Stable Yard at

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

The rectangular stable yard is situated to immediate N of the domestic yard. It is enclosed to E by a front stable block and to W by a rear one. It is enclosed to N by a plain high wall with pair of gates and to S is a more elaborate wall with Tudor detailing forming the boundary with the domestic yard. The yard itself is cobbled and the front elevation of each block faces onto it.

The front (E) block.

This two storey five bay block encloses E side of the yard. It has a pitched natural slate roof with steep gabled pediment to central bay, under a pitched natural slate roof which ties into main roof and has a higher ridge level. Pediment has a central roundel (with modern light fitting). There are two small cement rendered chimneys, one to right of centre on extreme left bay and another to right of centre on second bay from left. Rear (E) pitch has two wall head dormers and two modern roof lights.

Front (E) elevation is exposed random rubble stone with red brick jack arches to openings. All windows are exposed box 4/8 sashes with horns and dressed granite cills. All but the central bays are three windows wide to first floor. The extreme left bay has three ground floor windows too, but right one is offset to right by a four-panelled door, which shares its opening. The second bay from left has three windows to ground floor. The central bay, which is narrower than the others, has a large segmental headed coachway, with t+g sheeted infilled head and brick architrave. The walls show that this feature is a later addition as the jack arches of previous windows can be seen to its left and right at first floor level. The two right bays are identical; each has a central door at ground floors flanked by single windows and all in line with the first floor openings. Both doors are t+g sheeted and double leaf, each with a fixed glazed inset.

The right (S) gable of the E stable block fronts the domestic yard and is lined rendered. Its gable is shouldered and it has a pitched coping and large octagonal Tudor pinnacle (as the servant’s block HB16/11/19b). At ground floor there is a pair of casement windows, each is a cast iron lattice, and both are in a common opening. At first floor is a similar window with additional crudely constructed side hung timber lights.

The rear (E) wall of the E stable block is lined rendered and unpainted. The left two bays (as viewed from E) each have a single 4/8 sliding sash window to each floor. Those to ground floor are separated by small buttresses (with same to either end) and those to first floor have shouldered wall head dormers over, with plain panels inset into their gables. The central bay has an infilled coach arch (smaller than that set to the yard), flanked by buttresses and with a 4/8 sash to first floor. The right two bays each have a 4/8 sliding sash at ground floor, again separated and flanked by buttresses. There are no first floor openings and a modern plastic soil pipe abuts.

The left (N) gable of the E stable block is lined rendered and unpainted. The gable shouldered and has a pitched coping with a large Tudor finial to gable apex. It is abutted to ground floor by a single storey porch with hipped natural slate roof, terracotta ridge and hip-knob. Porch has a cement rendered base wall. All its faces have vertical fixed timber frames windows, four each to front and left cheeks. The right cheek has two fixed lights and a part glazed four-panelled door. On gable over porch there is a 4/8 sash window.

The rear (W) block of stable yard.

This two storey/ three bay block encloses W side of the yard. It has a hipped natural slate roof with gabled pediment to central bay, under a pitched natural slate roof, which ties into main roof. Pediment has harled and painted walls with a central roundel (infilled with timber boards). There is a small cement rendered chimney to either side of the central bay.

Front (E) elevation is exposed random rubble stone with red brick jack arches to openings. All windows are 6/3 sashes with horns and dressed granite cills. All doors are modern six panelled with modern sidelights to one side only. The left and right bays are each four openings wide. Left bay has a door to left and right at ground floor and the rest of the openings contain windows. The right bay has a door in the first and third openings from the left, the rest of the openings are windows. The central bay is filled to ground floor by three large coach arches which are grouped closely together and share finely dressed granite architraves. All have slightly advanced keystones, with central one having ‘RH 1816’ incised.

The right gable is rubble stone and blank.

The rear elevation is three bays wide and has a number of modern plastic soil pipes abutting. Left bay is abutted to left of centre by a modern dashed chimney stack that tapers at eaves level with slated shoulders. There are four windows at ground floor, one to left of chimney stack and three to right. The extreme right window is rectangular and has been infilled with concrete block work internally only. The remaining three are 4/4 fixed panes in a brick dressed segmental headed opening, the top four panes of each curving with the segmental head. There are three 4/8 sash windows to first floor; the left one is set to left of the chimney breast.

The central bay has three windows to ground floor. The central and right ones are boarded up and the left one is larger and contains a pair of margin paned 1/1 sashes. There are two first floor windows. That to left is a modern fixed timber light with top hung transom. The other is a 4/8 sliding sash. The right bay has three windows to each floor. To left of centre and right at ground floor are 6/6 sashes and to left end is a 4/8 sash. There is a similar window above it to first floor left and two 1/1 sashes, one to right of centre and another at right end. The left gable is rubble stone and has a single window at ground floor to right of centre.

The N boundary of the stable yard

A high random rubble wall with pitched copings encloses the N boundary of the stable yard. To its centre are two dressed granite gate piers supporting a pair of large wrought iron gates with dog bars and main verticals all with wrought spear-head finials.

The S boundary of the stable yard

A high rendered wall with a pitched coping encloses the S boundary of the stable yard. Its S face (to domestic yard) is divided into four bays by three applied single stage buttresses with sloping coping, with similar buttresses to left and right ends. The right end of the wall is flush with the S gable of the front (E) stable block.

Each bay has a narrow arrow loop window containing a fixed cast iron lattice light (left one is out of its opening). The two right bays each have a Tudor headed doorway with chamfered reveal and head. The right one has a flat-iron gate and serves a lean-to shed on N side of wall. The other doorway has no gate and also serves a shed. The N side of the wall (in stable yard) is rendered and painted. Its left end is abutted by the lean-to, which has a lean-to natural slate roof (cat-sliding out to centre) and coursed rubble stone walls. It has a small central return under the cat-slide roof and two doorways, each with brick dressings.

Historical information

Mount Hall was erected by Francis Hall in 1707. Mount Hall was replaced and remodelled by Roger Hall in 1835 when he constructed the present house (Narrow Water Castle) to designs by Thomas Duff. The remodelling of Mount Hall came in the form of shouldered gables, lattice windows and Tudor finials, these details have also been used on the S and E boundaries of this stable yard, suggesting they too have been remodelled.

The rear (W) stable block has a datestone of ‘1816’ which shows it must have been constructed to serve Mount Hall. It is likely that the rest of the yard, which is similarly detailed, also dates from this time.

Two parallel blocks are shown on the 1834 OS 6” map; the return at the E end of the E block is shown on the 1860 map.

Primary Sources:
1. OS 6” map, 1834, Co Down sheet 51 (PRONI, OS/6/3/51/1).
2. OS 6” map, 1860, Co Down sheet 51 (PRONI, OS/6/3/51/2).
3. Datestone on central coach arch of W (rear) stable block.

Secondary Sources;
1. T. Reeves Smith, ‘Irish Castles’ (Belfast, 1995), p.36

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

A. Style
B. Proportion
C. Ornamentation
H-. Alterations detracting from building
J. Setting
K. Group value

Criteria for listing: historic interest

X. Local Interest

Evaluation

Two attractive and well proportioned stable blocks in enclosed cobbled yard of value as part of the Narrow Water demesne. They retain their external character and, although internally subdivided, some historic detail remains.