Derrymore Hortus Lodge

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

One-and-a-half-storey three-bay stone-built former gardeners house, built in c. 1881 to designs by an unknown architect. T-plan form facing NE towards Derrymore Road, having a monopitched roof porch to front, a one-and-a-half-storey rear return to SW and a single storey flat roofed extension with attached outbuildings to NW side. Hortus lodge is one of two lodges located at the East entrance to Derrymore House (HB16/23/010) and is attached to a large walled garden to its rear.

Generally random-coursed rock-faced local Newry Granodiorite stone walling with stepped buff brick dressings to jambs, square-headed gauged-brick window opes and stone cills.

Pitched natural slate roof with angled black clay ridge tiles. Rectangular-section red brick chimney to NW has two terracotta clay pots; similar chimney to SE (now rendered) and a tall chimney to rear return (also now rendered). Heavily projecting eaves to front with five moulded timber brackets, painted timber facia and soffit; dentilated timber bargeboards to gables. Generally cast iron RWGs; ogee guttering discharging to circular section downpipes.

Principal elevation
The front NE facing elevation is symmetrical and has a single storey extension to NW being fronted by a garden set to lawn with some mature trees and shrubs. Garden is enclosed along Derrymore Road to the NE by a random-coursed rock-faced stone wall with random stone coping and hedging, to the SW by a walled garden and on the SE by a gravelled lane leading from Derrymore Road to Derrymore House. A set of painted metal scrollwork gates are hung on slim posts at SE and open onto a gravelled drive leading from access road to front of dwelling.

Front elevation consists of a projecting monopitched porch to central bay flanked by double hung 2/2 sliding timber sash windows, with horns and reduced height top sashes. 3/4 height sidelights to porch flank painted timber door with multiple glazed sections. Smooth cement render finish to porch walling with buff brick quoins and painted timber dentilated bargeboard to its cheeks. Single storey flat roofed block is set back and extends to NW having an enclosed yard and flush outbuildings attached to its NW side; all having a painted rough cast cement render finish. Three part timber casement window and a felt roof finish to extension block. Separate painted sheeted timber doors lead from front elevation to enclosed yard and attached outbuilding. Pitched corrugated metal roof of attached outbuilding is recessed behind a raised verge, with angled coping, to front of outbuilding and yard.

Southeast
SE elevation faces towards access road leading to Derrymore House and consists of a gabled block with 1/1 sliding timber sash window to centre of gable at FF level and a larger 2/2 sash window, with reduced height top sash, to NE at GF. Gable has a rendered chimney to apex and a dentilated bargeboard to projecting eaves. Rendered section of tall stone-built garden wall projects to SE from SW end of gabled block before turning 90 degrees towards the SW. Generally smooth cement render finish to elevation. A one-and-a-half-storey pitched roof rear return is set back and extends to SW, inside walled garden to rear SW. A tall rendered chimney rises from near side wall of rear return.

Southwest elevation
Rear SE facing elevation consists of a gabled two-storey smooth rendered rear return projecting from centre of elevation having a wide timber casement window to GF and a smaller similar window at FF level. Rear elevation faces into a large walled garden associated with Derrymore House.

Northwest elevation
Side elevation faces NW consisting of a one-and-a-half-storey block with original stone walling having two flush red brick flues. Red brick chimney to apex, dentilated timber bargeboard and a 1/1 timber sash window to centre of gable at FF level. Elevation is fronted by a flat roofed extension, with enclosed yard and outbuilding attached to its NW. Flat roofed extension has a panelled painted timber door with glazed top half to SW opening into enclosed concrete rear yard. Interior walling to yard has a painted smooth cement render finish. Outbuilding attached to NW has a four part timber casement window to its NW end and a painted sheeted timber door to SE opening into yard.

Setting
A private gravelled lane leads SW from Derrymore Road to Derrymore House (HB16/23/010) via a set of painted cast iron gates hung on circular-section stone-built pillars. Hortus Lodge is located in private grounds to NW of access lane and Rose Cottage (HB16/23/009), a similar sized lodge also associated with Derrymore House but having some significant differences in detailing, is located to the SE of the lane. A high rectangular on plan random rubble, brought to courses, stone wall encloses a garden to SW of Hortus Lodge. Modern green houses to walled garden and boundary walling remain mostly intact. Walled garden is accessed through a semi-circular headed opening on the SE side containing double timber doors. There is a further small door in the NE wall.

