Dunderg House

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

Detached symmetrical three-bay two-storey over basement rendered Georgian residence, built c.1840 as an extension to a late eighteenth-century house and remodelled c.1870. T-shaped on plan facing southeast, formerly abutted by a further lower wing to the north of eighteenth-century origin, demolished c.1970. Located within its own extensive grounds at the end of a long gravel avenue to the west of Drumcroon Road, shared with two neighbouring properties.

Pitched roof with replacement natural slate and clay ridge tiles with a pair of symmetrically-placed rendered chimneystacks. Replacement steel rainwater goods, replacement fascia and rendered course below eaves. Painted cement rendered walling. Square-headed window openings with painted masonry sills and uPVC windows throughout.

Front elevation is six windows wide abutted by a central entrance porch. Three staggered window openings to the north end of the basement. Shallow pitched roof to entrance porch having an elliptical-headed door opening with replacement timber doorcase and fanlight flanked by a pair of fixed-pane sidelights (repeated to the cheeks) and framed by a pair of Doric corner pilasters supporting an entablature enriched with triglyphs and a diminutive depressed pediment. Door opens onto stone flagged area within gravel forecourt.

Gabled side elevation is two windows wide and abutted by a central canted bay window with flat roof.

Rear elevation abutted to the centre by a three-storey stair tower and a steel and uPVC conservatory to the southern re-entrant angle. Irregular fenestration to the rear and stair wing including a single round-headed window opening with leaded coloured glazing. Single door opening to basement with sheeted timber door.

Three-storey gabled side elevation (north) has a single window and door opening to the right at basement and ground level.

Setting
Located at the end of a long bitmac avenue to the west of Drumcroon Road, shared with two neighbouring houses. Landscaped grounds with mature trees and a walled garden to the southwest. Rubblestone castellated garden walls to the west and north lined to the inner sides with red brick laid in English garden wall bond, including castellations. Small paved yard to the rear enclosed by a single-storey over basement rubblestone outbuilding having a brick vaulted wine cellar and abutted by the garden wall with a double-height brick arch surmounted by stone ashlar coping forming a double ogee. To the west of the site is a small river with a track leading to a former yard and the north side of the house. Pair of spear-headed wrought-iron gates hung on lime rendered stone piers with conical capstones.

Roof Natural slate
RWG Replacement steel
Walling Painted cement render
Windows uPVC

Historical information

Dunderg House, formerly known as ‘Greenfield’ was originally built as a linen mansion in 1785. However, the older part of the house has since been demolished and the remaining fabric constitutes a wing of the house which was originally constructed c1840 and then rebuilt/remodelled in 1869.

A house is shown on the site on the first edition OS map of 1830, located beside an expanse of bleach green which extends over both banks of the nearby Macosquin River. The second edition of 1849-50 shows a substantial addition to the rear, constituting the present house, and a number of ornamental features, including a pond with island, a ‘Vane’, ‘Sun Dial’, ‘Fountain’ and ‘Bower’, but these features had gone by the third edition of 1904. The fourth edition OS map of 1923 captions the building ‘Greenfield House’, but it is presently known as ‘Dunderg House’.

OS Memoirs (Vol 22) of 1835 record ‘Greenfield’ as the seat of Stephen Bennett, linen merchant and proprietor of Macleary bleach green, and note that the house was erected in 1785 and improved by Mr Bennett in 1820. The house is described as ‘small and…highly ornamented in front, particularly by many creeping plants and shrubs. There is a pond in front with an island, a temple on it and swans. The avenue is extensive and well planted, with a neat gate and lodge at the entrance.’ (OS Memoirs) Stephen Bennett also built himself a summer residence at Portrush in the 1830s, known as Seabank, which still survives in an altered form (HB03/10/028).

Stephen Bennett died in 1861 and his property including the present house, passed to his wife Frances (Will of Stephen Bennett). The house is listed in Griffith’s Valuation (1856-64) at a valuation of £25 and is situated on a plot of over 76 acres. The house, offices and gate lodge were leased from Thomas Richardson. In 1868 the house was taken over by James Sinclair, following which a new three-storey wing was added in 1869 and the valuation was consequently raised to £45. At the time of the 1901 census, the occupier was Catherine Sinclair, a widow who lived on the income from land. Her three adult children and her grandson also lived at the house with a staff comprising a nurse, cook, parlour maid and house maid. The twelve-room house was designated first class.

In 1907 the house passed to Catherine’s son, Robert A Sinclair, land agent, who lived at the house with his two sisters, and thereafter to a succession of tenants. Valuer’s notes of the 1930s record the accommodation as a kitchen, scullery and pantry in the basement, a hall, two receptions and a bathroom on the ground floor and four bedrooms, a lumber room and a WC on the first floor. In the 1930s the house was lit by oil lamps and water was supplied by rainwater tanks, while the sewage drained into the nearby river. The building continues in domestic use.

References:

Primary Sources

1. PRONI OS/6/5/7/1 First Edition OS Map 1830
2. PRONI OS/6/5/7/2 Second Edition OS map 1849-50
3. PRONI OS/6/5/7/3 Third Edition OS Map 1904
4. PRONI OS/6/5/7/4 Fourth Edition OS Map 1923
5. PRONI OS/6/5/7/5 Fifth Edition OS Map 1949
6. PRONI VAL/12/B/30/11A-F Annual Revisions (1864-1929)
7. PRONI VAL/3/C/6/2 First General Revaluation 1933-57
8. PRONI VAL/3/D/6/3/T/5 First General Revaluation 1933-57
9. PRONI Will of Stephen Bennett, died 20th January 1861
10. Griffith’s Valuation online
11. 1901 census online

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.

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

Not listed

Criteria for listing: historic interest

Not listed

Evaluation

Detached symmetrical three-bay two-storey over basement rendered evolved residence, with Georgian origins, remodelled c.1840 and c.1870, with three-storey stair wing abutting the rear elevation. Whilst the building is of interest due to its early origins, it has subsequently been altered it is not of sufficient interest to warrant listing.