Historic Building Details

HB Ref No:
HB24/17/032

Address :
Florida Manor 14 Florida Road Kilmood Killinchy Newtownards Co Down BT23 6RU

Townland:
Kilmood

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Survey 2:
B+

Date of Listing:
04/03/1977 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:
167/15

IG Ref:
J4767 6181

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Owner Category

Private

Exterior Description And Setting

Florida Manor is a large, but compact looking, three storey classical mansion of perhaps c.1780-1800, c.2 miles NW of the village of Killinchy. It is roughly square in plan with a hipped roof and prominent chimney stacks with very tall pots, and is set on top of a slight rise within its own grounds, with a large collection of outbuildings to the W and S. Front N facade is in three bays. In the centre of the ground floor is a large single storey entrance porch with portico. The portico has Ionic columns supporting entablature and balustraded parapet to a flat roof. Steps to portico. Behind the portico the projecting porch has a central panelled door flanked by sash windows with Georgian panes. Between the door and the windows are pilasters with further outer pilasters. The side walls of porch each have a sash window as front. The entablature and balustraded parapet also tops the porch. There is a tall window (as before) to each side face of the porch, with three more to the first floor which are slightly shorter and rest on a cill course. There are a further three similar (but smaller ) windows to the second floor. The centre bay of the first and second floors is recessed. Attached to the right side of this facade is a high curving wall with Doric pilasters and balustraded parapet which links to outbuildings to the W. The E facade has similar windows to front with six to each floor, but lessening in height the higher the floor. The two central windows to each floor are set is a slightly projecting bay. The two ground floor windows within this bay have moulded surrounds with entablature and cornice, with more simple surrounds to the others within the bay. All first floor windows rest on a cill course. There rear was only partly visible to the writers. To the right on the ground floor is a tall, single storey, flat roofed, conservatory/porch. This porch has multi-pane glazing, set in tall arched recesses, to all sides, with a central timber sheeted double door to the rear (S) face. The projection is topped with a decorative cast iron balustrade. To the left of the conservatory/porch the facade projects slightly (at all floors). The ground level of this section could not be seen properly but there appeared to be three tall window openings, two of which were blocked. To the first floor are three windows, with a double door (with glazing) to the far right (which opens out on to the balcony above the projecting conservatory/porch). The second floor has four windows as previous. The W facade is complex looking. The main facade is in two bays, with that to the left projecting slightly. To the ground floor at the left is a fairly recent looking single storey lean to extension, with modern windows and a partly glazed door. To the right of this is a large, two storey ‘return’/projection, with a gabled roof and single storey lean to section, which all links to outbuildings to the W. Only the N facade of this projection could be seen, which had several sash windows. To the Upper floors of the W facade proper, are six sash windows set mainly at intermediate levels (and irregularly arranged). Two of these windows have Victorian looking margin panes and coloured glass. Roughly in the centre of the facade is a small nine pane window to the ground floor, with a large semicircular headed stairwell window, with coloured glass and various coats of arms, directly above. To the second floor is a small sash window, as front. The entire facade is finished in lined render with plain quoins to several corners only. Eaves course. The main roof is hipped with Bangor blue slates and four rendered chimney stacks with tall, early Victorian looking, chimney pots. Cast iron rw goods. There is a basement level, which could be glimpsed through the lightwells. The basement had some sash windows (as before) and appeared to be rubble built.

