Servite Priory

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

Large three and two storey red brick country house of 1888-90 by William Henry Lynn in austere ‘institutional’ Elizabethan style with many gables, dormers and tall chimney stacks. The building has been a Servite Priory since 1949 and a large modern, flat roofed hall was added to the W end in the 1950s, on the site of a large conservatory / green house. To the W side of the house also is large former stable quadrangle with mock half-timbered barbican entrance wing with small clock tower (see ref 13/11/018). The whole complex is set to the S of Main Street, and approached from the E past a gate lodge of the same date and style as the house and also by Lynn.

Basically the house consists of a the main house to the E, the long narrow 1950s wing to the W and the stable yard quadrangle directly to the N of this. The main house is made up roughly of two blocks, generally rectangular in plan form. The main residential block is to the E and is three storey. To its W side a short three storey portion of this block links to a smaller (but still relatively large) service block. As mentioned above, the whole house is in red brick, with various courses in Dumfriesshire sandstone. The steeply pitched gabled roof is slated and the window frames are now all PVC with modern openers.

The front (N) elevation of the main house is asymmetric and has a complex appearance. To the left it is two and a half to three storey (the aforementioned residential section), becoming one and a half to two storey to the right. The three storey section is in three bays. The main entrance lies to the left side of the ground floor of the central bay and consists of a large flat roofed portico in Dumfriesshire sandstone, open to both the N and W sides (but enclosed to the E by a projecting bay). Relatively plain square columns support the portico roof, which itself has a plain frieze and cornice and is topped with a balustrade with cube-like end piers. Within the portico is the main lies the large entrance doorway which consists of a panelled and glazed double timber door with ornate lead work to the glazing and a plain rectangular fanlight above. The floor of the portico contains a terrazzo-like mosaic with the monogram of James Bruce (the building’s original owner) to the centre. Though the W side of portico is ‘open’ it is actually spanned at ground level by a balustrade similar to that on the roof. To the N side a shallow wheelchair ramp with plain metal handrail has been added.

To the immediate left of the portico is a large projecting bay, which, to its right side, is taller and culminates in a gable (this section contains the stairwell). To the left on the ground floor is a group of three tall windows, with two similar windows to first floor directly above. To the right side of the bay there are two groups of similar windows set at intermediate stair landing levels, the upper windows set half-dormer-like into the aforementioned gable. There is a small square [?sandstone] panel to the gable. To the right of this gable there is a (relatively) small hipped roof dormer.

To the immediate right of the portico are two ground floor windows, much as before. To the first floor directly above these is a similar window, with another to the second floor set within a large gable (similar to that to bay to left). Directly above the portico the is a doorway, (which opens onto to the portico roof), with PVC door. Directly above this is a hipped roof dormer, as before. To the short W facing portion of this bay there are two windows to the ground floor and two to the first floor, all as a before. There is a small flat roofed dormer to this face also.

To the right of this bay is part three storey part two, part one and a half storey recessed bay which is in fact a link between the residential section and the service block. To the ground floor are three windows. To the first floor the bay ‘narrows’ and has two small windows to the left and a hipped roof dormer to the right (the bay is one and a half storey to this end). To the second floor are two windows set within hipped roof half-dormers. Set behind the roof of the one and a half storey portion of the bay (to right) there rises, (to an intermediate level between first and second floors), a portion of façade topped with a small gable to its right. This contains a small window. To the immediate left of this portion there is a further W facing portion of façade, which appears, (based on internal evidence), to contain a small second floor window.

The right end of the N elevation of the main house consists of the N façade of the service block. This has three windows of various size to the ground floor, a single window at semi-basement level and another at stair landing level. To the left hand side of the façade there is a large gable with small first floor window thereon. A tall chimney stack rises from this gable. To the right of the gable there is a hipped roof dormer, as before. To the right this façade merges with a large brick gate screen with segmental headed archway. This screen spans to the (former) stable yard quad to the W and to the S of the screen is a small yard which is bordered on the S side by the 1950s extension and on the W by part of the stable yard building.

To the E facing façade of the service block there are three ground floor windows and two hipped roof dormers. The W facing façade has three ground floor windows. To the left on the first floor is a large gable which contains two windows, to the right of this is a hipped roof dormer, as before. There are basement light wells to this side.

The long S elevation of the main house exhibits a greater degree of uniformity than the front in that it is largely ‘unbroken’, with only a few shallow bays. To the far left is the long two storey, flat roofed, 1950s section. To the immediate right of this is the S façade of the service block and to the right again is the long S façade of the residential section. The façade of the 1950s extension is in two sections with the longer portion to left slightly taller. This section is almost totally glazed (with doorways to far left and far right). To the first floor are a series of small-ish square windows. The lower section of the façade has similar windows to first floor with slightly larger versions to the ground floor.

The S façade of the service block is two and a half to three storey and in two bays. To the left is a projecting gabled bay with two windows to ground floor, two slightly smaller windows to first floor and a single similar window to second floor (set within the gable). There are two semi-basement windows to this bay also. The bay to the right of this is broader and contains three ground floor windows two first floor windows and two hipped roof dormers (as front). There are three stairwell windows set at the usual intermediate levels (to left of centre) and a semi-basement window (to left).

