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Heritage at Risk(v1.0)
Mourne Park House Newry Road Kilkeel Newry Co Down BT34 4SD


HB Ref No:
HB16/05/009 A

Address
Mourne Park House Newry Road Kilkeel Newry Co Down BT34 4SD

Townland:
Ballyrogan or Mourne Park

Status:
Currently at Risk

Listing Grade:
B+


HARNI Number:
HARNI 16/05/009

Conservation Area:
No

Condition:
Very Poor

Industrial Archeology:
No

Occupancy:
Vacant

Vernacular:
No

Degree of Risk:
Critical

Thatched:
No

Availability:
Unknown

Monument:
No

Current Building Use:
Country House

Derelict:
No


Description

Built for Robert Needham (1746-1818) 11th Viscount Kilmorey between c.1808-1818 in two phases, Mourne Park House respectively replaced an earlier house known as ‘Siberia’, of which is visible on the Taylor and Skinner Map of 1777. A building matching the footprint of Mourne Park House is also legible on the OS County Series 1st Edition (c.1830). Located near the White Water River, off the Newry Road on the outskirts of Kilkeel, this imposing house was built using designs by Thaddeus Gallagher in dressed ashlar granite. The principal elevation faces south onto an expansive landscape, composed of two storeys (three to rear) and three bays. Tripartite ground floor fenestration with box bow windows (c.1880) are located in bay one and three. Upper floor fenestration is bipartite, set within recessed segmental arches. West of the main building is a single storey flat roofed drawing room extension, with westerly central double doors and granite pillars. A kitchen block abuts drawing room, North West, followed by a House Yard (HB16/05/009 B) and Gardeners House (HB16/05/009 C) to rear, further North. Gutted by a fire in 2013, the building was severely damaged, resulting in the loss of the roof and windows, leaving the overall structure unsecure and open to the elements. As a result the building is in critical condition. A planning application has been granted March 2021 LA07/2020/0843/LBC. Ref: Rankin, P. 1975. Buildings of Mourne, UAHS, pp. 59-60 and Dean, J. 2020. The Plight of the Big House in Northern Ireland, UAHS, pp. 86-87 and HERoNI.