Historic Building Details

HB Ref No:
HB18/06/001

Address :
Montalto House Dromore Road Ballymaglave north Ballynahinch Co Down BT24 8PX

Townland:
Ballymaglave north

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Survey 2:
B+

Date of Listing:
23/01/1980 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:
204/6

IG Ref:
J3622 5154

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Owner Category

Private

Exterior Description And Setting

Large three storey, hipped roof mansion in restrained late Georgian mildly classical style, with a central full height canted bay to front and render and sandstone facade. Originally dating from the mid 1700s, this building assumed much of its present form in 1837 when the ground level around the original two storey house was lowered to create the present three floor structure. In the process the main entrance was (probably) shifted from the south to the east, a large wing to the north added, and the wing to the south, (perhaps the original front), probably remodelled. In the following decades the house was further expanded at the rear with the addition of a ballroom to the south-west and service wing to the rear. In 1953 the ballroom and much of the service wing were demolished, and, following a fire in 1985, much of the north wing had to be taken down also. In the mid 1990s the building was completely renovated and a new large two storey, sympathetically designed, extension was added to the truncated north wing. The building is set within a large demesne to the south of Ballynahinch, with wooded areas to the N, S and W and a small lake to the E roughly in the shape of a fish. The front façade faces roughly E (E, SE), and is symmetrical. To the centre is a full height projecting hipped ashlar sandstone bay which is canted to the first and second floors, but square to the ground level. To the centre of the E face of the ground floor of the bay is the main entrance. This consists of mainly glazed door encased with fluted Doric ¾ column jambs. Beyond these are large sidelights with margin panes and plain aprons. To the outer edges of the sidelights are plain pilasters. This whole door and sidelight ensemble is topped with a modillioned frieze with cornice and forms a shallow bay within the main porch bay. The outer corners of the porch have plain pilasters, with iron ornamental lamps attached to the wall between the pilasters and the shallow bay. To the short N and S faces of the main porch bay there are edge pilasters and a central semicircular arch headed recess. To the first floor of the main central bay there is a Georgian paned sash window (6/6) to each face with simple surround with frieze and entablature. [Almost all the windows to the house have sash frames.] To the second floor are much shorter sash windows (3/6) with plainer surrounds. To the ground floor, either side of the bay there are tall semicircular arched recesses. Beyond each of these there is a single outer window, of similar arched shape, with sash frame (10/6). To the first and second floors there are two windows to either side of the bay, which match the windows to the corresponding levels on the bay itself. All the first and second floor windows rest on a string course. The outer portions of the front façade are in lime-washed lined render, though the string and eves courses are in sandstone, as the central bay. The S façade of the S wing was probably the front of the original 18th century house, but appears to have been altered somewhat during the 1837 remodeling. To the left the roof level is lower and the façade two storey, whilst to the right it is two storey, however, as will be seen later the left hand section is actually three storey to the rear. The left hand portion of the façade is largely symmetrical, with a full height canted, hipped roof bay, three windows to each floor of the bay and two to each side of each floor beyond the bay. All the windows are semicircular arched with sash frames (10/6 to ground level, 7/6 to first floor) To the central ground floor face of the bay the arched opening actually contains a glazed door, however, there may originally have been a window here. To the right edge of the three storey right hand portion of the S façade there is a full height bay similar to that to front, but rendered and canted to ground floor. There are windows to each face of the bay at each level. The ground floor windows are of the arched variety as ground floor left of façade, whilst those to the first and second floors are as the bay to front façade. To the ground floor left of the bay are two further arched windows. To the first floor left of the bay is a window to left as first floor of bay