Wigmore House

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

A symmetrical two-storey three-bay linen merchant’s house built c.1810 north of the River Bann, east of Garvagh. The house is rectangular on plan with lower two-storey rear return incorporating vestiges of an earlier structure, and early twentieth-century modifications including a full-height canted bay to east.

Pie-ended shallow hipped roof with roll-moulded leaded ridges and hips, and rendered chimneystacks with simple moulded caps. Overhanging sheeted eaves support cast-iron ogee rainwater goods; simple projecting eaves to rear and torus moulded eaves course to lower return. Walling is ruled-and-lined smooth render, painted white, with contrasting plinth course and stepped quoins; painted masonry cill course to ground floor of main block. Windows are 6/6 timber sashes without horns to main block, and 2/2 horned sashes to return, except where otherwise stated; all have painted stone cills.

Principal elevation faces south-east and is five windows wide at each floor, arranged about a central entrance comprising replacement timber panelled door with beaded muntin, flanked by tall slender 2/2 sidelights and surmounted by a margin paned rectangular fanlight; all embraced by a pilastered surround having moulded masonry canopy supported on scrolled console brackets. The entrance is addressed by two low stone steps.

South-west elevation has two windows to each floor, vertically aligned.

Rear elevation is abutted at left side by the full-height return; the re-entrant angle contains a two-storey extension, which is further abutted at ground floor (right cheek) by a single-storey lean-to addition. The exposed right bay is lit by a single window to each floor. Extension is lit to rear at mid level by two small 1/1 sash windows; casement window to addition. The return is further extended by a lower-two storey rear block of rendered coursed masonry construction, lit at each side by a series of windows to each floor and gable end, generally 2/2 but including a bi-partite sash to north-east; it is obscured to ground floor at south-west by a modern conservatory and accessed at north-east by a four-panelled timber door.

North-east elevation comprises the main block, remodelled with canted bay at centre and extended to right by the north-east elevation of the full-height return, with which it is flush; the roof level is higher over the canted bay and return. Left bay (main block) has a window to ground floor and two windows to first floor, detailed as facade. Thereafter upper floor windows are segmental-headed, and all are in moulded architraves; canted bay has a window to each floor at each facet; return has two windows to each floor, all as described with the exception of a large twentieth-century insertion to ground floor right, having floating hood mould over, with cartouche reading ‘Wigmore / Built 1619 AD / Rebuilt 1806 AD / Restored 1993 AD / Vires Eundo Aquirit’. Lower range is flush with return and is described above.

Setting:
Set within large mature grounds, largely concealed from the road, and sheltered by mature trees. A tree-lined avenue leads to the house from Ballydevitt Road, bifurcating to access gravel forecourt at south-east and to stable blocks and rear entrance at south-west. Site is accessed via an alcoved entrance comprising a pair of plain square gate piers supporting wrought-iron gates. To rear of house is a range of single- and two-storey stables and outbuildings bounding a covered stableyard having Belfast truss roof. beneath long lantern; mix of 19th and 20thC structures, generally of brick (varigated brick to 20thC sections), with rendered NE elevation; hipped slate roofs throughout; two-storey SE range converted to disabled accommodation; evidence of blocked openings to SW elevation; range of timber sheeted doors with multi light transoms and sash windows to interior yard; original timber and iron stall divisions.

Roof: Slate
Walling: Render
Windows: Timber sash
RWG: Cast iron

Historical information

Wigmore, built as a linen mansion, and originally called ‘Ballydevitt’ partially dates from the early nineteenth century, when the linen industry in the Coleraine area was at its peak and linen cloths of the finest quality were known as ‘Coleraines’. (Mullin) The house was remodelled in the mid-Victorian period.

A house and outbuildings are shown on the site on the first edition OS map of 1831-2, situated beside an expansive bleach green and associated mill buildings. Two lodges are shown, one of which has since been demolished. The western-most of these was originally built in a thatched picturesque Gothick, but is now much altered. (Dean) The third edition of 1904 shows the house much as it is today, having been remodelled c1860 and in 1876 with the earlier dwelling now forming a return and a further gate lodge added to the east of the property.

A date plaque on the house suggests that it was first built in 1617, however, no firm evidence has been brough forward, although there are thick masony walls to the south-eastern portion of the rear return. OS Memoirs describe Ballydevitt, the seat of Thomas Bennett Esq, as ‘built in the cottage style with a neat stone front and an avenue’. The Memoirs state that the house was built in 1806 and enlarged about 1828, noting it as the only dwelling in the parish with any pretensions to ‘architectural ornament’. (OS Memoirs) Thomas Bennett lived at the house from at least 1812 but the bleach green, dating from 1744, was sold to his father Francis Bennett who is likely to have been the builder of the current dwelling. (Mullin) Thomas’s son Stephen Bennett of Greenfield built a summer residence for the family at Portrush which still survives and is known as Swanbank.

