed sandstone accretion to the east. The three-storey east block is stepped behind the east projection, aligned with the front gate screen and abutted by a flat-roofed entrance porch with replacement hardwood panelled door. Facing east the easternmost block is three windows wide with a front garden enclosed by cast-iron railing and matching pedestrian gate. Symmetrical two-storey south garden front, fifteen windows wide, with pedimented tetrastyle Giant Ionic order portico and pair of shallow two-storey three-sided canted bays. Balustraded parapet wall to the central section with plain parapet wall (as above) to the remainder. 3/3 timber sash windows to the first floor (replacement security windows to the west end), 6/6 to the ground floor. The prostyle portico has lead-lined roof and sits on a crepidoma-style platform of five nosed steps. The soffit of the portico has stepped coffering with a tripartite central opening with cornice supported on scrolled console brackets with security glazed French doors and sidelights opening onto three nosed steps. A further slender window opening to either side with a small central window opening to the upper storey. Portico opens onto elevated gravel terrace spanning the full south garden front with a series of nosed stone steps to the stepped garden terraces. To the east end of the terrace is a Greek temple-style Summer House, facing west (HB19/05/076D). Setting: Laid out around a front courtyard on the west side of The Square enclosed by elaborate gate screen. The formal West Front and South Front are set on an elevated site with formal landscaped gardens on a gradient, enclosed to Dromore Road by a tall sandstone ashlar wall and enclosed to the rears of the houses on Main Street by the former Stable Yard (HB19/05/076C). Sandstone low walling and balustrading to elevated south terrace with stone steps leading to formal gardens. Roof Natural slate RWG Lead / Cast-iron Walling Sandstone ashlar Windows Timber sash/Repalcement security windows

Architects

Brettingham, R F Sands, James Sands, William Duff, Thomas Ingleby Smith (Ministry of Finance)

