House Yards at Mourne Park

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

Series of three yards aligned S-N to north of house (HB16/05/009A) and formed by single storey outbuildings. Each yard is accessed from a lane running up the outside of the west wall.

Yard 1

Set to immediate north of main house and enclosed to west by kitchen (described in HB16/05/009A). Entrance gate is also to west, immediately north of kitchen gable. To the north and east side of the yards are single storey outhouses. West gateway consists of a pair of tall coped ashlar granite posts from which are hung two large corrugated metal doors. On entering is a further set of low modern wrought metal gates on metal posts. Yard is paved with uneven granite cobbles. Each side will now be described in turn, going anticlockwise.

East block

Aligned N-S and defining eastern side of yard.

Pitched natural slate roof, hipped to south with half round metal rainwater goods. Three coped ashlar chimneys, one to left end of ridge and two to right (as viewed from the west).

Yard-facing wall (west elevation) is unpainted lined render. Its right third is abutted to right by a single storey flat roofed extension which links it to the back of the main house. Remaining wall has four windows; each is a paired timber casement with dressed granite cill. Porch has a flat roof with modern eaves board and plastic guttering. Its rendered walls have a pair of six panelled (stop-end chamfered) doors to left and a paired casement window to right. Its right cheek abuts the main house and its left has a paired casement window.

South elevation of this block fronts the garden to right of main house; its SW corner abuts corner of house. A projecting rectangular bay fills most of this elevation. The walls on either side of this bay are of squared and coursed granite rubble, but the actual bay is of ashlar granite with moulded eaves and a blocking course over. Bay contains a pair of French windows to centre (with step up thereto), with flanking sidelights and transoms over.

East facing (rear wall) is of squared and coursed rubble granite with traces of harling. There are seven openings, all with cement-rendered jambs. Five contain a pair of panelled and glazed French windows. The second and third openings from left are two-pane bucket openers.

North block

Aligned W-E, it abuts the east block to right; its left end fronts the access lane. Pitched natural slate roof, hipped to left and tied into east block roof to right. At centre of ridge is a square louvred vent with pyramidal lead roof and weathervane. Cast iron skylight to rear pitch. Single rendered chimney rises from wall head at rear left.

South wall (fronting yard) is line rendered. To centre is an opening with tall semicircular head (high enough for someone on horseback to pass through), leading to second yard. To either side, and symmetrically arranged, are two 3/3 windows, a door and a 3/3 window, then door and end.

Its left gable is uncoursed rubble and blank.

North (rear) elevation (facing onto Yard 2) is of uncoursed random rubble and has plastic guttering. It has a central doorway with t+g door to its right and similar at right end. At left is a cast-iron window with central opening section.

Right wall is a party wall with east block.

Yard 2

Enclosed to south by the north block of Yard 1. Its gateway is to south west and remaining sides are enclosed by linear outbuildings. A pair of coped ashlar granite piers, supporting large corrugated metal gates forms the entrance.

East block

The east block is aligned N-S, and has a pitched natural slate roof, slightly lower than ridge of roof of east block on Yard 1. Skylight to east pitch at north end. Walls are uncoursed granite rubble to east and cursed rubble to yard.

All openings on its west (yard facing) wall have dressed granite post and block jambs and granite voussoired flat heads. There is a door at centre and window and door symmetrically arranged on each side. Windows are cast iron with opening middle section and doors are t+g sheeted.

Its rear (east facing) elevation has a pair of brick dressed three paned cast iron windows to left end, all sharing a continuous sandstone cill and head. To extreme right is a doorway flanked by two two-pane casements, to the left of which is a larger three-pane casement. These openings have cement dressed jambs and concrete cills.

North block

Aligned W-E and linking the east and west blocks. It is four bays wide; the two central bays are two storeys high and the others one storey. The middle section has a shallow hipped roof with overhanging eaves and the end sections have pitched roofs which tie into the flanking blocks; all have natural slates. Right front pitch has a cast iron skylight to yard. Half round rainwater goods.

South elevation (to yard) is coursed dressed granite blocks. Openings are symmetrically placed. Lower blocks to left and right both have single 3/3 sliding sash windows to outer side and t+g sheeted doors to inner. Central bays are abutted at ground floor by a large corrugated metal monopitched roof supported on three plain metal posts. Ground floor has four segmental headed openings each of which contains a pair of wooden doors. At first floor is a pair of semicircular openings to centre with dressed granite voussoirs. Each contains a 3/3 segmental headed sliding sash window with glazed sidelights. Flanking these to left and right are single 3/3 sliding sash windows, with flat voussoired heads and granite cills. These upper openings are in line with those below.

The rear (north) wall of the two storey block is uncoursed random rubble and has two 3/3 sliding sash windows. It is abutted by a single storey lean-to with corrugated iron roof and mass concrete walls. This lean-to has two sheeted doors and, to left, a 2x2 window.

West block

Aligned N-S, it is single storey with a hipped natural slate roof and half round metal gutters.

Its east wall (facing yard) has a t+g sheeted door to right, with dressed granite jambs and flat voussoired head. To its left are three large rectangular doorways with ashlar granite jambs, containing pairs of large t+g sheeted doors (missing to left).

Its south wall is uncoursed rubble with a single cast-iron window (as east block).

Its west (rear) wall has two 3/3 sliding sashes, both to left end (the left one is smaller than the other).

Yard 3

This yard is long and narrow, enlarging at NE corner to accommodate dog kennels. It is enclosed to north by a high rubble wall, to east by a wall and outbuilding, and to south by the north block of yard 2. At west end is the entrance, comprising a pair of corrugated metal gated hung from ashlar granite piers.

East block

Aligned N-S with hipped natural slate roof and cast iron skylights – one to front pitch and two to rear (east) pitch. Half round gutters. West elevation, to yard, is of coursed random rubble granite. Contains a pair of t+g sheeted doors, a single door at right and modern 1/1 window at left.

Is south gable is contiguous with the east block of Yard 2.

The rear (east) elevation has squared and coursed granite rubble walls. It has a three paned casement with cement dressed surround and concrete cill. The wall continues at right as the boundary wall to the yard; it contains a plain wrought iron gate.

North gable contains a narrow sheeted door.

North block

Aligned W-E and single storey in the enlarged NE corner of the yard. Hipped natural slate roof and coursed random rubble walls. Half round metal gutters. It has a doorway to right end of south elevation (to yard). Ruinous dog kennels with corrugated monopitch roof, concrete block walls and wrought metal gates abut remainder of this façade. The yard’s rubble boundary wall forms its rear wall and gables.

Historical information

Buildings shown in their present form (with exception of north block of Yard 3) on 1834 6” map. Owner states that the east block in Yard 1 originally contained laundry rooms, but converted into an extension of the house in 1902.

Primary Sources
1. PRONI - OS 6/6/55/1 (1834 map) (Down sheet 55)
2. Occupant (1998)

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

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

Criteria for listing: historic interest

X. Local Interest
Z. Rarity

Evaluation

An attractive group of formal yards, contemporary with the main house and containing an extension to the house itself in one wing. In relatively good condition.