Brookhill House

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

Sited on the east side of Ardlough Road overlooking the winding river Faughan where it flows north between Drumahoe and Mobuoy bridges, Brookhill nestles among tall mature trees with two entrance gates on either side, with short avenues, now much overgrown, leading to the house. At the southern gate, and on the south side, a small low unpretentious gate lodge now used as a shop guards the entrance. Each set of gates has balustraded wing walls and piers and stoutly constructed in wood and painted black. The floor level of the house is a metre and a half below road level and a boundary wall conceals the rear of it with a pass door allowing pedestrian access to the outhouses on the other side of the Ardlough road. Fincarn cottage forms a pleasing vista directly opposite across the Faughan valley..

The two storey smooth rendered unpainted five bay wide house symmetrically composed with projecting sandstone porch with entrance doors in each flanking side, has a natural slated hipped roof with lead ridges and hips. Two yellow brick chimneys rebuilt c 1900 sit on the ridge defining the central staircase hall. To the rear an irregular two storey untidy victorian back return which may have been erected at two different times as the window arrangements differ. The earlier return projects beyond the southern gable by one bay. Externally the porch displays Brookhills only architectural detail. A pattern book copy with clasping Tuscan pilasters at the corners and where it abuts the main wall thin half pilasters. Surrounding each doorway a neatly moulded straight architrave while in the gable a large segmented headed window with double sliding sashes with regency patterned astragals and over a neat fanlight. Projecting sprockets support the eaves and open style pediment. The shallow pitched roof is slated. The doors consists of six panels, centre panels oval. The whole has an unfinished look.

The walls are built of stone with brick trims to openings easily observed as the rendering is falling off at lower levels and around window reveals. Windows in the main part of house are georgian sliding sashes, slightly taller on the ground floor and each having twelve panes. The windows to the principal rooms are slightly closer together.

Historical information

According to the present occupier the main house was built by a Judge Brooks c1795. The porch and possibly the kitchen return c1820 and the Victorian exterior and yellow brick chimneys c1900. The occupier gave the date of the garden tower as c1880 built by his grandfather. The house is mentioned in Ordnance Survey Memoirs and Griffiths Valuation 1858 and is shown on the Ordnance Survey Sheet 1830. In 1830 it was occupied by Lieutenant Carmalt who was accredited with running a model farm.

References:

Ordnance Survey Memoirs of Ireland Vol 34 Parish of Clondermot
Griffiths Valuation 1858
Occupier (1997)

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

A. Style
B. Proportion
C. Ornamentation
D. Plan Form
H+. Alterations enhancing the building
I. Quality and survival of Interior
J. Setting

Criteria for listing: historic interest

X. Local Interest

Evaluation

Provincial mid Georgian house with Victorian exterior extension. Large garden and irregular walled garden with folly. Notwithstanding the lack of maintenance the building survives as a good example of its type.