'The Brae'

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

An asymmetrical two-storey multi-bay arts-and-crafts house, built c.1905, and located at the east side of Melmount Road, Sion Mills. Generally L-shaped on plan with projections, two-storey entrance block at re-entrant angle, and single-storey extension at north, built c. 1950.

Pitched bellcast rosemary tiled roof, hipped in parts; angled rosemary ridge tiles, leaded hip caps and deep timber bargeboards. Decorative rectangular red brick chimneystacks with clay pots. Gutters are half-round cast-iron supported on overhanging timber eaves with timber sheeted soffits and cast-iron brackets. Walling is exposed red brick at ground floor and roughcast rendered at first floor (exposed timber framework to entrance block at west). Windows are square-headed timber casements (camber-headed at ground floor), largely replaced by uPVC casements. Moulded brick cills at ground floor, precast moulded masonry cills at first floor.

Principal elevation faces west and comprises two-storey projecting gabled bay at right, two-storey entrance block at re-entrant angle. Exposed section at left comprises of two windows at each floor. Projecting bay west gable contains window at each floor, left cheek contains single window at left at each floor, that at ground floor is square-headed, fixed and contains stained glass. Entrance tower west elevation contains at right, a round-arched-headed opening containing sqaure-headed timber painted door with original wrought-iron strap hinges and fanlight over; porthole window at left. Two windows at first floor. Left cheek (north) is blank. Entrance covered by semi-circular timber canopy supported by cast-iron bracket at re-entrant angle.

Left (north) elevation has been extended by single-storey block to connect the main house with adjacent former stable block (now used as living accommodation). North gable is abutted by one-and-a-half storey block with hipped roof, detailed as main house. This block has been modified to incorporate two dormer windows at north. The west elevation is abutted by a modern glazed conservatory and the north elevation has been extended to adjoin a further single storey block (now garage) also similarly detailed to main house.

Rear (east) elevation comprises pitched gable at left, two-storey projecting bay at centre with hipped roof. Exposed section at right contains single window at ground floor; two windows at first floor. Central projecting bay east elevation contains window at each floor, left cheek contains original timber glazed entrance door, window at first floor; right cheek is blank. Left gable contains window at each floor (porthole window at ground floor, ground floor abutted by veranda (some glass remaining) terminating at re-entrant angle.

Right (south) elevation is abutted at left by two-storey canted bay with flat roof, window at each face at each floor. At right a former glazed veranda supported on brick plinth wall abutts the ground floor (the remaining lead flashing suggests that the roof structure would have been glazed, but no glass remains). Exposed section contains timber glazed door at ground floor, two windows at left, left diminished, single-storey bowed-bay at right containing original timber casement windows, curved glass and original ironmongery. Two windows at first floor, right diminished.

The house is set within an extensive wooded demesne, accessed at west by a winding drive lined with mature trees. Driveway accessed via red brick entrance piers with ridge tile copping. Hedging forms remainder of west boundary. There is a gravel forecourt to the front of the house, and extensive gardens to south and west.

Roof Rosemary tiled
Walling Redbrick / rough-cast render
Windows Mixture of replacement uPVC and original timber casement
Rainwater goods Cast-iron

Historical information

The house first appears on the third edition Ordnance Survey map of 1905 captioned ‘The Brae’. By the fourth edition (1951) it has been extended to the north.

The house is entered into Annual Revision records in 1905. It is occupied by Captain Ricardo, leased from E. Herdman and the valuation is £36. Accompanying valuers’ notes give a plan and dimensions for the house, which is of brick and tile and has a glass verandah.

The house was designed for Captain Ambrose St Quentin Ricardo by William Williamson, a Scottish architect, whose only commission outside Scotland appears to have been this house. (www.scottisharchitects.org.uk)

After 1934 the house is occupied by A.W. West and leased from E.A. Ricardo. The value is raised to £48 and the accompanying plan and dimensions show that there are, by this time, additional outbuildings attached to the house, including a motor house, greenhouse and toolshed. At this time the house comprises a kitchen, scullery, two rooms, three bedrooms, two dining rooms, two servants’ rooms and a bathroom. The valuer comments, ‘Large detached house sitting in own grounds. In very good order throughout. Modern conveniences and electric light.’

