Gardener’s House

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

A two-storey/ two-bay house and abutting single-storey block just north of Yard 3 at Mourne Park house (HB16/05/009A and B).

1. Dwelling house
.
Hipped natural slate roof with cement rendered chimney (with moulded coping) to centre of ridge. Ogee cast-iron gutters.
Walls are random rubble granite brought to courses, with projecting brick eaves course. All openings have brick jambs and heads, and granite cills.

Main façade faces south. At ground floor left is a sheeted entrance door, with plain transom over. To its right are three two-pane (+ transom) windows. At first floor are two similar windows (but without transoms).

Left (west) gable is abutted to ground floor by one storey block. Exposed wall above is blank.

North elevation has, to ground floor, two windows as G/F of south elevation. To first floor are three blocked window openings.

Right (east) gable has two two-pane (+ transom) casements to ground floor. At right, between ground and first floor is a two-pane casement. At first floor centre is a small two-pane casement.

2. One-storey block

This tall range has a pitched natural slate roof, with three (plastic sheeted) skylights to each pitch. Gutters as house. Walls of rubble granite with projecting brick eaves. All openings have brick heads and jambs, and granite cills.

The south elevation has symmetrically placed openings. At centre and at each end is a sheeted timber door, with transom light over. The middle door is flanked by a two-pane transomed casement. There are three similar windows to the right of the left door, and also to the left of the right door.

Left (west) gable is blank.

North elevation has three windows as south elevation to left side. At right, and at extreme right, are single similar windows.

Right gable is party wall with dwelling.

To north are former tennis courts, accessed from west lane through a pair of decorative wrought iron gates supported on ashlar piers with gabled copings

Historical information

Shown in present form on 1901 OS map, and therefore erected in second half of 19th C, probably at the same time the Grange (HB16/05/004) was developed.

Sources
1. PRONI OS 6/6/55/2, (1859 map) (Down sheet 55)
1. PRONI OS 6/6/55/3 (1901 map) (Down sheet 55).

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

A. Style
B. Proportion
C. Ornamentation
K. Group value

Criteria for listing: historic interest

X. Local Interest

Evaluation

Although modest in scale, this is an imposing block at the north end of the yards behind Mourne Park house. An integral part of the estate’s 19th century development.