Heath Hall

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

Remains of a formerly symmetrical mansion (S wing gone) consisting of a three-stage tower to left and ruinous two-storey house to right. It is aligned N-S to south-west of Seavers Road.

All walls are smooth cement rendered and lined over a projecting rendered base course.

1. Tower

A three stage tower with principal façade to east. Castellated parapet and circular bartizan to front left corner. There is a small rendered chimney to rear right corner. First stage (ground floor) contains a finely dressed granite entrance to east elevation. It consists of a pole-moulded opening flanked by a pair of fluted Tuscan columns supporting a moulded entablature with semi-elliptical transom over. The door and transom are gone. To right of door is the opening of a former doorbell. Left and right cheeks each contain two window openings with finely dressed granite cills. All windows are as this unless otherwise stated. Rear elevation of tower has collapsed.

All faces of the second stage (except collapsed rear) contain a recessed panel (which continue to the floor above) with a single window opening therein. That to the right face has the remains of a 9/9 sliding sash window.

The third stage rises above the eaves of the house. The recessed panel on each face is continued from below. Each has a pair of diminished-height windows (sharing a common cill). The head of each panel has a scalloped cornice. The rear face (still intact) has a blind rectangular inset.

The three-quarters attached bartizan at front left has a corbelled base at third floor window cill level. It rises above the parapet level of the tower. It has three small staggered window openings with granite cills. The parapet of the bartizan and tower are identical. Each is supported on a series of elongated mounded brackets under a moulded string course supporting a castellated parapet.

2. House

The principal elevation of the right wing of house (east facing) is two windows wide. The walls have a moulded cornice. Wall head of gable indicates hipped roof profile, All windows have granite cills; first floor openings are diminished in height. The right gable has a slightly advanced chimney breast to centre which rises to a tall red-brick stack.

The rear elevation is abutted by the remains of a slightly lower two-storey return, only the west face and left cheek of which remain. Its walls are as house. Its west face has a door opening to left and a small window opening to right on ground floor; both openings are infilled with concrete blocks. To first floor is a window opening with dressed granite cill. Left cheek has a small ground floor window opening, also with granite cill.

Farm buildings to rear are of random rubble with brick trim, but are heavily altered and are of no special interest.

Historical information

Thomas Seaver erected a two storey thatched house on this site in 1769. The estate was sold by the family in 1853 but bought back in 1897. Thomas Seaver’s grandson, Jonathan, employed his cousin Henry Seaver, a Belfast architect, to restore the existing building and add the castellated tower.

Heath Hall is explicitly captioned in the 1835 OS map and subsequent editions. It is described in the 1835 Valuation book as measuring 53ft 6in x 23ft 6in x 20ft, with an 11ft x 7ft 6in x 20ft porch. There are also three associated dwellings (all 12-15ft high), a coach house and byres. The valuation goes on to note "this house appears a patched up concern built at sundry times with little convenience and no neatness". Its plan form is similar on the 1861 OS map, but differs slightly to its present footprint. Its measurements as given in the 1862 Valuation book are 57ft x 21ft x 2 storeys, with two returns (42ft x 27ft x 2.25 storeys; 15ft x 27ft x two storeys). It was then occupied by Peter McDonnell. Its valuation is given as £30 and remains so until 1898 when it increases to £36 (a 20% increase). Its plan form (and those of its outbuildings) on the 1906-07 map is as today.

The available field and documentary evidence suggests that present building largely reflects its 1890s refurbishment, but also incorporates earlier fabric.

Owner states that the house was gutted by fire in 1976.

Primary sources:
1. First edition OS 6" map, Co Armagh sheet 29, 1835 (PRONI - OS 6/2/29/1).
2. First Valuation book, 1835 (PRONI - VAL 1B/244B, p.254).
3. Second edition OS 6" map, Co Armagh sheet 29, 1861 (PRONI - OS 6/2/29/2).
4. Second Valuation book, 1862 (PRONI - VAL 2B/2/37B, p.148).
5. Valuation Revision book, 1898 (PRONI - VAL 12B/15/17B, p.126).

Secondary Sources:
1. J.A.K. Deane, 1994, The Gate Lodges of Ulster: a Gazetteer, p.38 (Belfast: UAHS).

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

Not listed

Criteria for listing: historic interest

Not listed

Evaluation

An interesting building with later tower addition to an earlier Georgian house. Now derelict, much of the historic fabric is gone.