Former stable yard at Servite Priory

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

Two storey brick-built stable yard complex of c.1888, with mock half-timbered barbican entrance wing with small clock tower. The complex was originally built to serve the adjacent W.H. Lynn designed Manor House of the same date, (now a Servite Priory), and is undoubtedly also by him; however, the S wing is a 1950s extension / rebuild and many of the window openings / frames throughout the other wings are also mid 20th century. The building is now largely converted to dormitories and store rooms and is physically linked to the main house itself via the 1950s addition. The whole grouping is set to the S of Main Street, and approached from the E.

The complex lies immediately W-NW of the main house itself. It is brick built with a hipped and gabled slated roof (with several brick chimney stacks), and arranged in quadrangle formation with entrance wing to E. Over the years it has been much altered and extended, with the S wing largely rebuilt, the W wing raised in height and enlarged window openings and modern frames inserted into the N and E wings.

The E elevation of the (E) entrance wing is largely one and a half storey and is dominated by a large central Arts & Crafts / Domestic Revival barbican-gate bay, which is lightly taller that the rest of the elevation. The gateway itself is flat arch and sits itself within a further central gabled bay. The archway has timber stanchions with decorative brackets and low timber gates with decorative panels. The above gable has mock half-timbering which extends to just under the eaves to either side. Within the gable there is a ‘conjoined’ pair of mullioned and transomed windows. The gable itself has an overhang with decorative barges. To either side of the gabled bay there is a small window, with PVC frame. To the far right of the elevation (beyond the main bay) there are four similar windows.

To the right of centre of the W (‘inner’) façade of the E wing is the rear end of the archway. This is set within a large semicircular headed recess which in turn is set within a gabled bay. Directly above the archway (and within the recess) is a relatively large window with c.1950s metal frame. To the left of the gabled bay is are two large ground floor windows, one with a PVC frame, the other with a 2/2 sash frame. To the upper floor directly above are two windows as that directly above archway, both set into shed roofed half-dormers. To the ground floor right of the bay there is a window with PVC frame, with three smaller windows to the first floor. A portion of the upper floor is in brown-red brick, indicating that it dates from the 1950s, when the present adjacent S wing was added.

To the centre of the roof of this wing there is a small decorative clock tower in timber with lead covered ogee roof with weather vane. To each side is a traditional (black on white) clock face and underneath each face is a louvered opening.

The ‘inner’ (S) façade of the N wing has eleven windows and a doorway to the ground floor. Windows 1-3, 4, 6, 9 and 11 (from left) are sash (2/2) with the rest larger windows with metal frames. The doorway is timber sheeted and has a two pane fanlight. To the upper floor there are eight windows, 1, 2, 4 and 8 sash (2/2) and set in shed roofed half dormers, with the rest with metal frames with only one (no.7) set into a half-dormer. The N façade could not be seen clearly but it appears, (from internal evidence), to have a long series of small squat window openings (with original hopper openings) to the ground floor and slightly larger windows to first floor.

The S wing appears wholly 1950s, being largely in brown-red brick and slightly taller than the other wings. To the ‘inner’ (N) façade there is a colonnade to the ground floor with a series of small pointed arch windows which were inserted recently (apparently, they originally belonged to a church [?or convent] in Belfast). There is a timber sheeted door to this floor also. To the first floor are a series of small modern windows. To the S façade are a series of similar windows to both floors. To the left the first floor is abutted by the linking corridor to a large1950s extension to the main house.

The W wing appears to have been originally part single storey, for its upper half to partly in brown-red brick (mainly to the S half). To left of centre on its ‘inner’ (E) façade is an archway as E wing. To the ground floor left of this are two large windows with PVC frames, with two smaller windows to the upper floor directly above with similar frames. To the ground floor right of the arch is a timber sheeted door and two sash windows (2/2). Patching to the brickwork suggests a window to this side has been blocked up. To the upper floor are three windows of varying size, two have what appear to PVC casement frames, with a metal frame to the larger window in the centre.

To the centre of the W façade of the W wing is the ‘outer’ end of the archway. To the left of this the façade is abutted by a relatively large curved roof single storey outbuilding, now used as a garage. To the first floor just above the level of the garage are two windows with metal frames. Above the archway is a small shed roofed dormer with metal framed window. To the ground floor right of the archway there is a window (with PVC frame) to far right, with evidence of windows having been blocked up to left. To the first floor are five windows similar to those on N façade of the main portion of the 1950s extension.

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 Powerscourt (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 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

Two storey brick-built stable yard complex of c.1888, with mock half-timbered barbican entrance wing with small clock tower. The complex was originally built to serve the adjacent W.H. Lynn designed Manor House (HB13.11.016) of the same date, (now a Servite Priory), and is undoubtedly also by him; however, the S wing is a 1950s extension / rebuild and many of the window openings / frames throughout the other wings are also mid 20th century. The building is now largely converted to dormitories and store rooms and is physically linked to the main house itself via the 1950s addition. Whilst of some architectural and historic interest the alterations and additions to this former stable yard detract from its late Victorian character.