Outbuildings at Magheramorne House

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

A one and two-storey building of basalt rubble walls and brick dressings laid out around a rectangular court. Main entrance faces north.

North elevation symmetrical: comprises a large gabled vehicular entrance in the centre with short single-storey wings ending in two-storey hipped end bays which return back along each side to form side elevations. Walls of basalt rubble built to courses with squared edges to the quoins at extremities; red firebrick jambs with quoins to central entrance; similar surrounds to windows; projecting brick eaves course with red sandstone block at corners. Roofs of Bangor Blue slates in regular courses; black ridge tiles; metal coverings to hips. Cast iron gutters with four circular downpipes, one to each extremity and one to each wing; downpipes PVC except one to left hand wing which is cast iron. Roof of entrance gabled with overhanging moulded barge boards of pitch pine, varnished, with shaped end; pitch pine finial to apex with modern ironwork weathervane; shaped ends to exposed purlins; three collar beam trusses carry roof over entrance, closed at each end by vertical boarding with shaped ends; shaped red sandstone corbels to carry each truss. Double doors of ledged pine with large plain iron strap hinges painted black. Left hand end bay has two windows to each floor, slightly smaller to first floor, all segmental headed timber sliding sash, vertically hung, 2 over 2, with horns, except left hand window to ground floor which is 1 over 2. Recessed frames set in segmental brick arches with brick dressings to sides; projecting sandstone cills. Single-storey wing to left of central entrance has a similar segmental headed window sashed as previous, 2 over 2, with three small high level vent openings to the right; vent openings have deep reveals, segmental brick arched heads with brick dressings to sides and projecting sandstone cills. First two vent openings closed at rear; third is glazed. Single-storey wing to right of main entrance has a segmental headed window to the right, sashed as previous, 2 over 2, with exposed frame, with two small high level vent openings to the left, as previous, the one to the left blocked and the one to the right glazed. Right hand end bay similar to left hand end bay with two windows to each floor as previous except all sashed, 2 over 2 and upper windows have exposed frame to head.

East elevation comprises two-storey side elevation of end block returning from the entrance front, one window wide, sashed as previous, one window to each floor, with recessed frames, with a single-storey windowless extension to the left. Roofs hipped, slated as previous; cast iron gutters as previous with two cast iron downpipes; television aerial affixed below eaves of two-storey bay. Walling as previous with white limestone base course to single-storey portion which runs into slope of hill to left. Red firebrick chimney with modern clay pots to two-storey bay; two modern boiler flue pipes to single-storey portion.

South or rear elevation asymmetrical: comprises, from right to left, end of east return wing, single-storey, partly built into hill; walling as previous with brick and sandstone eaves course; cast iron gutter partly missing; flue pipe to hipped roof, slated as previous. To left, red brick door screen containing rectangular timber ledged door, reached by winding concrete steps down from higher ground at rear of building, contained by red brick walls, curved retaining wall to east and red brick former outside lavatory to west now stripped of fittings and door. To left, low curved basalt rubble wall with rough copings forming parapet to flat lead roof of single-storey block abutting two-storey gabled block on axis with main front entrance. Gabled block has steep pitched roof slated as previous, with overhanging timber barges and finial as previous; brick chimney on ridge. Gable walling of basalt rubble as to entrance front, with some red brick quoins; two windows level with ground; red brick flat arch heads with red brick long and short dressings to sides; sandstone cills flush with wall; windows now blocked up with red brick; above window openings, a recessed circular panel of red brick in red brick surround. To left of gable, a single-storey wing in red brick with brick cornice, with two windows rectangular timber, sashed as previous, with projecting sandstone cills which look cut down from a longer cill; roof slated as previous, overhanging the wall without gutter; two PVC soil pipes. To left, wing extends into end of west return of red brick, in same plane: hipped roof, slated as previous, overhanging without gutter; two windows, rectangular timber, one sashed, 2 over 2, as previous on rear elevation, the other small and sashed, 1 over 1 with translucent glass, with cut down sandstone cill; PVC soil pipe to left hand extremity.

West elevation: two-storey side of west return, running into hill to right hand side. Roof hipped, slated as previous; one chimney across ridge near left hand end. Walling of basalt rubble as previous with squared edge to quoins at left hand extremity; red brick quoining to right hand extremity newly pointed. Cast iron gutter with cast iron downpipe but gutter stops before right hand end, without being closed. Windows and other openings are from left to right: segmental headed timber window to ground floor, sashed, 2 over 2, as previous to entrance front, with exposed frame to head, in brick surround with projecting sandstone cill; similar window directly above to first floor, except smaller in size, and with recessed frame. To right, a pair of coupled rectangular timber windows, sliding sash, vertically hung, 2 over 2, with horns, with exposed frames to heads, set in original segmental brick arches; intrados levelled off with smooth cement render in each case; with rebuilt jambs and central pier of new firebrick; projecting sandstone cills. Directly above in first floor, a very narrow rectangular timber window, sliding sash, vertically hung, 1 over 1, with horns, with exposed frame to head, set in original brick surround with projecting sandstone cill. To right, three more similar narrow sashed windows to first floor, above four vent openings in deep reveals as previous, all vents blocked at rear of recess. To far right hand end, one slit opening dressed in brick, with recessed cill, to first floor; reveals splay inwards to interior, with fixed light of plate glass.

