Cabra Towers

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

Medium sized late 19th C country house with turn of 19th C additions, set in mature grounds on W side of Convent Road. Comprises a two-storey entrance block, service block to its west and later double pile house to its east and south.

Entrance block is N facing. It is two-storey/ three-bay in size and was the original house. It has a hipped natural slate roof with flat leaded top. Its left end side is abutted by the gable of the later addition. Cement rendered, decoratively coped two-pot chimney stack rises from rear left. Cyma-recta cast iron gutters on an advanced painted eaves course.

Walls are painted lined render with advanced base course. Main entrance is to the central bay and is contained within an open porch. Four panelled flush moulded and chamfered c1900 door with decorative brass furniture but no letterbox. Flanking are sidelights with diagonally sheeted apron panels; over is a large glazed transom. All glazing is decorative etched glass and depicting shamrocks. The transom is a single vertical pane, which has been rotated 90 degrees, so that the “JM” etched in its central panel is on its side. Is set on an ashlar granite plinth and has advanced jambs, also of ashlar granite, the right one of which has remains of a bell pull. Porch consists of two stout free-standing square pillars (one to either side of doorway) with moulded plinths, dado and moulded capitals. They support a moulded and dentilled cornice and a turned balustrade around a flat roof. Cast iron downpipe with decorative hopper at left. The porch cheeks are infilled to dado height of pillars.

Each remaining ground floor bay contains two 1/1 sliding sash windows with horns, stooled cills and one piece (advanced) granite lintels. Left and right bays at first floor have identical windows (diminished in height), and their lintels are at eaves level. At first floor centre is a pair of plain glazed French windows with advanced granite lintel and plain mullion.

To right of this block, continuing flush with its walls, is a three storey/ one bay service block. It has a flat modern felted roof with broad timber eaves and semicircular gutters to front. Its walls are as previous block but right corner and left corner of second floor have advanced chamfered quoins. Each floor on this elevation has two 1/1 sliding sash windows with horns.

To left of entrance block is the N front of the main house, which is double piled and two and a half storeys high (each storey is appreciably higher than those of entrance block).

Walls have an advanced basecourse and are painted smooth rendered. Advancing forward at join with entrance block is a three storey 2/3 attached tower. It has a conical natural slate roof with ornate wrought iron weathervane, and moulded cast iron rainwater goods on a deep, decorated Gothic Revival eaves cornice. To front, at ground floor, is pair of casement windows, each with a transom over. They have slightly advanced granite cills and share a one piece granite mullion. Each casement is curved glass, which follows the line of the tower. The transoms have cusped heads, with three piece ashlar granite heads and contain fixed leaded lights. There is an identical pair of windows on the right cheek of the tower. Between first and second floor is an advanced Cavetto moulded stringcourse. At first floor, in line with each of the front ground floor windows, is pair of 1/1 sliding sashes (again with curved glass and horns). There is a single similar window on the right cheek, above the pair of ground floor casements. At second floor there are four individual 1/1 sliding sashes, each with a chamfered transom (obscuring meeting rail) and a cusped top sash (detailed and leaded like the ground floor transoms). All share a slightly advanced cill course.

To left of tower is the rest of the main block. It is in two sections at roof level, the right one with a gabled wall head dormer. The first floor stringcourse and second floor cill course continue from tower, and its left corner has advanced chamfered quoins. Filling ground floor is a single storey canted bay window, with walls as main block. It has a slightly advanced canted cill course, an advanced eaves course, and a flat masonry roof with pierced (arcaded) parapet. This has a Cavetto moulded coping that is a continuation of the stringcourse running between ground and first floors. Erected on parapet is a decorative Celtic cross.

Bay window front is three openings wide. The left and right ones contain large 1/1 sliding sashes with horns with leaded top sashes. The central one is of similar dimensions, and contains a modern glazed timber door with transom over (matching the top sashes of the window). It is accessed from the front drive by a single concrete step, with chamfered dwarf walls terminated in pedestals (on which stand broken terracotta urns). Each cheek of bay window is a single window as the others.

