Cairndhu

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

A large multi-gabled house of asymmetrical plan and irregular outline, designed in a vaguely Tudor style, mostly of two storeys but rising to three storeys in part and characterised by its profusion of gables and bays.

Main entrance faces north. North elevation asymmetrical, comprises a two and a half storey block with a projecting single-storey entrance porch in a central position, with a three-storey gabled projection to the right and a diagonally placed three-storey gabled projection to the left on the corner with the east elevation.

Roofs are of green slates in regular courses with red terracotta ridges; overhanging eaves with projecting rafter ends; painted wooden barge boards; moulded cast iron gutters with square section cast iron downpipes. Walls are rendered with a dashed finish, with ashlar sandstone used for the entrance porch, bay windows, quoins and block dressings to windows; chimneys also in sandstone, with ashlar dressings and moulded cornices. Windows are mainly rectangular timber casements divided by transoms and mullions to form two-light and three-light windows, but a number of windows have been boarded up for protection from vandalism.

Entrance porch has two doorways, one to each side facing east and west within open verandah; verandah two steps up. On front face of porch, a three-light window containing stained glass, set in a moulded surround, surmounted by a Tudor panelled stone parapet with octagonal drums at each end, with ball finials, and a stepped up shield panel in the centre. Flat roof of porch extends to each side to form a first floor balcony which continues around the corner to the left along the east elevation; lattice-like timber balustrading to balcony, all supported on an open trellis-work of arcaded and balustraded timbers to the verandah below. Set back from porch is a gabled entrance bay with a first floor canted bay window surmounted by a parapet of similar Tudor panelling to porch. To right of entrance bay gable, another gabled bay breaks the eaves line; to right, the three-storey gabled projection contains three-light windows to ground and first floor with a two-light window to the second floor. To extreme right, set back beyond entrance front, is the north end of the service wing, twin gabled with similar walls, roofs and windows as previous, but appearance spoiled by later external fire escape stairways and later single-storey flat roofed addition. Gabled three-storey projection to left of entrance bay has three windows each to ground and first floor of front face, all dressed in ashlar sandstone; leaded glazing to ground floor, currently boarded up; timber sliding sash, vertically hung, 1 over 1, with horns, to first floor, currently boarded up; second floor as previous. Side of projection angled to entrance front has a hipped dormer in ashlar stonework; terracotta finial; single light casement or fixed light.

East elevation is of similar character to entrance elevation: side of diagonally projecting corner bay angled to east has hipped dormer in second floor similar to previous, symmetrically arranged around angled face. Hipped roof to end of three-storey block; verandah and balcony extend from right-hand corner across three-storey block to end at projecting two-storey gabled bay; two windows to ashlar faced ground floor; three-light window, as previous, to first floor gable surmounted by a rough faced triangular pedimental panel over window, with a small decoratively treated wrought iron balcony at its base, with Gothic arcading and floral ornament, carried on four cast iron brackets. Beyond recess to left, one window wide containing rectangular doorway reached by stone steps, doorway now boarded up, is a taller gabled two-storey projection with a canted bay to the ground floor; arcaded parapet of simplified design, with elaborate raised dressing around window in gable above. Simple gabled dormer in south side of projection. To extreme left of east elevation is a two-storey bay with a rectangular oriel to first floor, a four-light arrangement of transom and mullions, one window deep, carried on four shaped sandstone brackets, with a hipped roof of red tiles.

South elevation is of similar character to previous two: comprised of five gabled projections with a verandah and balcony running between the two end bays which project further forward than the central three. From right to left the main features are as follows: first gable has a three-light timber window surmounted by a rock-faced pedimental panel similar to one on previous elevation, presumably intended originally for eventual carving with inscription, or other, but not executed; canted bay below has small hipped roof of red tiles. Second gable from right has a two-storey canted bay with steep hipped roof, with a steep pyramidal-roofed dormer in the angle of the building to the right-hand side of gable; ball finial, lead-covered. Third gable from right surmounts a two-storey canted bay, oversailing to each side on timber brackets with curvilinear struts, fret-like in appearance; bay of dressed ashlar; gabled rendered. Fourth gable from right surmounts a shallow rectangular bay of dressed stone; gable rendered. Fifth gable from right, at end of elevation has a canted bay to the ground floor with an open arcaded timber balcony above. Three windows to ground floor bay, rectangular timber, vertically hung sashes, 1 over 1, with horns. Three-light transom and mullioned window to first floor, incorporating central French window casement, and top-hung vents. Turned posts with shafts tapering to the bottom and Tudor-like arcading to spandrels of balcony woodwork, with lattice-like diagonally strutted and arcaded balcony railings in timber; green slated steep pitched hipped roof. Timber verandah between outermost gables has similar detailing to verandah on entrance front, some of it now glazed but balcony railings are later replacements of painted tubular steel, inappropriate. Originally all large gables on both south and east elevations had elaborate spandrel timbers of fret-like pattern, now all removed.