By the time of Griffith’s Valuation (1856-64) the house had been taken over by John Adams, but Thomas Bennett, who had moved on to Castleroe, still continued to run the bleaching business at Ballydevitt with Adams, who was his associate (Dean; Mullin). Around this time, John Adams appears to have remodelled the house, which is described in the Valuation fieldbook as ‘new’ and is initially valued at £17 before being raised to £35. John’s son James Adams became the owner in 1876 and added a new wing to the house, increasing the valuation to £42.10s., but died just over a decade later, the house passing to his sister Catherine Mary Lopdell (nee Adams). The Lopdells lived in Athenry, County Galway but came to Ballydevitt frequently at holiday times. A housekeepers and yardman lived at the house permanently and the Lopdells brought additional staff with them including four or five maids, a coachman and a butler. After Catherine Lopdell’s death in 1921, her son Christopher sold the mills and bleach green to the Irish Bleachers Association Ltd who closed down the bleaching business. The house and farm were subsequently bought by the Morrisons who changed the name to ‘Wigmore’. (Mullin)

At the time of the First General Revaluation (1933/4) Hugh R Morrison was the owner in fee of Wigmore and the house, gate-lodge and outbuildings were valued at £20.5s for agricultural buildings and £106 for the house. The accommodation comprised on the ground floor: four receptions, a kitchen, larder, dairy, servants’ hall and pantry. On the first floor were eight bedrooms, a dressing room, two bathrooms, a bathroom with WC, and a separate WC. The house was described as ‘substantially built and well finished inside and outside’ with parquet floors to hall and drawing room. Four bedrooms, a bathroom and WC were the servants’ quarters in the rear wing. There was no attic or basement and water was supplied to a tank by hydraulic ram. A petrol engine gave electric light. The associated plan shows a stableyard beside the house with a garage and coal store and separate greenhouse. One of the old bleach mills was being used as a riding school and another became a mushroom house in 1938. A further garage was added to the site in the late 1930s.

Part of the house was requisitioned by the War Department in 1942, but for what purpose is unclear. (Valuation records) The stable courtyard was covered over after 1935, and it is suggested that this was done by the Morrisons as part of their riding school venture. (Owner information) For a detailed history of Belfast Truss roofs see HB18/08/139.

In the early 1980s the house was converted into a retirement home and the former service wing became private quarters. In the early 1990s renovations took place including the addition of a conservatory and the conversion of the service wing into two self-contained flats. (HB file)

References:

Primary Sources

1. PRONI OS/6/5/11/1 First Edition OS Map 1831-2
2. PRONI OS/6/5/11/2 Second Edition OS map 1849-52
3. PRONI OS/6/5/11/3 Third Edition OS Map 1904
4. PRONI OS/6/5/11/4 Fourth Edition OS Map 1923
5. PRONI VAL/2/B/5/1C Griffiths Valuation (1861)
6. PRONI VAL/12/B/30/1A-F Annual Revisions (1864-1929)
7. PRONI VAL/3/C/6/1 First General Revaluation 1933-57
8. PRONI VAL/3/D/6/3/A/2 First General Revaluation 1933-57
9. HB file – 03/03/037

Secondary Sources

1. Day, A., P. McWilliams, English L., eds. “OS Memoirs of Ireland, Parishes of County Londonderry VI, 1831, 1833, 1835-6, Vol. 22.” Belfast: Institute of Irish Studies, 1993.
2. Dean, J. A. K. “The Gate Lodges of Ulster: A Gazetteer.” Belfast: Ulster Architectural Heritage Society, 1994.
3. Mullin, Rev T H “Aghadowey, A Parish and its Linen Industry” Belfast, 1972
4. Owner information

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

A. Style
B. Proportion
C. Ornamentation
I. Quality and survival of Interior
J. Setting
K. Group value

Criteria for listing: historic interest

R. Age
S. Authenticity
T. Historic Importance
X. Local Interest

Evaluation

A fine early-nineteenth century linen-merchant's house of two storeys and three bays, possibly containing fabric of an earlier seventeenth century structure. Sympathetcially restored. the house occupies large private grounds, with substantial outbuildings notable for a Belfast truss roof over the central yard. Wigmore House is of considerable historic interest due to its connections with the local linen industry, being particularly associated with the renowned Balyydevitt linen. The nearby watch house (HB03/03/013), while not close enough to form an architectural group, adds historical group interest.

General comments

Listing Criteria R - Age; S - Authenticity and T - Historic Importance also apply.