Architects

Not Known

Historical Information

The Manor of Florida was created in 1638 on lands previously acquired by Sir James Montgomery (2nd son of Viscount Montgomery) from Con O’Neill., the name ‘Florida’ apparently having been derived from Sir James’ love of flowers. During the Commonwealth (1649-60) the lands were placed in the custody of a Colonel Barrow, but returned to Montgomery hands after much wrangling, in 1664. In 1691-2 the manor came into possession of the Crawford family and passed to Robert Gordon through marriage to Ann, the niece and sole heiress to the estate of David Crawford, in c.1770. It was undoubtedly one of the Gordons who built the present house, probably c.1780-c.1800 (some sources give a date of 1796 based on an inscribed timber used in the stables), possibly constructed around an earlier Montgomery dwelling which (if a later datestone in the adjacent farmyard is to be believed) may have dated from in or around 1676. The house is shown on the OS map of 1834 (along with the large farmyard to the rear, the steward’s house and the gate lodges to the east and north), where it is marked ‘Florida Manor’. By the time of the revised OS map (1859-60), the ‘return’ to the west had been built, linking the house with the stable block. The rear conservatory/porch and the early Victorian chimney pots may have been added around this time also. In the later 1800s, with the passing of successive Land Acts, much of the Gordon lands began to be sold off, and by the 1880s the manor house itself appears to have been leased by a Thomas Brand. By 1917 (at least) the demesne and its buildings had been acquired by a William Devenney, a local farmer who appears to have lived in the steward’s house. Thus Florida, unoccupied, fell into disrepair, but after the Second World War it was bought by Milo Pickaar, who renovated much (though perhaps not all) of the building. References- Primary sources 1 PRONI D.4204 Gordon Family Papers- ‘Copy of a translation of a Patent Grant to Sir James Montgomery, 13th year of the reign of King Charles [I] (1638)’. [This extensive collection of documents relating to the Gordon family, Florida Manor and the surrounding townlands were recently deposited at PRONI by a descendent, Mr. Archie Hugh-Gordon of Saintfield. At the time of writing (August 1998) the collection had not yet been catalogued, however, the writers were given special access to some of the documents by PRONI.] 2 The Montgomery Manuscripts ed. Rev. George Hill (Belfast 1869), pp.2, 210-211. 3 PRONI D.4204 Gordon Family Papers- Indenture signed William Montgomery, James Montgomery to James Hamilton (deed of Florida Manor) 1691. 4 PRONI D.4204 Gordon Family Papers- Deed of partition of Florida Manor, Hamilton to Crawford, 1691. 5 PRONI D.4204 Gordon family Papers- Exemplification of a Recovery of Robert Gordon and Alice, his wife, of lands in Co. Down, 1762. 6 PRONI D.1584 Family papers of the Smith, Gordon and Pottinger families, c.1800-1930. 7 PRONI D.929/HA12/F1/1(e) Lease relating to Florida Manor. 8 PRONI D.650/112, 115, 128 Trust deed[?s] relating to Florida Manor, 1819. 9 PRONI D.654//R/3/1-99 Londonderry Papers- Documents relating to Florida Manor [?]1684-1892. 10 PRONI OS Maps 1st ed. 1834, Co. Down 16. 11 PRONI VAL 1B/320 p.17 1st Valuation, Kilmood parish, Kilmood td., c.1835. [The ‘house and offices’ had a rateable value of £65-8-0 in c.1835.] 12 PRONI OS Maps 1st rev. 1859-60, Co. Down 16. 13 PRONI 2nd Valuation, Kilmood parish, Kilmood td., c.1861. [By this stage the rateable value of the property had risen to £110] 15 George Henry Bassett 'County Down guide and directory' (Dublin 1886). 16 'Belfast Telegraph' 7th October 1953 “Life that is different- Returns to a Down house”. [Article concerning the restoration of Florida Manor by Mr. Pickaar]. Secondary sources 1 'Archaeological survey of Co. Down' (HMSO 1966), pp.313, 319. 2 PRONI 'Burkes Irish family records', p.485. 3 Mark Bence-Jones 'A guide to Irish country houses' (London 1988), p.297. 4 J.A.K. Dean 'The gate lodges of Ulster' (UAHS 1994), p.76. [Dean believes the gate lodges to have been built c.1840, however lodges are shown on the 1834 OS map.]

Criteria for Listing

Architectural Interest

A. Style B. Proportion C. Ornamentation H-. Alterations detracting from building J. Setting K. Group value

Historic Interest

X. Local Interest

Evaluation

Large and fine, three storey Palladian mansion of c.1780-1800, with Ionic entrance portico and tall Victorian looking chimney pots. Much of the exterior of this house is original, though there appear to have been some Victorian additions including a rear conservatory/porch and some windows to the west. Despite some alterations and general degradation the house and setting reman impressive.

General Comments

Date of Survey

31 July 1998