itself. To the right of this is a large tripartite window (4/4, 6/6, 4/4) with thick pilaster mullions set on brackets and a plain frieze and cornice. To the second floor three windows as second floor of bay. The whole of the S façade, bar string and eaves courses, is in lined render. The N façade of the N wing is very much a handed version similar to that to S. To the left the three storey section has a bay to far left and that to the right on the S façade. The ground and first floors to the right of the bay match the equivalent area to the S façade also, but with an extra (single sash) window to each floor. To the ground floor there is an arched window to left (as ground floor S), with two smaller flat arch windows to right (both 6/6). The two storey section to right has its canted bay to the left hand side. To each face on each floor of the bay there is an arch headed window, all 7/6. To the right of the bay there are three similar windows to each floor. The N façade is rendered as S. The rear elevation consists of the gable of the two storey section of the N wing- to left, the (uneven) gable of the S wing- to right, and, in the centre and set much further back, the exposed rear façade of the main front wing. Set a distance in front of the rear façade of the front wing, is a recently added single storey ‘corridor’ link which spans between the N and S wings. This link creates (along with the wings or course) creates a small ‘courtyard’ in which there is a small garden area. The whole rear elevation is finished in lined render. The gable of the N wing has an arched window to first floor left (7/6) and a taller arched window (10/6) set at and intermediate (stairwell) level to right. The gable of the S wing has an uneven appearance, as the wing is actually three storey to the N side and two storey to S (see above). There are two flat arch windows to left, both 6/6 and both set at intermediate (stairwell) levels. To the ground floor of the rear façade of the main front wing, there is a small four pane window to far left and far right. Above this is a large, multi-Georgian pane, semicircular arched window which lights the main stairwell. To left and right of this is a small six pane window. To the second floor are two 6/6 windows. To the left of these (actually on a section which was once probably an internal wall of the N wing) is a tiny single pane window. The N façade of the S wing is three storey and completely finished in lined render. To the ground floor there are three semicircular arched windows (7/6) to left and centre. To the right the façade is abutted by the linking corridor. To the first floor there are five plain windows (6/6) with five similar but smaller windows (still 6/6) to the second floor. The S façade of the N wing is two storey. To the ground floor are three windows as ground floor previous, with four window windows to first floor, also as previous. This façade is also finished in lined render. The linking corridor is single storey, flat roofed and appears to be entirely timber clad. To the centre of the W face is large mainly glazed double door. This is flanked by large tripartite windows (2/2, 6/6, 2/2). The rear (E) face appears to have a similar arrangement The roof is largely hipped and is entirely slated. Lead sheeted parapet. There five rendered chimney stacks with [?sandstone] corbelling and matching pots. Cast iron rw goods. Stretching from the right hand edge of the N façade is a tall rubble wall with brick dressings. To the S end of the wall there is a large gateway with recent looking metal gates. To the N end the wall culminates in an unusual three storey flat roofed garden tower of pre 1858 construction, also in rubble and brick, but topped with a sandstone frieze course and cornice. The tower has (glazed) windows to the E and some semicircular arched recesses to S and N. To the S a staircase and walkway (built to the rear of the high wall) leads to a first floor semicircular ached doorway. To the W the tower is abutted by a relatively small single storey gabled ‘return’ belonging to a not insubstantial two storey gabled house. This house [?once a butler’s residence] is in recent looking lined render with brick dressings and quoins. The windows are generally quite small and filled 2/2 sash frames, and the doors are timber framed (with a large partly glazed patio door also in evidence). The front doorway areas to be that located on the S face of the small single storey return to E. To the W façade a large utilitarian looking single storey garage extension, with mono-pitched roof, has been attached. The gabled roof is slated and there are three brick chimney stacks (one stretching from the garage).

