GOVERNMENT HOUSE

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

Detached three-bay two-storey over basement with attic stucco-fronted Italianate country house, built c.1847 to the designs of Sir William Tite. Square on plan facing northeast with front entrance porch and two-bay two-storey return to the northwest. Located on an elevated site on the west side of Letterkenny Road overlooking Foyle River to the east.

Hipped natural slate roof with synthetic ridge tiles, modern rooflights and vertical slate-hung attic dormer section to the northwest elevation. Several rendered profiled chimneystacks with lipped clay pots, to the southwest comprising a pair of stacks rising from the elevation with a central arch. Roof set behind deep moulded hood cornice with iron downpipes breaking through. Painted stucco walling with projecting plinth course, rusticated rendered quoins, continuous first floor sill band and frieze below hood cornice. Square-headed window openings with timber sliding-sash windows without horns and much cylinder glass.

Northeast front elevation has a central flat-roofed square-plan entrance porch and railed sunken basement well. To the centre and the right on the first floor, the windows have architrave surrounds and 6/6 timber sash windows. Remaining window openings have aediculated stucco surrounds, tripartite to the left with 6/1 central timber sash window to the first floor flanked by 2/1 sidelights, 1/1 to the ground floor, with 6/6 timber sliding sash window to the right bay. 8/8 timber sash window to basement flanked by 4/4 sidelights. Entrance porch has rusticated soldier quoins to either side of round-headed door opening with continuous cornice and round-headed windows openings to the cheeks. All three openings framed by pilasters supporting moulded arches with plain fixed-pane glazing to the windows. Double-leaf raised-and-fielded panelled doors with multi-pane fanlight and central keystone with shield depicting 'The Irish Society'. Door opens onto single stone step with iron horseshoe bootscraper. Highly decorative cast-iron balustrade set on moulded plinth wall enclosed basement well to either side of porch.

Three-bay southeast garden elevation has a full-height three-sided canted bay window to the left and single-storey bay window to the right with an aediculated window opening to the centre. To the first floor the windows to the centre and the right have architrave surrounds with 6/6 timber sliding sash windows. The central aediculated window opening to ground floor has a segmental pediment with 1/1 timber sliding sash window and a semi-circular railing to basement well (as per above). 1/1 timber sliding sash windows with horns to the bay windows having continuous sill courses and cornices. Segmental-headed window opening to the basement with 8/8 timber sliding sash window. Quoins to each end, plinth, continuous sill course under first floor windows.

Three-bay southwest elevation abutted by verandah to RHS of elevation. Architrave surrounds to all window openings with 6/6 timber sliding sash windows. The two bays to the verandah have kneed architrave surrounds with timber French doors opening onto stone-paved platform with two nosed steps supporting decorative cast-iron columns with hipped natural slate roof. Painted timber boarded soffit. Iron grilles below the platform light the concealed basement.

Northwest elevation has a flat roofed two-storey rendered return to the left with angled rear entrance porch to the re-entrant angle and railed basement well to the right. Single 9/6 timber sliding sash window to the centre (stairlight), 6/6 timber sliding sash windows to return with ogee horns and set on continuous sill band. The basement well has a segmental-headed window opening with 10/10 timber sliding sash windows, and is enclosed by decorative iron railing (as per front elevation) set on raised plinth wall.

Setting:
Set on elevated site - grassed and wooded - with a long winding gravel avenue leading northeast, enclosed by iron railings and opening onto Letterkenny Road via pair of modern steel gates hung on rendered piers and rendered walls.

Materials

Roof Natural slate
RWG Iron
Walling Painted stucco
Windows Timber sliding sash

Historical information

No. 23 Letterkenny Road, a two-storey square-plan Italianate house located in the townland of Termonbacca, was constructed in 1846-48 as the residence for the agent of The Honourable The Irish Society. Curl states that the house was designed by Sir William Tite (1798-1873), a London-based architect and civil engineer who acted as advisor to the Irish Society in the 1830s and 1840s and visited the Society’s estates in Co. Londonderry in 1836-38. In England, Tite was responsible for the reconstruction of the Royal Exchange in 1844 and served as president of the Royal Institute of British Architects between 1867 and 1870. Curl noted that ‘it was decided to build a substantial dwelling not only to house the agent and raise his standing locally, but to accommodate the Deputations [from The Irish Society] during the annual visits.’ The construction of the house was carried out by John McCarter of Foyle Street and was overseen by Garrett Payne, the clerk of works, who also designed the (now derelict) outbuildings to the west side of the residence. Curl described the house as ‘magnificent’ noting that it possessed fine cornices, moulding and classical detailing throughout, with the arms of The Irish Society set over the main entrance to the building. The marble fireplace in the main room of the house was imported from England along with the other chimney pieces. The total cost of constructing the house came to £5,814 (Curl, p. 412; Curl, Honourable Irish Society; DIA).

