Historic Building Details

HB Ref No:
HB23/18/024

Address :
Cultra House 6 Cultra Park Holywood Co Down BT18 0QE

Townland:
Ballycultra

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Survey 2:
B1

Date of Listing:
28/06/1989 00:00:00

Date of De-listing:

Current Use:
House

Former Use
House

Conservation Area:
No

Industrial Archaeology:
No

Vernacular:
No

Thatched:
No

Monument:
No

Derelict:
No

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OS Map No:
114/16

IG Ref:
J4130 8030

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Owner Category

Private

Exterior Description And Setting

A symmetrical two-storey three-bay house with dormer attic, built c.1875, located on the east side of Cultra Avenue, Holywood. The house consists of a rectangular front block with a triple-gabled return to rear, further abutted by a single storey Edwardian extension. There is a garage extension and conservatory to west and east end respectively. Pitched natural slate roofs with blue/black angled ridge tiles; cement rendered verges and painted rendered chimneystacks with white clay pots. The main block has moulded stone gutters to moulded cornice over a plain frieze; the attic storey is lit by gabled dormers rising from a blocking course, all (except that to centre, which is wider) having volutes; there is a moulded cast-iron gutter to blocking course between each dormer. Cast-iron downpipes to rear. Walling is painted ruled-and-lined rendered with rusticated quoins over a double projecting chamfered plinth; platband to first floor cill level. Principal windows are replacement timber 6/6 sashes (tripartite to first floor centre) in lugged moulded stucco architraves; those to first floor have pointed keyblock detail; those to ground floor have a torus-moulded frieze and hood and projecting cills on plain brackets. Dormer windows are four-light casements. Modern replacement timber doors throughout. Principal elevation faces south and is five openings wide about central entrance with a stone porch of modern construction supported on twin Doric columns. Left gable is abutted by a later lower extension, two windows wide, now converted to a garage with rooms above and detailed as the house. The exposed gable has a blind square panel to attic level and a tall narrow window insertion to ground floor left. The rear elevation comprises a full height triple-pile return; centre and right sections are abutted at ground floor by a single-storey Edwardian extension forming a balcony to first floor enclosed by Ionic balustrade parapet accessed by modern French doors from first floor centre. Right bay first floor and attic gables (except right) are lit by multi-pane casements. The exposed left bay has a full-height canted bay with windows to each face and modern door, all detailed as principal elevation. The extension has an oak and glazed screen door to east, two tripartite 1/1 timber sashes with moulded architraves to north and a bowed west end having a multi-pane stained Arts and Crafts glass window. Right gable consists of a projecting full-height canted bay to left; remainder is recessed, abutted at ground floor by a modern conservatory and two windows wide to first floor. Setting The original grounds have been sold off and now comprise a small private housing development. The house retains a small yard to north and a large lawn with tennis court and shrubs to south. Directly to front is a tarmac turning circle with central water feature reached by a short drive accessed via modern entrance comprising mild steel security gates on rendered piers. The site is bounded by hedging and modern boundary walling. Roof: Natural slate Walling: rendered Windows: timber RWG: cast iron

