The Grange

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

An extensive range of buildings set around two yards and built of granite with machined-brick dressings. Nearly all are derelict, the only intact buildings being the two houses at the southern end of the range.

South western house

Two-storey / three-bay house with integral rear return. Hipped natural slate roof (swept at projecting eaves) and clay ridges and hip tiles. Large red brick chimney on party wall between first and second bays (as viewed from south); tall red brick chimneys on right hand side rising from eaves and a third chimney on rear wall of ‘ L’ return. All chimneys have projecting red brick courses and corbelled tops. Plastic half round rainwater goods. Walls are dressed squared random rubble granite with raised strap pointing. Ashlar granite quoins at corners and machined brick dressings to window and door jambs and heads (all jambs have stop-end chamfers).

Main façade faces south (onto what is now a golf course). Ground floor left is abutted by a large modern flat roofed extension. To exposed right side are two segmental headed 6/6 sliding sash windows, with horns and granite cills. Metal window grills over. At first floor left (over extension) is a large modern picture window, disrupting balance of façade. To right bay are three segmental headed 6/6 sliding sash windows, the right two of which are in line with those below. Front extension is flat roofed, in grey concrete brick with large picture windows.

The left elevation is three openings wide, and incorporates integral rear return at left. Ground floor is abutted by a modern single storey extension which forms a porch. The porch structure has a shallow hipped artificial slate roof and white painted smooth rendered walls. Original openings in wall of main block within have been altered. Above are three 6/6 sliding sash windows as façade, but with ornamental white-painted rendered and pinnacled aprons to cills.

The north-facing gable of the return is blank. It is abutted at ground floor by a single storey extension. This has a hipped natural slate roof with red brick chimney at end of ridge. It has a modern skylight on its left pitch (to yard). The walls are of granite rubble brought to courses. Its right cheek has a modern granite block screen wall built around an entrance door in middle. To right of this entrance is a modern two-pane casement window. Its end gable has two modern casement windows in stepped brick surrounds (that to left is a former doorway). Its left cheek (facing to rear yard) is abutted to left by a flat roofed extension (of main block). The exposed section to right has two casement windows (that at right was formerly a doors). Right again is a third window opening, now infilled. At first floor on this cheek is a 6/6 sash window.

The rear elevation of the main block is abutted to ground floor by modern extensions. The remaining wall over has two openings: at left is a small 1/1 sliding sash , and in the middle of the wall is a 2/2 sliding sash. The extensions have flat concrete roofs and smooth rendered cement walls and modern windows (with metal security grilles over).

The right elevation of the main block is abutted by a modern flat roofed extension behind a granite wall (to façade). The wall above is blank.

Historical information

1834 OS map shows buildings around the all four sides of yard 1 only. The existing stable block (HB16/05/058C Building 1) and calf houses (HB16/05/058C Building 3) may be amongst these buildings. The 1858 map depiction is similar, but the south-west corner of the yard is now infilled. The 1901 map shows the yard 1 in its present form (including tack room, HB16/05/058C Building 5), and also yard 2. Judging by the use of machined brick in the two houses along the south of yard 1, there was a major rebuilding phase during the second half of the 19th century. The two houses (HB16/05/058A and 058B) appear to have been erected at this time, the carriage house (HB16/05/058C Building 2) added to the east side of the stable block and the tack room (HB16/05/058C Building 5) to its top left side. All the yard 2 buildings are of later 19th century date. All the roof slates were stripped from the outbuildings a few years ago.

Primary sources:
1. PRONI - OS 6/3/55/1 (1834 OS map) (Down sheet 55).
2. PRONI - OS 6/3/55/2 (1858 OS map) (Down sheet 55).
3. PRONI - OS 6/3/55/3 (1901 OS map) (Down sheet 55).

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

Not listed

Criteria for listing: historic interest

Not listed
Not listed

Evaluation

This ‘model farm’ is of special interest in terms of its association with Mourne Park demesne, in which it played a key economic role. This house, although much altered, has some value as part of the model farm.