Architects

Not Known

Historical Information

The Montalto estate lies within lands granted to Sir George Rawdon by King Charles I in c.1641-2. Although they helped develop the town of Ballynahinch, none of the Rawdon family lived in the area on a regular basis until c.1752 when John Rawdon, recently elevated to the peerage as Lord Moira and fresh from his third marriage, commenced the construction of a house and the improvement of the demesne lands. Of the early Montalto House we know relatively little, however it seems clear that it was two storey and relatively plain; it is also possible that it was originally south facing. A glimpse of the building appears on Thomas Robinson’s contemporary painting of the 1798 Battle of Ballynahinch (conflict between United Irish insurgents and government troops which incidentally took place within the estate). This view, looking from the scene of the battle southwards, shows what is likely to have been the rear of the house with an oblique view of the east elevation. The rear has (as one might expect), an informal appearance with three bays, those to the centre and right (west) gabled and that to the left canted and hipped; a further canted bay is shown on the east side. It is likely that the last two bays are those to the east and north-east we see today. Lord Moira, who was further elevated to an earldom in 1761, died in 1793. In 1802, his son, the 2nd Earl of Moira sold the Ballynahinch estate to David Ker of Portavo (near Donaghadee). An account dating from the following year tells us that the new owner of Montalto enlarged some of its windows and repainted all or much of the building, but later accounts state that he did not alter the overall form of the house. The OS map of 1834 supplies the first accurate plan of the building, a large square block which, as suggested earlier, appears to faced south rather than east. In 1837, David Ker’s grandson, David Stewart Ker, made radical changes to Montalto. In April of that year the year the OS Memoirs recorded that, ‘Montalto…was a plain two-storey house; it is now undergoing additions and repairs in the following manner: the house is built on a rock which Mr Ker has caused to be excavated round the foundation and under the house, thus forming an under-storey which is supported by numerous arches and pillars’. Thus the house was raised in height, but not by adding a new top storey on top of the building, but by creating a new one from below. The whole procedure as recounted by the Memoir writer appears to have been a startling feat of engineering, which sounds daunting even by present 21st century standards, however it may merely have entailed the enlarging of an existing basement level, and may have involved only a section of the building. In other words the ground level around the house may have been uneven to begin with and therefore part of the basement storey may have been largely exposed already. Apart from the heightening of the building, the 1837 work also appears to have involved the construction of a new wing to the north and the remodelling the south wing. Logically, given the suggestion that the house appears to have faced south prior to this date, the work must also have involved the relocation of the main entrance to the east, for, if we assume that the present east wing was always the front (and was symmetrical), then the hallway would have been where the ladies sitting room is now situated- a room which has retained its fine c.1760s plasterwork and which various experts agree is possibly the only room in the building to have survived in its 18th century form. Thus, the entrance hallway must have been elsewhere. In the years following 1837 further additions were made to the house including a two storey hipped roof ballroom section to the south-west corner, a service wing to the rear and outbuildings to the north-west. Immediately around the house the ground was landscaped with the rock and earth left over from the excavations apparently piled up to form the mound to the north-east and perhaps also the terrace to the south. In 1910 the Montalto estate was acquired by the 5th Earl of Clanwilliam, local rumour suggesting that the Kers actually lost it to him in a card game. Whatever the truth, it appears that the newly married Clanwilliam badly needed a new house, for his bride had declined to live in the family mansion of Gill Hall, near Dromore, on the grounds that it was haunted! In 1953 the 6th Earl demolished the ballroom section and the service wing to the rear and during this period also, land to the west of the estate was leased to Spa Golf Club for the formation of a new nine hole course, with other peripheral portions sold off for housing. In 1979 the 6th Earl sold the estate to a consortium of businessmen who used the house for conferences and the land for forestry and farming. In January 1985 an extensive fire resulted in the demolition of the north wing, the rear apartments and part of the rear of the south wing. The house was acquired by the present owner in 1995. Since then a new smaller north wing has been added, much in sympathy with the rest of the building, and the damage portion of the S wing restored. References- Primary sources 1 PRONI D.1255 Title deeds, legal and testamentary papers, correspondence and Irish Land Commissioners Papers re the Ballynahinch Estate, 1630-1940 2 ‘Taylor’s and Skinner’s maps of the roads of Ireland’ (Dublin 1777) map 284 3 PRONI D.272/41 MS map of Ballynahinch by William Byers, c.1790 4 ‘The Battle of Ballynahinch’ by Thomas Robinson, c.1798-99 [Painting in possession of the Commission of Public Works (Ireland)] 5 J.M. Johnston ‘Hetrogenea’ (Downpatrick 1803) [This book contains a description of Montalto in 1803.] 6 PRONI OS/6/3/29/1 OS map, Down sh 29, 1834 7 PRONI VAL/1B/388A-B Valuation records, Magherdrool, 1834-1838 8 ‘Ordinance Survey Memoirs of Ireland’ vol.17 ed Angélique Day and Patrick McWilliams (QUB 1992) p.107 9 PRONI and Linen Hall Library ‘Belfast and Province of Ulster Directory’ Vols.1-21, 1852-1900, (Belfast, Henderson [1852-65], Belfast News-Letter [1865- ]) 10 PRONI OS/6/3/29/2 OS map, Down sh 29, 1858 11 William McComb ‘Guide to Belfast and adjoining districts’ (Belfast 1861) 12 PRONI and Linen Hall Library Second (Griffith’s) valuation, Magherdrool, c.1863 [in print] 13 PRONI OS/6/3/29/3 OS map, Down sh 29, c.1901 Secondary sources 1 C.E.B. Brett, ‘Historic buildings…Mid Down’ (Belfast 1974), pp.35-37 2 Mark Bence-Jones ‘A guide to Irish country houses’ (London 1988), p.209

Criteria for Listing

Architectural Interest

A. Style B. Proportion G. Innovatory Qualities H+. Alterations enhancing the building I. Quality and survival of Interior J. Setting K. Group value

Historic Interest

X. Local Interest

Evaluation

Large three storey, hipped roof mansion in restrained late Georgian mildly classical style, with a central full height canted bay to front and a render and sandstone facade. Originally dating from the mid 1700s, this building assumed much of its present form in 1837 when the ground level around the original two storey house was lowered to create the present three floor structure. In the process the main entrance was (probably) shifted from the south to the east, a large wing to the north added, and the wing to the south, (perhaps the original front), probably remodelled. In the following decades the house was further expanded at the rear with the addition of a ballroom to the south-west and service wing to the rear. In 1953 the ballroom and much of the service wing were demolished, and, following a fire in 1985, much of the north wing had to be taken down also. In the mid 1990s the building was completely renovated and a new large two storey, sympathetically designed, extension was added to the truncated north wing.

General Comments

Date of Survey

15 September 2000