Historical Information

Described by Brett as, ‘by far the largest and grandest house in north County Down’, Hillsborough Castle was for one hundred and fifty years the home of the Marquesses of Downshire and has lately provided accommodation for royalty, ministers and high-level dignitaries from home and abroad, as well as being a venue for less formal occasions, such as charitable events. (Brett, p.90, Hillsborough Castle, p.5) Hillsborough is named after the Hill family who came to Ireland from the west country in the late sixteenth century. Moses Hill obtained extensive estates through conquest of Irish chieftains and built a fortified house at Hill Hall in the early 1600s. His younger son Arthur Hill was the first to live at Hillsborough and reconstructed Hillsborough Fort which had been destroyed in the 1641 rebellion. The village of Hillsborough was given borough status after the restoration in 1660 and had a corporation and the right to elect two MPs to the Irish government. The town thenceforth became the residence of the Hill family, who increased in prominence and prosperity, Trevor Hill becoming Baron Hill and Viscount Hillsborough in 1717. In the late seventeenth century Trevor Hill built a house close to the terrace of the present Castle. No drawings or plans survive but Harris described it as ‘a noble large house built within the area of a regular fortification.” This house was burnt down in an accidental fire, sometime in the late 1730s. (Hillsborough Castle, p.10-12) Wills Hill, the first Marquess of Downshire (1718-93), built a mansion house to the south east of the present house, in Large Park, the remains of which are still present. It is clear from Mrs Delaney’s observations of 1758 that Lord Hillsborough had in mind the construction of a new mansion at that time, but an estate map of 1771 shows only a schematic representation of a terrace of houses on the western side of the square. The Archaeological Survey of County Down asserts that a house was built on the site soon after 1758 but appears to be basing this assumption on a map of uncertain date which could not be located. Establishing a date of construction is hampered by the fact that ‘Hillsborough Fort’ as it is now called was also known as ‘Hillsborough Castle’ at this time. However, the present house is shown unequivocally on an estate map ‘surveyed 1788’ by W Byers. The house consists of two large rectangular wings orientated north to south with a narrow internal courtyard. A pathway from the Square leads through the house from east to west. Brettingham’s drawings dated by PRONI to c.1788, depict the west front as presently constructed and in an annotation to another drawing, Brettingham describes himself as ‘the architect of the west range of the house itself’. However, Brettingham’s involvement with the design of the remainder of the house at this stage is not clear. (Mrs Delaney, quoted in Archaeological Survey of Down, p.409, Archeological Survey of Down, p.414) The construction of his own house was only part of Hill’s plans, his scheme also included the building of a new town with a market house at the centre and the rebuilding of the Fort and the parish church. Wills Hill was the Secretary of State for the Colonies during the independence struggle and Hillsborough was visited by Benjamin Franklin in October 1771 and this was reported in communciation dated January 1772. Unfortunately Franklin and Hill disliked each other, Hill being unable to countenance American independence. King George III later blamed the Marquess for the loss of America. (Hillsborough Castle, p.20, Walker, p.9, www.oxforddnb.com) The second Marquess, Arthur Hill (1753-1801), was able to make additions and alterations to the house due to the wealth of his heiress wife and again engaged Brettingham who added a library to the south-east of the original house and then a thirteen-bay south front c.1795. Numerous drawings have survived, showing Brettingham’s designs for the house both internally and externally, some of which were clearly carried out and others which may have been more speculative. A series of letters from William Forsyth, clerk of works during these improvements, to the Marquess of Downshire, survives. An estate map of c.1800 shows the house with its new south front, and the wing to the north that was present on the 1780 map, now gone. The third Marquess, also Arthur Hill (1788-1845), oversaw further changes to the estate. The main road to Moira ran across the south front of the house at this time and it is clear that by 1810, Lord Hillsborough was planning to re-route the road in order to enhance the appearance of his new mansion. Barry dates the opening of the new road to 1826 and it would seem that the public road in front of the house, which is depicted on the OS map of 1833, was closed between this date and 1839, when a plan showing the changes was made by Henry Murray. (Barry, p.35) Arthur Hill presided over alterations and additions to the house by Thomas Duff in the late 1820s and by William Sands, who was resident in the town during the works and for the remainder of his life, in the 1840s. A number of letters from Thomas Duff to Lord Downshire have survived that refer to works at the house between 1828 and 1830, but it is not clear from this correspondence what the nature of these was. Plans made by Henry Murray in 1833 and 1839 show that between these two dates the library was extended and given a giant portico, but Murray is unknown as an architect and it is not clear that it was he who designed the alterations. (Hillsborough Castle, p.44-5) At the time of the Townland Valuation (1828-40) the house was valued at £100 and a lengthy list is given in the fieldbook of buildings and outbuildings with their dimensions. The ‘Castle’ is captioned on the first edition OS map of 1833. William Sands, working with his relative James Sands, made several changes to the house and demesne in the 1840s, giving the house much of the appearance that it assumes today. The south front was extended to the east and a giant Ionic portico added. In order to achieve symmetry a single bay was demolished to the west. A plan of the remodelled house and some correspondence between Sands and Lord Downshire, survive. (Hillsborough Castle, p.22) In 1846, the Parliamentary Gazetteer sets out both what were perceived to be the shortcomings of the house at this time, and its charm, “Criticism has remarked that the...beauty of the town would have been greater if...the mansion, with its picturesque home-view, had been removed a little farther from the public road. Yet whatever may be said about the demesne, the town acquires an almost aristocratic air from the proximity of the mansion and seems as if caressed between the lawn and the park.” (Parliamentary Gazetteer, p.298) It appears that the valuers considered the changes made by William and James Sands to be very impressive, for by the time of Griffith’s Valuation (1856-64) the building, now referred to as a ‘castle’, is valued at £250. In 1867 the valuer notes that a new billiard room has been added to the estate, a two-storey room of cut stone measuring approximately 20x17 and this adds £15 to the valuation, bringing it to £265. The fifth and sixth Marquesses of Downshire had little connection with Hillsborough, preferring to live elsewhere. During the last quarter of the nineteenth century, Lord Arthur Hill, who was the younger brother of the fifth Marquess, lived at the Castle, managing the estates and representing County Down in parliament. The sixth Marquess of Downshire (1871-1918), who succeeded to the title in 1874 while still a small child, was by far the largest landowner in the north of Ireland at the end of the nineteenth century. However, at the beginning of the twentieth century his estates began to be sold off under the Land Acts. Given the huge reduction in the Marquess’s tenanted holdings in Down, it was perhaps felt that an estate manager was no longer necessary and Lord Arthur retired to his London house. (Purdue, p.17, 83) Following this, the house was let to Sir Thomas Dixon, son of Sir Daniel Dixon, a former Lord Mayor of Belfast who had made his fortune as a builder and timber importer. Sir Thomas succeeded his father as a Harbour Commissioner and in 1913, served as High Sheriff of County Down. Annual Revisions list Sir Thomas Dixon Bt as the occupier from 1910 and he left the house in 1919 when he purchased Wilmont, near Dunmurry. (Hillsborough Castle, p.18) In 1922 the house was purchased by the Ministry of Works in London as a residence for the Governor of Northern Ireland, a newly created post following partition. Following three years of preparation, the Duke of Abercorn took up residence in 1925, in what was then named ‘Government House’. Annual Revisions list the occupier as the Governor of Northern Ireland and the immediate lessor as the Ministry of Finance Northern Ireland from 1926. However, it appears that the Ministry of Works in London (as the Department of the Environment) retained responsibility for upkeep of the fabric of the building until 1990 when ownership passed to the Northern Ireland Office. (Hillsborough Castle, p.8, 18-9) Following a fire in 1934, the house was refurbished internally under the supervision of Roland Ingleby Smith and the gatescreen was added to the market square entrance. The Duke of Abercorn was succeeded by Earl Granville, Lord Wakehurst, Lord Erskine and Lord Grey of Naunton, the office of Governor being abolished when direct rule was introduced in 1972. Since then the house has been retained by the government for use on state occasions. (Irish Builder; Hillsborough Castle, p.19) In 1987 the Northern Ireland Minister, Tom King, set up a committee to advise on ‘the structure, decoration, furnishing and maintenance of Hillsborough Castle and the planting and maintenance of its grounds’. It was felt that the 1930s refurbishment of the house had not been entirely successful and the committee concluded that the house should reflect ‘the appearance and atmosphere of an Irish Country Mansion’ while being decorated in a manner befitting its ceremonial purposes. John O’Connell of Dublin was appointed as architect and interior design consultant and the refurbishment was completed in 1993. (Brett, p.91) References: Primary Sources 1. PRONI OS/6/3/14/1 – First Edition OS Map 1833 2. PRONI OS/6/3/14/2 – Second Edition OS map 1858 3. PRONI OS/6/3/14/3 – Third Edition OS Map 1902-3 4. PRONI OS/6/3/14/4 – Fourth Edition OS Map 1919-20 5. PRONI VAL/1/A/3/14 – Townland Valuation Field Map (c.1830) 6. PRONI VAL/1/B/344A-B – Townland Valuation (1828-40) 7. PRONI VAL/1/D/3/5 – Townland Valuation Town Plan (c.1834) 8. PRONI VAL/2/B/3/45A-C – Griffith’s Valuation (1856-64) 9. PRONI VAL/12/B/20/14/A-E – Annual Revisions (1864-1930) 10. PRONI VAL/12/E/102/1/1-6 – Annual Revisions Town Plan ([c.1864]-1909) 11. PRONI D671/M/8/2 – Map of Hillsborough, 1771 12. PRONI T3153/1 – Map of Hillsborough, 1788 13. PRONI D671/M/8/25 – Map of Hillsborough c.1800 14. PRONI D671/M/8/57 – Map of Hillsborough 1803 15. PRONI D671/M/8/45 - Plan of the park and demesne lands at Hillsborough with alterations, by John Webb, 1810 16. PRONI D671/P/8/15A – Plans of Hillsborough by James Sands, 1844 17. PRONI D671/P/8/22/1-15 – Plans and elevations of Hillsborough Castle (c.1788-c.1795) 18. PRONI D671/C/11/1-26 – Letters from Thomas Duff to the Marquess of Downshire (1826-1834) 19. PRONI D671/P/8/22/17 – Plan of Hillsborough House by Henry Murray (1833) 20. PRONI D671/P/8/22/18 – Plan of Hillsborough House by Henry Murray (1839) 21. PRONI D671/C/28/1-8 – Correspondence between William Sands and the Marquess of Downshire (1839-44) 22. PRONI D671/P/8/27/1-5 – Elevations of stables by Brettingham c.1795 23. PRONI D607/C/76B-153 – Letters from William Forsyth to Marquess of Downshire, 1795 24. PRONI D671/P/8/14 – Elevation of Hillsborough Castle by William Sands (c.1840) 25. Parliamentary Gazetteer, Volume II, 1846 26. Irish Builder, Vol 78, 8 February 1936, p.117 Secondary Sources 1. Brett, C.E.B. “Buildings of North County Down” Belfast: Ulster Architectural Heritage Society, 2002 2. “Hillsborough Castle” Ulster Architectural Heritage Society, 1993 3. Ministry of Finance, Government of Northern Ireland “An Archaeological Survey of County Down” Belfast: Her Majesty’s Stationery Office, 1966 4. Purdue, O “The Big House in the North of Ireland, Land, Power and Social Elites, 1878-1960” University College Dublin Press, 2009 5. Walker, S “Hillsborough, An Illustrated History and Companion” Donaghadee: Cottage Publications, 1994 6. www.oxforddnb.com – Oxford Dictionary of National Biography