The residence for the Irish Society’s agent was first recorded on the second edition Ordnance Survey map (1853) which depicted the structure along its current layout (although lacking its two-storey rear return) and captioned the building ‘Government House.’ The contemporary Griffith’s Valuation (1857) recorded that Government House and its outbuildings were valued at £65 and was initially occupied by William Greene who was also employed as a local magistrate. Greene continued to reside at Government House until 1875 when the property was occupied by the Honourable Arthur C. Plunkett. In 1890 Plunkett was replaced as Agent of the Irish Society by Thomas B. Montgomery. In 1901 the census building return described Government House as a 1st class dwelling that consisted of 26 rooms and noted that the outbuildings to the west of the house were utilised as stables, cow houses, a piggery, fowl house and a barn. The Annual Revisions note that the value of the house was increased to £67 in 1903 and it was likely at this time that the two-storey return was added to the northwest side of the building (UTD).

Government House continued to be occupied by The Irish Society’s agent until 1906 when the society leased the building out to private tenants. In that year Archibald J. Cooke, a timber merchant and gentleman, took possession of the house. Cooke resided at Termonbacca until his death in 1929 although his family continued to reside at the dwelling until the 1950s (PRONI Wills). Under the First General Revaluation of Property in Northern Ireland (1936-57) the value of the house was increased to £107 and 10 shillings. The valuer noted that ownership of the family had passed to the Cooke family but in 1954 Government House was purchased outright by Irish MacDonagh who lived at the site until 1970. In that year the house was acquired by the Christian Brothers who converted the building into a monastery. By the end of the Second Revaluation (1956-72) the total rateable value of Government House stood at £122 and 10 shillings.

Government House was listed in 1979. In that year Rowan described the building as ‘a mid-19th century Italianate house with canted bays, a square veranda, and horizontal rustication’ and noted that the building continued to be utilised as a monastery by the Christian Brothers. Curl records that the Christian Brothers sold the house into private hands by at least 2000 (Rowan, p. 404; Curl; NIEA HB Records).

References

Primary Sources
1. PRONI OS/6/5/20/1 – First Edition Ordnance Survey Map (1830)
2. PRONI OS/6/5/20/2 – Second Edition Ordnance Survey Map (1853)
3. PRONI OS/6/5/20/3 – Third Edition Ordnance Survey Map (1904)
4. PRONI OS/6/5/20/4 – Fourth Edition Ordnance Survey Map (1924-25)
5. PRONI VAL/2/B/5/16A – Griffith’s Valuation (1857)
6. PRONI VAL/12/B/32/10A-10G – Annual Revisions (1860-1929)
7. PRONI VAL/3/C/6/9 – First General Revaluation of Property in Northern Ireland (1936-57)
8. PRONI VAL/4/B/5/22 – Second General Revaluation of Property in Northern Ireland (1956-72)
9. Ulster Town Directories (1852-1943)
10. Census of Ireland (1901; 1911)
11. PRONI Wills Catalogue (30 Jun 1929)
12. Census of Ireland (1901; 1911)
13. First Survey Record – HB01/12/006 (1972)
14. NIEA HB Records – HB01/12/006

Secondary Sources
1. Calley, D., ‘City of Derry: An historical gazetteer to the buildings of Londonderry’ Belfast: Ulster Architectural Heritage Society, 2013.
2. Curl, J. S., ‘The Londonderry Plantation 1609-1914’ Sussex: Phillimore & Co. Ltd., 1986.
3. Curl, J. S., ‘The Honourable The Irish Society and the Plantation of Ulster: 1608-2000’ Sussex: Phillimore & Co. Ltd., 2000.
4. Rowan, A. J., ‘The Buildings of Ireland: North West Ulster’ London: Yale University Press, 2003.

Online Resources
1. Dictionary of Irish Architects - http://www.dia.ie/

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

A. Style
B. Proportion
C. Ornamentation
D. Plan Form
I. Quality and survival of Interior
J. Setting

Criteria for listing: historic interest

X. Local Interest
R. Age
S. Authenticity
T. Historic Importance
U. Historic Associations
V. Authorship
Z. Rarity

Evaluation

A two-storey square-plan Italianate house constructed in 1846-48 as the residence for the agent of The Honourable The Irish Society. Referred to as 'Government House' since construction. Designed by Sir William Tite (1798-1873), a London-based architect and civil engineer who acted as advisor to the Irish Society in the 1830s and 1840s . A substantial country house with decorative classical elements and an impressive elevated setting with views of the River Foyle from the house and gardens. Sited in parkland and surrounded by mature trees. Cultivated walled garden, with glasshouses, lies to NW of the house. The building retains many of its original features and stands as one of a collection of nineteenth-century residences along the river. A Supplementary Site (ref L-004) on the Register of Parks, Gardens and Desmesnes of Special Historic Interest.

General comments

Additional listing criteria; R, S & U