Main entrance on north elevation leads into courtyard. Entrance area roofed over with tongued and grooved pine sheeting; cobbled surface underfoot with loose chippings to margins; granite kerbing to exterior edges; a pair of modern concrete tapering hexagonal bollards to interior line. Gable of entrance way facing into courtyard has end truss faced with vertical boarding as on outer face.

Courtyard elevation on north side has single-storey wing each side of entrance opening. Walling of basalt rubble with red brick dressings to openings, some partly rebuilt. Translucent glass to fanlights over modern ledged doors; door handles modern brass. Rounded edge to jambs of main entrance opening on courtyard side. Shaped red sandstone shoulders to original opening carrying deep timber beam, now closed in with later basalt walling to contain rectangular sashed window, 2 over 2, and rectangular ledged pine door with tongued and grooved pine panel above.

Courtyard elevation to east side has new doorway in short angled red brick wall in corner with three bays of new tongued and grooved pine walling containing rectangular timber sash windows, 2 over 2, and rectangular ledged pine doors with translucent fanlights, inserted between large timber posts of original openings; one cut down sandstone cill and one concrete cill. Courtyard roofs slated as previous; PVC gutters and downpipes.

Courtyard elevation on south side comprises a central three-storey gable on axis with main entrance, flanked to the left by a single-storey high wall of basalt and red brick, containing two doorways; and a two-storey block to the right. Central gable has a segmental arched doorway flanked by two narrow slit openings to the ground floor, with a segmental arched window, sashed, 2 over 2, to the first floor alongside a segmental arched doorway created from a similar window, now lowered; ocular window in recessed red brick surrounds to the apex of the gable. Gable has overhanging barge boards and finial as previous to entrance way. Two-storey block has a segmental arched doorway, with new ledged pine door flanked by high level slit openings, to ground floor, with two segmental arched doorways in red brick gablet to first floor. All doors new in ledged pine. A modern iron stairway on circular iron posts steps up from left to right, and returns across the west side of courtyard as a first floor balcony with a double return flight of steps symmetrically arranged.

Courtyard elevation on west side is two-storey of basalt and red brick; two segmental headed windows to ground floor, sashed as previous, 1 over 1, with projecting sandstone cills, flanked each side by new doors, those to the right in newly created porch recesses. Three doors to first floor, each set in a small gablet with overhanging barge boards and finials, separated by two segmental headed windows, sashed as previous, 2 over 2, with exposed frames. Central gablet has sandstone shield in apex with date 1881 in raised letters, partly broken off.

Setting: the building stands on an elevated site within the grounds of Magheramorne House, in a pleasant rural
setting with distant views of Larne Lough to the north and no other buildings in close proximity. Close by to the rear is a public road. The building is seen against the backdrop of a well-treed hillside; sloping grassed areas to each side with a gravel surfaced car parking area to the front. To the north stands what looks like a contemporary silage pit consisting of a small rectangular concrete area bounded on three sides by rubble walls, of modest scale and no architectural pretension. Boundary to road at rear formed by a low basalt rubble wall with a pedestrian gateway immediately to the south of the building and a vehicular gateway to the east, both with square piers of basalt rubble to courses with block quoins of red brick; weathered concrete caps; plain wrought ironwork to smaller gateway but ornamental cast ironwork to larger gateway, in High Victorian style.

Historical information

Built to the designs of Samuel P. Close in 1881 as a stable block for Magheramorne House for the first Lord Magheramorne. There is an inscribed datestone in a gable within the courtyard. Built immediately to the east of the site of the previous Magheramorne House and on the site of its outbuildings.

References - Primary Sources

1. OS Map 1857, Co Antrim 41.
3. OS Map 1921, Co Antrim 41.
3. The Architect, Vol XXIII, 2 October 1880, p 211.

Secondary Sources

1. P. Larmour, A worthy Victorian architect (Samuel P. Close, 1842-1925), Perspective (The Journal of the Royal Society of Ulster Architects), Vol 6, No 5, May/June 1998, pp 72-75.

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

A. Style
B. Proportion
C. Ornamentation
H+. Alterations enhancing the building
K. Group value

Criteria for listing: historic interest

V. Authorship
X. Local Interest

Evaluation

This is a structure which displays a distinct style and proportion. It stands in an attractive setting and although visually cut off from other buildings, it forms part of an important group along with the other estate structures with which it is associated. Designed by a leading Irish architect it is of considerable local interest as forming part of an important local demesne