Studley House

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

Typically cuboid, but asymmetric, two-storey Italianate villa of 1858-59 by W.J. Barre, with standard hallmarks of the genre including an overhanging hipped roof on dentilled eaves, square and canted projections (some with balconies), rendered façade with ground floor rustication, and a mixture of arched and flat-headed openings.

SETTING House set within spacious, partially wooded grounds on the S side of Rostrevor, about 0.37km S-SW of the village centre. Yard with two-storey outbuildings to the E and W sides to the immediate rear (NW corner of the plot.) Curving drive opening off Cloughmore Road to the E, from which the plot is enclosed by a rubble wall with stone coping. The wall appears to have been heightened at some point, whilst the gateway (close to the S end) has c.1970s blue-grey brick piers and sheeted timber gates of similar age. There appears to be similar walling to the other boundaries. The grounds originally included a gate lodge to the south-eastern corner (just south of the gateway), but this was removed due to neighbouring development in c.1888.

PLAN The plan is basically square but with a broad full-height projection to the SW with attached single-storey porch and canted bay, and another full-height projection to the NE.

FRONT (S) ELEVATION Asymmetric (as are all elevations.) Porch to centre with doorway to E side and semi-circular arched window to front. Doorway has panelled timber door and semi-circular fanlight, whilst window has replacement frame (originally had double-sash frame.) Porch topped with balcony with decorative cast-iron railings. Full-height projection to immediate left of porch with canted bay to ground floor. Latter has paired flat-arch windows to front and similar single windows to sides, all with two over two timber sash frames. The rest of the windows have similar frames (unless stated otherwise.) Bay was originally topped with balcony as porch, but the railings have been removed. To first floor there are paired windows as before but with segmental-arch heads and a shouldered and arched moulded surround. To right of porch is a three-light (or tripartite) window with rendered mullions separating each. Directly over the porch is a single window as those to first floor projection (but with replacement timber frame), with a pair to right again. E facing side of projection and arched niche (like that designed to house a statue) to the upper floor (facing onto the balcony.)

W ELEVATION Less formal arrangement. To far left bay there are three levels (probably rooms off half-landings) with a semi-circular headed window to each level. Three windows to centre and right on ground floor, as ground floor front, with three above as first floor front, minus the surround.

E ELEVATION Left half has two windows to each floor, much as before but with surrounds to those to first floor. Full-height square projection to right with triple light window to ground floor and paired window above.

N ELEVATION Much less formal arrangement of openings, with windows at three levels and the ground floor abutted at centre-left by a tall rendered wall that encloses the E side of the yard. Windows to this side are generally smaller and many have six over six timber sash frames. Ground floor has two windows (at slightly differing levels) to left of wall, with two more to right flanking a partially glazed rear door. Middle level has three windows to the centre, the outer ones much as ground level with that in between a large semi-circular headed stairwell window with conjoined arch timber frame with decorative stained glazing. The glazing contains a pair of matching roundels each with what looks like an earl’s coronet with the letters / cypher ‘CF’ or ‘FC’ beneath. Top level has two central windows in line with the smaller windows to the middle floor.

WALLS, ROOF etc. Walls are finished with lined render with rustication to ground floor of S and E (i.e. the garden fronts) and an upper level sill course and in-out quoins to S, E and W. Painted stone sills. Natural Welsh slate hipped roof with central well and boxed in eaves on dentilled brackets (except along much of rear elevation). Three tall, rendered chimneystacks, with original arched ‘pots’ to that to S. RW goods appear to be largely C-I. Satellite dish attached to E.

MATERIALS Walls - render, roof - natural Welsh slate, RW goods - cast-iron, windows and doors - timber.

YARD The rear yard has a rectangular plan two-storey outbuilding (probably originally a coach house) to W with roughcast walls, slated hipped roof and an assortment of openings including a ‘loft’ doorway set under a small gable. Next to this is an enlarged window with Crittall frame. Smaller outbuilding to E side with similar walls and half-hipped roof with chimney stack to S. S end has relatively recent timber outside stair leading to what appears to have been latterly used as a first floor apartment or studio.

Historical information

This house was built c.1858-60 by David Stead, then of Seaview, Warrenpoint, to designs by architect W.J. Barre of Newry. The tender for a ‘dwelling house, stable’ offices, entrance and enclosure’ was advertised in July 1858 and the ‘very handsome villa, elegantly finished’, was completed by the time it was recorded in the c.1861 valuation. The valuers state that the property ‘cost about £1,450 to build [but] is considered cheap for the money’, and that it was originally named ‘Steadly’ - clearly a play on the developer’s surname. The dimensions are noted as 6?yds x 16½ x 2[storeys], 6? x 15 x 2, 6? x 3 x 2, 4 x 2 x 12[ft] - porch, with offices of 12 x 6 x 2 and a gate lodge of 12½ x 4½ x 1. The house is sited on what appears to have previously been a productive garden, which is shown on the OS map of 1834.

