1 - 14 Somerset Mews, Castlerow Road, Coleraine, Co. Londonderry, BT51 3RL

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

Former stable yard and out offices north of the site of Somerset House, an 18th century country house demolished c1990 with the lands developed for housing. Entered from the north, Somerset Mews comprises 11 individual dwellings in a two storey 'C' shaped range which occupies the eastern half of a large square enclosure, bounded on the western side of the square by a high stone boundary wall. Accessed through an archway to the south, the range extends to form another three dwellings.
Walls are random rubble basalt brought to courses with double pitched natural slate roofs and new red brick chimney stacks on the ridge lines. Roof lights (where present) are regularly spaced. New window openings have been formed and contain top hung painted timber windows with concrete brick jambs and lintol courses. Some of the lintol courses are blue concrete brick and there are the remnants of original segmental stone heads in some locations. Doors to each house are generally vertically boarded and painted - some with full height side lights. Original circular windows, with (in part) diamond panes, to north facing gable.

The original yard has been landscaped with grass and mature trees.

Setting
Located to the south-west of Coleraine and accessed via the main Castleroe Road the buildings are on an elevated and very prominent site, overlooking (to the east) the River Bann. The site is now surrounded by modern houses.

Roof: Natural slate
Walling: Basalt rubble stone
Windows: Timber top hung
RWG: uPVC

Historical information

'Although the present house is of lttle importance, it has to the rear of it a pleasant set of stables - irregularly shaped two-storey courtyards in black basalt with charming circular windows filled with diamond panes'.
Girvan, W.D. ‘List of Historic Buildings, Groups of Buildings & Areas of Architectural Importance in Coleraine & Portstewart’ Ulster Architectural Heritage Society, Belfast, (1973)

The first survey describes Somerset House as ‘An L-shaped two-storey house with rendered walls and slated roof. Windows on façade are plain sashed. A porch containing the entrance projects on the façade. There is a two-storey bay projecting in segmental form on the south wall. Outbuildings of stone retain features of interest.’

First shown captioned ‘Somerset’ on the first edition OS map (1830), the house is rectangular on plan with a central projection to the front, a substantial L-plan return to the rear and a complex of outbuildings to the north, all sited within a large wooded demesne.

First valued at £46 in the Townland Valuations (1830s) the building and the associated estate was the seat of the Richardson family. The second edition OS map (1849-50) shows some minor alterations to the foot-print, including the removal of northern and eastern projections. The value of the buildings increased to £50 in Griffith’s Valuations (1856) due to a number of implemented improvements and by 1860 the figure had risen to £65 (General Revisions 1860-63). Major John Torrens took over occupancy of the house in 1878 and there were no significant changes until the 1918 when the buildings were purchased from Thomas Richardson by James Stewart and valued £43 5s. According to the 1911 Census Records, the main house comprised thirty rooms and there were forty associated ancillary buildings.

The original house, which was named ‘Summer Seat’, was built c.1732, on the site of a previous castle. Commonly known as the ‘Red Castle’ as it was constructed of bricks and painted red, the building was the residence of the Gorge family until 1729, when their estate was purchased by the Richardsons. The house, erected c.1732, is reported to have burnt down prior to 1802, following which, a dwelling was created from the outbuildings. The building was enlarged and extensively improved in 1822. The residence of Rev. Thomas Richardson, a local rector and magistrate, the house was described in the OS Memoirs (1835) as being large and spacious, with a steeply pitched roof and possessing ‘…the appearance of age.’ (Mullin; Rowan; OS Memoirs).

Contemporary maps indicate there was little change to the footprint of the building until the late 20th century when the main house fell into poor condition and was demolished during the 1990s along with two of the outbuildings damaged by fire around the same time (HB File). Field evidence shows a modern housing complex is now located on the site of the former house. The two-storey rubblestone stable buildings and sections of the perimeter garden wall remain. The outbuildings have been extensively remodelled and renovated to provide modern living accommodation.

References

1. PRONI OS/6/1/11/1 – First Edition Ordnance Survey map (1830)
2. PRONI OS/6/5/7/2 – Second Edition Ordnance Survey map (1849-50)
3. PRONI OS/10/5/7/11/1 – First Edition Ordnance Survey 25-Inch map (1904)
4. PRONI OS/6/1/11/4 – Fourth Edition Ordnance Survey map (1921)
5. PRONI OS/6/5/7/5 – Fifth Edition Ordnance Survey map (1949)
6. PRONI OS/11/21/1/1 – First Edition Ordnance Survey 25-Inch Irish Grid map (1967-8)
7. PRONI VAL/1/B/59 – Townland Valuations (1830s)
8. PRONI VAL/2/B/5/9B – Griffith’s Valuation (1856)
9. PRONI VAL/12/B/30/20A- General Revisions (1860-63)
10. PRONI VAL/12/B/30/20B- General Revisions (1864-79)
11. PRONI VAL/12/B/30/20C- General Revisions (1880-88)
12. PRONI VAL/12/B/30/20D- General Revisions (1889-98)
13. PRONI VAL/12/B/30/20E- General Revisions (1899-1910)
14. PRONI VAL/12/B/30/20F- General Revisions (1911-29)
15. PRONI VAL/3/B/6/2 – First General Revaluations (1935)
16. HB File (HB03/14/003)
17. Census Records (1901 & 1911)

Secondary Sources

1. Day, Angélique and McWilliams, Patrick (eds) ‘Ordnance Survey Memoirs; The Parishes of Co. Londonderry [Vol. 22] VI 1831, 1833, 1835-6, North-East Londonderry’ Institute of Irish Studies, Queen’s University, Belfast [1993]
2. Mullin, Rev. T.H. ‘Coleraine in Georgian Times’ Century Services Ltd. Belfast (1977)
3. Rowan, Alistair ‘The Buildings of Ireland: North West Ulster’ Yale University Press, London (1979)
4. Girvan, W.D. ‘List of Historic Buildings, Groups of Buildings & Areas of Architectural Importance in Coleraine & Portstewart’ Ulster Architectural Heritage Society, Belfast, (1973)

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

A. Style
B. Proportion
C. Ornamentation
J. Setting
K. Group value

Criteria for listing: historic interest

T. Historic Importance
S. Authenticity
X. Local Interest

Evaluation

Substantial two storey courtyard of former outbuildings to Somerset, a large eighteenth century house remodelled in the nineteenth century. The listed outbuildings were altered c1991 to form 14 dwellings. Despite the demolition of the main house the essential character of the well proportioned stone outbuildings has been retained and it remains as a significant example of a large range of nineteenth century outbuildings.