The long S façade of the residential section is also two and a half to three storey, but significantly taller than the service section to its left. To the left the residential section has a three storey canted bay with steep hipped roof. There is a (relatively large) window to each face of each floor. To the ground floor to the right of this are five tall windows with a tall doorway (with PVC double door) between the 4th and 5th windows. In front of this doorway is a short but broad flight of steps. To far right on the ground floor is a single storey flat roofed canted bay with window to each face. This bay has a tall parapet. To the first floor left of the full height bay are six windows. To the uppermost floor right of the full height bay there is a gable with two small windows, then three flat roofed dormers, then another gable, as before.

The short E elevation has a single storey canted bay to left on ground floor (as that to S elevation). To the right of this is a pair of windows. To the first floor are three similar windows. To the upper most floor there is a large gable to right with two small-ish windows. To the left of this are two hipped roof dormers, as before.

The N façade of the 1950s extension is completely blank to ground floor level apart from a centrally located doorway, with a line of modern windows to first floor. To the far right at first floor level there is a linking ‘corridor’ to the S wing of the stable yard block. To the ground floor of the short N façade there is a small round window to the right. To the first floor there are three (roughly) square windows with a glazed door giving access to a fire escape stair.

As stated above, the entire façade of the original section of the main house is in red brick with bands of red Dumfriesshire sandstone (at window header levels and elsewhere), projecting eaves course and string course. The building rests on a bevelled base. The gables have fire clay parapets [now largely discoloured] and squat finials. The tall chimney stacks are also in brick with bevelled bases, sandstone bands, cornice courses and rendered coping. The roof is slated with fire clay ridge tiles. The extension is finished in a typical 1950s brown-red rough faced brick. Cast iron rw goods.

OTHER BUILDINGS
To the W of the priory and stable yard, ( the latter recorded separately under the ref 13/11/018), there is a large garden set on a slight slope. To the N side of this garden is a long lean-to green house with projecting gabled section roughly to the centre and another double gabled projecting section to right (E). To the left (W) of the central projecting section much of the green house has been demolished with only elements of the framing still standing. On the opposite (N) side of the wall against which the green house leans, there is a long single storey lean-to (former) kennel with painted rough cast façade, timber sheeted doors and a series of small windows with timber casement frames. Many of the frames now have bars over.

At the head of the main drive to the E of the Priory there is a relatively large one and a half storey gate lodge of the same date as the house and also by Lynn (recorded under separate ref 13/11/017). Generally the lodge is in similar style to the house having a largely red brick façade, steeply pitched gabled roof and even an entrance portico, but it is much more picturesque with a roof overhang, decorative barges and ridge tiles, finials, and a gabled roof and decorative mouldings to the portico. It has also retained its sash windows.

Next to the gates lodge (and actually extending from the portico) is the gate screen, with relatively low red brick and sandstone walls and tall square sandstone gate piers with semicircular headed recesses to the outer faces. The [?]wrought iron gates are relatively simple with the emblem of the priory thereon as well as stylised fish motifs. The portico of the lodge actually acts as a pedestrian gate. The is a further shorter pier to the S.

Stretching from the front façade of the main house northwards is a gate screen similar in style to that described above but with much lower walls and smaller piers. One passes through this as one approaches the entrance to the stable yard (it acts as a kind of marker between the ‘residential’ section of the complex and the ‘service’ areas). It does not have any gates, however.

To the immediate E of the main house is a small formal garden with pond and fountain.

Historical information

This former manor house was built in 1888-90, to designs by William Henry Lynn, for James Bruce, a Belfast businessman who had bought the Benburb estate from the Power`scourt (Wingfield) family a few years previously. In order to make way for the new house Bruce had to demolish many of the dwellings on the south side of the village’s Main Street, including Benburb House, a large residence previously occupied by a Mr Brush, the Powerscourts’ agent. The new dwelling (which is generally similar in style to other Lynn compositions of this periord such as Riddel Hall and Campbell College), was constructed by the Belfast firm of James Henry & Sons.

James Bruce died childless in 1917 and the manor house and remaining lands (307 acres in all) were sold to a consortium of three men, Robert Pollock and James Cooper of Enniskillen and James Smith of Liverpool. Soon Cooper sold out to Pollock and Smith to William Todd, who was in partnership with Robert Boyd. These then bought out Pollock’s share and planned to turn the house into a hotel. But by 1935 Todd was declared bankrupt and much of the outlying remaining lands sold. The building appears to have remained vacant until the beginning of WWII when it was requisitioned by the War Office for use as a military hospital.

When the war ended Boyd put the estate up for sale and in 1946 it was acquired for by the RC Parish of Clonfeacle for £12,000. Local clergy originally intended the building to be used as an orphanage or a collegiate, but in 1949 they sold it (for £26,000) to an American branch of The Servites, a Catholic order, who had been looking to establish a priory in Ireland who some years up to this. The order retain the property to this day.

In the 1950s the large great hall extension was added to the west end of the house, on the site of a large conservatory / green house. The south wing of the stable yard was rebuilt at this time also.

References- Secondary sources
1 J.A.K. Dean ‘The gate lodges of Ulster’ (Belfast 1994), p.137
2 Art O’Dálaigh and Martin O’Brien ‘Fifty years in Ireland: The Servites from Benburb’ (Benburb 1999)

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

Not listed

Criteria for listing: historic interest

Not listed

Evaluation

Large, three and two storey red brick country house of 1888-90 by William Henry Lynn, in austere ‘institutional’ Elizabethan style with many gables, dormers and tall chimney stacks. The building has been a Servite Priory since 1949 and a large modern, flat roofed hall was added to the W end in the 1950s, (on the site of a former conservatory / green house). The windows are now uPVC frames. Whilst of some architectural and historical interest the alterations and additions detract from the character of this late Victorian former country house