Over the bay window at first floor are two 1/1 sliding sashes with horns (as those to tower at this floor). Above, at left side, is a chamfered eaves cornice. Rising to right is the gabled wall head dormer which is tied into tower at right. It has chamfered kneelers and a moulded coping which is raised to a box at gable head. It has two 1/1 cusp headed sliding sashes as those to this stage of tower.

The E elevation of this block is divided into two equal gabled bays, the left one advancing forward. They share a common projecting basecourse, and right bay have chamfered quoins to exposed corners. Both are inset with small semicircular-headed vents, chamfered kneelers; their moulded copings are raised to a box at gable head.

At ground floor of right bay there are two tall 1/1 sashes as those on canted bay window of the N elevation. In line at first floor are two 1/1 sashes, which are diminished in height and have Gothic relieving arches over their granite lintels. Above and between them (in apex) is a small cusp headed window (its head infilled) containing a modern top hung timber casement window. The left bay advances to its left.

The right cheek of the advanced left bay is blank but for the basecourse and stringcourse at first floor level. It has moulded cast iron rainwater goods with (square in section) downpipe to inside corner. Its front wall has a two storey canted bay window. It has a steep natural slated lean-to roof (abutting the gable) with advanced chamfered eaves course supporting gutters and a downpipe as right cheek. Its walls are as facade with additional blind pierced arcade below the first floor stringcourse. This arcade detail is identical to the parapet on the canted bay of the N elevation. At ground floor there are two front windows, and one to each cheek; all are as those to the ground floor right bay (but the right one to front has lost the leaded glass on its top sash). There are four 1/1 sash windows to first floor as those to first floor right bay but without relieving arch. In the valley between the two bays is a tall painted cement rendered chimney.

S elevation of this block is abutted to extreme left by a two storey return and to centre by a single storey flat roofed extension. Its walls are as previous elevations with advanced basecourse, first floor moulded stringcourse, and an advanced chamfered eaves course. The right corner has stepped V channelled quoins (partially gone at ground floor). The left side of its roof has a modern skylight.

To left of centre is a gabled wall head dormer, which is detailed as other gables and inset with a 1/1 sliding sash with an additional infilled transom over. To right of centre is a tall wall head chimney with decorative mouldings and two terracotta pots. To centre, breaking eaves is a modern gabled dormer. It is natural slated with plain timber barges, and contains an emergency exit door which leads to an escape stair (see later). Directly below this at first floor is a second escape door (again onto stairs). To its left, between ground and first floors, in line with dormer window, is a 1/1 sliding sash stairwell window.

There are two tall openings at ground floor right. The left one is a 1/1 sliding sash (with top sash leaded as those to bay window on E elevation). To its right is a modern glazed door with matching transom which formerly led into the conservatory which abutted at this point. First floor right is blank.

To ground floor right, the flooring and basecourse of the conservatory remain; it was rectangular, extending S, and advancing E in a central canted bay with central door. Its floor is pink and white terrazzo with black margin. Inset to centre is a large pink and yellow floral panel in a Moorish design. To east, the former doorway is accessed by a flight of three steps in a convex sweep, with dwarf wall and terracotta urns (right one gone).

Abutting the ground floor central bay in a modern flat roofed kitchen extension, which may possibly fill a former yard.

The steel escape stair stands on its roof. It is constructed in I beams and rises to above eaves level of main block where it carries a water tank. The E cheek of this extension has three modern high level louvered windows with concrete cills. Its S elevation ties in with earlier outbuildings (see later) and its W wall abuts the two storey return.

The two storey return also partially abuts the rear (S) elevation of the entrance block. It has a hipped natural slated roof (the ridge of which meets the eaves of main block), rendered walls and moulded cast iron gutters on an advanced eaves course. At first floor of its E elevation is a modern three paned casement window. Remainder of this wall is abutted by the one-storey extension. Its W elevation has a similar first floor window and an original 1/1 sliding sash to ground floor left. This elevation is abutted by numerous soil pipes from the F/F toilets. Its S gable has two infilled first floor windows and is abutted to ground floor by a small return.

This return has a felted flat roof which ties into the previous flat roofed return. It has lined walls and two windows on its S wall. That to left is a small 1/1 sliding sash and that to right is a decorative margin-paned fixed window.