David Stead (1797-1886) seems to have been originally from Huddersfield, W. Yorkshire. In the 1830s he migrated to Australia, marrying there in 1848, and building a house, Emly Park, near Ballan, Victoria. He and his wife, Mary, returned to the UK at some point c.1856.

The Steads appears to have retained Steadly until 1871, when it was leased to William Love, who was followed by John Woods in 1875. In 1888-89 it was sold to Catherine Pinson (or Tinson?). Around the same time the name was changed to ‘Studley’ and the gate lodge was demolished to make way for the present Glenview Terrace. In 1896 Edward Robinson Durant, a Yorkshire-born ‘retired merchant’ is listed as the owner, and in the 1901 census he is noted as sharing the house with his wife, Isabella, their two young children, a cousin, Isabella Torrens, and two domestic servants, with the building itself noted as a ‘1st class’ dwelling with 16 rooms in use. A photograph of this period shows the building much as present, but with a balcony (similar to that to the porch) on the roof of the canted bay.

William Brady acquired Studley in 1908 and his family retained it until 1931 when ‘this most desirable residence’ was put up for sale. By 1936 it was in the ownership of William V. Hanna, with Louis Roche listed as householder in 1948. Mr. Roche (d.1952), a native of Cork, was the managing director of Armagh-Down Creameries of Newry, and the father of noted architect, Louis Adair Roche (1927-2014). The Roche family seem to have retained Studley for some years after this (until at least c.1958).

The property was advertised for sale in February 1972, the sale advert describing it as 'a magnificent gentleman's residence' containing an 'entrance porch, large hall, cloakroom…, lounge, dining-room, morning room, spacious kitchen, 5 bedrooms, study / drawing room, 2 bathrooms [and] 2 garages'; 'separate flatlet' is also mentioned, possibly a reference to the upper level of the eastern outbuilding.

A Ms Petronella Maria Barter is recorded as an occupant in 1978.

References - Primary sources
1 OS map, Six-inch County series, Down sheet 54 - 1834, 1860, 1919, 1950
2 ‘Belfast Morning News’ - 16 July 1858, p.2
3 PRONI VAL2B/3/61B - 1861
4 PRONI VAL12B/19/21A-F - 1865-1929
5 Census of Ireland, 1901 (online)
6 NLI Lawrence Photograph Collection Photograph of ‘Studley House, Rostrevor Co. Down’ by Robert French, c.1900
7 ‘Newry Reporter’ - 8 March 1906, p.7
8 ‘Belfast Telegraph’ - 9 April 1931, p.2; 4 May 1945, p.2; 30 December 1952, p.6; 16 February 1972, p.16; 18 July 1978, p.2
9 PRONI VAL3C/4/23 First General Revaluation of NI, Rostrevor ED - 1936-57
10 PRONI VAL4B/3/81 Second General Revaluation of NI, Rostrevor ED - 1956-72
11 OS map, sheet 277 - 1979

Secondary sources
12 Dean, J.A.K., ‘The gate lodges of Ulster - a gazetteer’, (Belfast, 1994), p.96
13 Harron, Paul ‘Architects of Ulster: W.J. Barre 1830-1867 – A Vigorous Mind’, (UAHS, 2021), pp.194-96
14 http://barwonblogger.blogspot.com/2013/10/branching-out-bungeeltap.html (accessed 09/09/2022)

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

A. Style
B. Proportion
C. Ornamentation
D. Plan Form
H-. Alterations detracting from building
I. Quality and survival of Interior
J. Setting

Criteria for listing: historic interest

R. Age
X. Local Interest
S. Authenticity
V. Authorship

Evaluation

Studley is a fine example of a mid-Victorian Italianate villa by the renowned Newry architect, William J. Barre. A robust asymmetric composition it is a relatively sophisticated, yet unfussy instance of its type which is largely original externally and appears to be likewise internally. The house is enhanced by the survival of its garden (albeit presently in more thickly wooded form), as well as the coachyard, and rubble boundary walling. Whilst buildings of this type are not yet uncommon in rural areas, they have become much rarer in the increasingly development-hungry outskirts of settlements, and to find both house and grounds well-preserved as in this case is particularly noteworthy.