West elevation plainer in treatment than others but similar wall and roof materials: comprises a central three-storey gable with a long block with unbroken roof, to the right, and a shorter block with one small gabled dormer, to the left. Windows are smaller than previous, mainly timber sliding sash, vertically hung, 1 over 1, with horns, to upper floors, with three small two-centred arched windows, similarly sashed. Two canted bays to ground floor, with hipped roofs. Later cement rendered flue of square section abuts central gable, and flat roofed later block, with rooflights, added at left-hand extremity embracing end of block and largely hidden from view from west by being built into slope of hill, with narrow passageway skirting it.

Returning to north elevation, passage between entrance front and single-storey block added to south elevation leads into an open rear court. Court overlooked by various two-storey gables and a large three-storey dormered block, all containing mainly rectangular timber windows, sashed 1 over 1, with horns, mainly plain glazed, but some glazed with stained glass, and some three-light casements or fixed lights with leaded glazing or stained glass. There are also two single-storey canted bays, one with stained glass and hipped lead roof. Court hard surfaced and moss covered.

Steps in garden: adjacent to south-west corner of building is a flight of exterior steps in the garden, designed in a Renaissance classical style in what looks like reconstituted stone, but it has been badly damaged with balusters, finials, and copings fractured or missing (some balusters have been moved inside the house for safe-keeping). Retaining wall rendered as main house, with raised quoins.

SETTING: The building stands in a rural area in its own extensive and well kept grounds surrounded by lawns and set among mature trees. The driveway which winds up to a tarmac area in front of it runs from a former front gateway (HB06/03/007) well to the east, but the building is now approached at an intermediate point on the driveway by a new link with the driveway to the adjacent country park. Associated with the building are a detached stable block to the west (HB06/03/009), a gate lodge (HB06/03/007) standing alongside the former front gateway to the east, and a boat house (HB06/03/006) on the other side of the main road from the former front gate lodge. There is also a small single-storey red brick building known as the petrol house standing near the stables, and a small wooden pedestrian gateway at the south end of the boundary to the Coast Road.

Historical information

Built for John Stewart Clark, initially sometime after 1878, architect not recorded, and then later extended in 1897-8 to the designs of Samuel P. Close. The OS map of 1833 shows a collection of small buildings on the site, presumably a farm, which by the OS map of 1857 was called Seaview, the property of Robert Agnew. Clark bought Seaview in 1878, and would appear to have rebuilt it rather than remodelled or extended it as there is now no trace of any earlier buildings. The architect of the initial phase of Clark’s building may have been Close. Added to by Clark at various times, the last time reportedly being in 1906; extent of work uncertain. After Clark died in 1907 it was lived in by his daughter, until bought by Thomas J. (later Sir Thomas) Dixon who added the servants’ dining hall. Eventually given by Sir Thomas Dixon to the Hospitals Authority for use as a convalescent home. Plaque on main stairway records that Cairndhu given to the people of Northern Ireland by Sir Thomas and Lady Dixon on 2nd February 1948, and opened as a hospital on 5th December 1949; named as The Sir Thomas and Lady Edith Dixon Hospital. Closed as a hospital in 1986.

References - Primary

1. Old photographs in possession of Larne Historical Society.
2. PRONI, D1898/1/28 (Bill of Quantities).
3. OS Map 1833, Co Antrim 35.
4. OS Map 1857, Co Antrim 35.
5. OS Map 1903, Co Antrim 35.

Secondary

1. R.M. Young, Belfast and the Province of Ulster (Brighton, 1909), p 297.
2. M. Bence-Jones, Burke’s Guide to Country Houses, Volume 1: Ireland (London, 1978), p 54.
3. E.M. Dempsey, ‘Cairndhu (Back o’ the Hill)’, The Corran (The magazine of Larne and District Folklore Society), Vol 2, No 7, Autumn 1989, pp 6-10.

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

A. Style
C. Ornamentation
D. Plan Form
I. Quality and survival of Interior
J. Setting
K. Group value

Criteria for listing: historic interest

V. Authorship
X. Local Interest

Evaluation

A fine example of a late Victorian country house which, with its associated buildings still comprises most of the original estate, with the added interest that the main house itself is in an unusual style by a well-known local architect.