Ricardo was the son-in-law of Emerson T Herdman, the proprietor of Sion Mills and served on the Board of Sion Mills with his father-in-law. He fought in the Great War with the Royal Inniskillings but was tragically drowned in Sion Mills reservoir in 1921. (Kennedy, p.109)

Ricardo’s niece offers some reminiscences of him on the Sion Mills website, “Ambrose St Quintin Ricardo, the husband of my Aunt Ella (nee Herdman), was a great grandson of the famous political economist, David Ricardo, and his family home was Gatcombe Park near Minchinhampton, Gloucestershire, now the home of Princess Anne. He became a Director of Herdmans Ltd on the death in 1903 of John Herdman of Carricklee, the son of James Herdman the founder, and took on the responsibilities of looking after the Mill personnel, the village and the community. In order to do this, he retired from the Army with the rank of Captain after the Boer War, during which he was Adjutant of the 1st Battalion of the Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers and earned the DSO and 3 bars for gallantry. He had also previously seen active service in a campaign on the North West Frontier of India…He built The Brae in 1904 to live in with Aunt Ella – they had no children. William Williamson, architect, of the Kirkcaldy linen family, close friends of the Herdmans, designed it”.

References:

Primary Sources
1.PRONI OS/6/6/10/3 -Third Edition OS Map (1905)
2.PRONI OS/6/6/10/4 -Fourth Edition OS Map (1951)
3.PRONI VAL/12/E/182/1 -Town plan of Sion Mills (1866-1898)
4.PRONI VAL/12/E/182/2/1 -Town plan of Sion Mills (1898-1908)
5.PRONI VAL/12/E/182/2 -Town plan of Sion Mills (1908-c.1935)
6.PRONI VAL/12/A/6/52 – Valuers’ Note Book (1905-8)
7.PRONI VAL/12/B/42/20A-F -Valuation Revisions (1860-1923)
8.PRONI VAL/3/D/7/10C/2 – Valuers RV Binder (1933-57)

Secondary Sources

1.Kennedy, Michael G. “By the Banks of the Mourne: A History of Strabane.” Strabane, Co. Tyrone: Strabane Historical
Society, 1996.
2.(www.scottisharchitects.org.uk)
3.www.sionmills.org

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

A. Style
B. Proportion
C. Ornamentation
D. Plan Form
H-. Alterations detracting from building
I. Quality and survival of Interior
K. Group value

Criteria for listing: historic interest

R. Age
S. Authenticity
V. Authorship
X. Local Interest

Evaluation

An early twentieth century two-storey multi-bay Arts-and-Crafts style house located on the east side of Melmount Road with brick detailing, tall feature chimneystacks and complex rosemary tiled rooflines. Traditional in form and retaining much original fabric including some timber fenestration, and interior arts and crafts joinery, the original form remains largely intact and the house remains within its original setting. Despite modern additions, this is an important building of significant historic interest within the town of Sion Mills, which has historic group value with the Herdmans' Mill Complex (HB10/07/004) given its orginal commision by Emerson T Herdman's son-in-law Ambrose Quintin Ricardo. Its architectural group value extends to other buildings along Melmout Road which were built to serve the Herdmans' Mill Community - Sion House (HB10/07/004), Sion Mills Recreation Club (HB10/07/005), Sion Mills Elementary School (HB10/07/007) and 122-124 Melmount Road (HB10/07/008A-B). Ricardo was a person of importance within the community for his work at Herdmans' Mill and within the Sion Mills community. Having also.been a key figure in the construction of the Church of the Good Shepherd (HB10/07/002A), he is commemorated there in the Ricardo Monument (HB10/07/002B).

General comments

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