Criteria for Listing

Architectural Interest

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

Historic Interest

R. Age S. Authenticity T. Historic Importance U. Historic Associations V. Authorship W. Northern Ireland/International Interest Z. Rarity

Evaluation

Detached two and three-storey multi-bay Neo-classical country house on an L-plan with the west wing built c.1780 and the east wing added c.1795. Formerly one of the largest country houses in the County Down and the seat of the Marquesses of Downshire, the mansion is now in the hands of The Northern Ireland Office. Internally damaged by a fire in 1934, the house has undergone various programmes of restoration during the 20th century. Despite this it retains much of its orignal fabric externally and internally. The unusual siting of a country house in close proximity to the town of Hillsborough gives the town a distinct focal point and creates an important group with the Courthouse(HB19/05/030) and The Square(HB19/05/031-039). It is set within an impressive demesne including stableyard, formal and landscaped gardens and garden structures (HB19/05/076A-H). The mian house in enhanced by the quality of the walling, steps, balustrading and piers. With its long and significant history and located in the picturesque town of Hillsborough, the house is of significant social, political and historical importance.

General Comments

This recored has been re-allocated. Originally HB19/05/076. Additional listing criteria apply-R-Age, S- Authenticity, T-Historic Importance & U - Historic Associations.

Date of Survey

23 July 2010