Returning to the main block, its W elevation (rising over the join with entrance block) has two gables. A chimney, with moulded coping rises above the apex of the left one. There is a 1/1 sliding sash in right gable.

The rear wall of entrance block is abutted at right by the two storey return (described above). The remainder of its wall is lined rendered. To ground floor right is a modern door with transom and granite lintel. There is a small 1/1 sliding sash to ground floor extreme left and to its right is a larger 1/1 top hung casement in an earlier opening. To first floor right, over door is 1/1 sliding sash. To centre, lighting the stairwell is a pair of 1/1 sliding sashes with granite mullion (same shape as those over the front porch) and to left is a modern casement window and an escape door (in earlier window opening) leading to a modern steel escape stair.

To left of this elevation is the rear elevation of the service block. It has quoins to left and second floor right (rising over join with entrance block). At ground floor right is a small 1/1 casement and to first and second floor left are long modern picture windows. To right, between first and second floors is another similar modern window.

Turning its left corner is its W elevation with two large picture windows to each floor.

Enclosing sides of the rear yard (to S of house) are various outbuildings of no particular merit.

Setting:

The grounds are maturely planted to east of house and falls to the road. From drive, down to garden is a flight of steps with rock faced granite retaining walls and copings supporting urns (of which only the bases remain). There is a disused 1970s swimming pool to SE of the house. There are two gateways to Convent Road. Left (side) entrance is modern with two pairs of plain square piers, painted render with pyramidal caps. These support a pair of painted angle-iron gates, both with vertical dog-bars to bottom half. Plain painted rendered screen walls with and rendered coping and an outer pair of posts with pyramidal caps.

Main (right) entrance has a pair of highly decorative wrought iron gates c 1900. Piers as previous gates with rendered and painted convex screen wall. Wall is copped with squared granite rubble blocks forming crenellations.

Historical information

No building is shown here on the 1859 OS 6” map. The subsequent valuation book notes a small house valued at £1.5s.0d and belonging to Bridget McKey. In 1891, its value increases to £7.15s.0d. and its dimensions are given as 13yds x 12yds x 2 storeys. This undoubtedly reflects the construction of what is now the entrance block.

John McKey is noted as its owner in 1893, and its monogrammed windows indicate that it was he who built the entrance block. A local man, he is said to have made his fortune in the retail trade in England. The story goes that he had worked at for Major Gartland at Cabra House as a young man for 7d a day. He left for England and vowed to return, his fortune made, and build a house that was bigger and better than Gartland’s. McKey made his fortune in Newcastle upon Tyne retail trade and had the first house built for his mother Bridget, however she died before it was completed and he decided to extend her modest house and use it as a summer home. Plans were drawn up in Newcastle upon Tyne and a local architect, Mr Hubbard of Dromore, supervised the works. The house valuation jumps to £80.15s.0d in the 1897 valuation and this almost certainly reflects the larger towered addition to south and east. The solarium was added in 1906.

Locals say that McKey’s family squandered his wealth and by 1934 the house was in the possession of the Sisters of St. Joseph (from New Jersey USA) they stayed until the early 1960s. The house then stood vacant until 1972 when it was taken over by the SEELB.

A 1970s photograph shows the conservatory to have a lean-to roof aligned N-S with its N gable abutting the house. Its advancing E section is canted with a similar glazed roof, where it meets the main section there is a tall glazed drum carrying a glazed dome. The SEELB built the swimming pool.

Primary Sources:
1. 2nd edition OS 6” map, 1859, Co Down sheet 42.
2. Valuation revision book, 1891 (PRONI: VAL 12B/22/6B).
3. Valuation revision book, 1897 (PRONI: VAL 12B/22/6C, p.67).
4. SEELB staff (occupants).
5. Mrs Ward, local resident.
6. Photograph in Kinghill P.O.

Secondary Source:
1. ‘Cabra Towers’ The Outlook, 24th May 1974.

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

Not listed

Criteria for listing: historic interest

Not listed

Evaluation

An imposing edifice of eclectic style but modern extensions and alterations compromise this relatively late building to an extent that it does not merit statutory protection.