Architects

Not Known

Historical Information

There has been a building on this site, at least since 1671, and the present house dates from c1875. In 1994 the Historic Monuments and Buildings branch of the EHS asked the Palaeoecology Centre at Queens University Belfast to date the roof structure at Cultra House using samples of roof timbers. The felling dates and estimated felling ranges for the roof timbers indicated that the roof contained a large number of reused timbers. The dates for the timbers with complete sapwood were 1666 and 1670 and the dates for other samples with the heartwood-sapwood boundary present were 1582 ± 9 years and 1689 ± 9 years. Assuming the roof timbers have been consistently reused from previous buildings on the site, this would approximately concur with the date 1671 that is proposed for the first building on the site, although clearly some of the timbers are much older and may have derived from an even earlier building, or have come from elsewhere. It was in this year that John Kennedy acquired the townlands, “Ballyrobert, Balleydavey, Craig-a-Vad, Ballygrainy, Ballycultre, Corrow Reagh and Ballybun” from Lord Clanbrassil and that he built “Cultra House”. (Brown, 2002; Mason’s Statistical Survey 1819, quoted in Auld, Forgotten Houses, p.41) In 1823 A Atkinson notes that the house, although “not sufficiently exalted above the fine land and water scenery that surrounds it to look down with proud and commanding distinction upon its territorial dominion, is, nevertheless, a very grand and picturesque feature of the Southern shore, on which [Hugh Kennedy Esq] is lord of a tract of no less than 4000 Conyngham acres. The mansion house of Cultra, a large and commodious edifice, though not a gothic pile, has a somewhat ancient and castellated appearance.” (Atkinson, p.84) In 1832 a view of the house was drawn by Joseph Molloy and published in Belfast. ‘Cultraw Ho[use]’ is shown on the first edition map of 1834 together with outbuildings and a formal garden. It is listed in the Townland Valuation (1828-40) as a house and offices valued at £90 and is mentioned as a gentleman’s seat in OS Memoirs. (OS Memoirs, p.76) In Kelly’s ‘History of Holywood’ published in 1850, the house is described thus, “a mansion of great antiquity, built upwards of two hundred years ago, and still a building of considerable extent and of some architectural pretensions. The Demesne occupies nearly three hundred acres in extent, thickly wooded, arranged in the taste of the 17th century. Few situations can be more imposing or romantic than Cultra. In different parts of it is over-shadowed by numerous luxuriant oak trees of singularly beautiful form and growth. The gigantic size attained by some is surprising and their long graceful branches reaching to the ground, produce an effect not unlike that we have heard, of the Banyan Groves in the Plains of India. Several rare wild plants, important in botanical science, also decorate the Demesne.” (quoted in Auld, Forgotten Houses, p.41) Griffith’s Valuation (1856-64) indicates that the house has fallen somewhat into disrepair, following the death of Robert J Kennedy. It is occupied by the Representatives of Robert J Kennedy Esq in chancery and is valued at £70. The valuer notes, ‘Part of house indifferently furnished and not kept in very good order. Out offices also seem to be neglected. Mr Thomas Henry Kennedy, uncle to the minor [probably Sir Robert Kennedy (1851-1939)] and also guardian and agent to chancery resides here at present, also some servants...Front of house becoming dilapidated and unfinished, rere neglected and in very bad repair.’ There is a farmyard attached to the house with sheds for pigs and cattle, a cart shed, coach house, garden house and a gate lodge occupied free of rent. An advertisement of c1865 offers Cultra House for letting. The heir to the estate, Sir Robert Kennedy was at school in England at this time and following his graduation from Cambridge he joined the British Diplomatic Service. He appears, therefore, to have spent little time at home until his retirement in 1902 when he built Cultra Manor (HB23/18/002). (Auld, Holywood Then and Now, p.36) In the early 1870’s the old house appears to have passed out of the Kennedy family and subsequently underwent radical remodelling or rebuilding. In 1877 the new Cultra Manor is listed in valuation records and valued at £120. The house is vacant and leased from James Connor. It is then occupied by Marcus Gage and by John K Boyd in 1890 but the house falls in value over this period and by 1892 is valued at £80. The third edition of the OS map (1900-2) shows the new building, captioned as ‘Cultra House’. By 1903 the house is the residence of Hugh McNeile McCormick who carried out some improvements which raised the valuation to £86.10s. By 1933 ‘Cultra House’ is occupied by Elizabeth M A McCormick and leased from Sir Robert J Kennedy. According to Auld, by this time the house had undergone refurbishment and the addition of a ballroom with stained glass windows. It is a house, offices and land valued at £155, later reduced to £140. The accommodation comprises a hall, 4 receptions, cloak room, scullery, 3 pantries, WC and washhouse. Upstairs there are 4 bedrooms, a dressing room, sitting room, bathroom and 5 attics. The valuer comments that the house has its own electricity but no gas and there is water from a well with electric and hand pumps. ‘Old house, well built, attractive appearance, good position, well timbered pleasure grounds with handsome trees. Lack of principal bedrooms. Rooms are large with excess waste space’. A plan of the house and outbuildings is given with dimensions. (Auld, Holywood Then and Now, p.37) By 1957 the house appears to have been under the control of the Eastern Special Care Management Committee and was used as a residential facility for people with learning difficulties. Alterations and additions were carried out at this time by Stanley A Devon, architect. (Irish Builder) When it was no longer required for this purpose the house was bought and restored for use as a private home, the grounds surrounding it providing building sites for eleven residences and the carriage driveway becoming Cultra Park. (Auld, Forgotten Houses, p.42) References: Primary Sources 1. PRONI OS/6/3/1/1 – First Edition OS Map 1834 2. PRONI OS/6/3/1/2 – Second Edition OS map 1858 3. PRONI OS/6/3/1/3 – Third Edition OS Map 1900-02 4. PRONI OS/6/3/1/4 – Fourth Edition OS Map 1919-31 5. PRONI OS/6/3/1/5 – Fifth Edition OS Map 1938-41 6. PRONI VAL/1/A/3/1 – Townland Valuation Map (1828-40) 7. PRONI VAL/1/B/318 – Townland Valuation (1828-40) 8. PRONI VAL/2/B/3/1 – Griffith’s Valuation Map (1856-64) 9. PRONI VAL/2/B/3/18B – Griffith’s Valuation (1856-64) 10. PRONI VAL/12/B/17/10A-G – Annual Revisions (1867-1930) 11. PRONI VAL/12/B/17/11A-C – Annual Revisions (1888-1930) 12. PRONI VAL/12/E/93/1 – Annual Revisions Town Plan (c1919-c1935) 13. PRONI HOS/30 – Eastern Special Care (no date) 14. Irish Builder, Vol 99, May 4, 1957, p.360 Secondary Sources 1. Auld, C. “Holywood Co Down, Then and Now” Holywood: Con Auld, 2002 2. Auld, C. ”Forgotten Houses of Holywood, Co Down” Holywood: Con Auld, 2002 3. Brown, David M “Dendrochronologically dated buildings from Ireland” in Vernacular Architecture, Volume 33 (2002), p.71-

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

Historic Interest

X. Local Interest Z. Rarity

Evaluation

Cultra House is a substantial three-bay two-storey with attic late nineteenth century house. The house has good proportions with some good Italianate detailing and the survival of an early roof structure is of note. It is a good example of Edwardian style and may be an older house remodelled, although the loss of original fenestration has affected its historic character. The house occupies the site of a seventeenth century plantation house, which is of note even though the erosion of the planned setting has compromised its interest. However, it remains of special interest as an example of the development of the site and survival of early structure.

General Comments

Date of Survey

05 May 2010