Materials
Roof: Natural slate
RWGs: Cast iron
Walling: Newry Granodiorite
Windows: Timber sash

Historical information

No. 45 Derrymore Road, a one-and-a-half-storey rubble-stone former gardener’s house located at the east entrance to Derrymore House (HB16/23/010), was constructed in c. 1881. Derrymore House was originally constructed in c. 1776 for Isaac Corry, representative of Newry in the Irish House of Commons, but in 1859 the Derrymore estate was acquired by John Grubb Richardson (1813-1891) who made the site his personal residence (the Richardson family also resided at Mount Caulfield House on the Green Road (HB16/22/024). Richardson was a linen merchant from Lambeg who had effectively founded the village of Bessbrook in 1845 when he purchased one of the derelict mills in the area and began to build housing for his factory workers.

No. 45 Derrymore Road, also known as Derrymore Hortus Lodge, was first recorded in the Annual Revisions in 1881. The building was constructed as a residence for the estate’s gardener and was erected at the south east corner of Derrymore’s ornamental walled garden (the garden had been depicted on the ordnance survey maps from as early as the first edition in 1834-35). The gardener’s house was depicted as a simple rectangular-shaped building on the third edition Ordnance Survey map (1906). Hortus Lodge was not recorded separately from Derrymore House in the valuation sources until 1913 when the Annual Revisions set its total rateable value at £3 and 10 shillings. The valuer noted that the gardener’s house was occupied by a Mr. Thomas Taylor at that time. Taylor continued to reside at the site until at least the 1930s; it is not known when he vacated the lodge as the First General Revaluation of Property in Northern Ireland (1936-57) could not be consulted. In 1952 Derrymore House and its outbuildings were sold by the Richardson estate to the National Trust, which has maintained the late-18th century building as a museum. Rose Cottage was utilised as a private dwelling under the Second General revaluation (1956-72) which noted that it was occupied by a Mr. David H. Paul and had been increased in value to £15 and 10 shillings. The building’s current rear return was not constructed until after 1956 as the building continued to be depicted along a simple rectangular-shaped layout on the fifth edition Ordnance Survey map (1956).

Derrymore Hortus Lodge was listed in 1988. Dean (1994) described Derrymore House’s former gate lodges in the following terms: ‘All lodges to this delightful seat of the Corry family disappointingly non-descript’ (Dean, p. 36). Field inspection of No. 45 Derrymore Road, carried out as part of the Second Survey, has found that Derrymore Hortus Lodge continued to be occupied as a private dwelling.

References

Primary Sources
1. PRONI OS/6/2/26/1 – First Edition Ordnance Survey Map (1834-35)
2. PRONI OS/6/2/26/2 – Second Edition Ordnance Survey Map (1861)
3. PRONI OS/6/2/26/3 – Third Edition Ordnance Survey Map (1906)
4. PRONI OS/6/2/26/5 – Fifth Edition Ordnance Survey Map (1956)
5. PRONI VAL/2/B/1/54 – Griffith’s Valuation (1859)
6. PRONI VAL/12/B/15/1A-1K – Annual Revisions (1866-1929)
7. PRONI VAL/12/B/15/9A – Annual Revisions (1924-1929)
8. PRONI VAL/4/B/2/21 – Second General Revaluation of Property in Northern Ireland (1956-72)
9. George Bassett: The Book of County Armagh (1888)
10. Ulster Town Directories (1880-1918)
11. First Survey Record – HB16/23/008 (1981)
12. NIEA HB Records – HB16/23/008

Secondary Sources
1. ‘Bessbrook: A record of industry in a Northern Ireland village community and of a social experiment, 1845-1945’ Belfast: Nicholson & Bass Ltd., 1945.
2. Brett, C. E. B., ‘Buildings of County Armagh’ Belfast: Ulster Architectural Heritage Society, 1999.
3. Dean, J. A. K., ‘The gate lodges of Ulster: A gazetteer’ Belfast: Ulster Architectural Heritage Society, 1994.
4. Harrison, R., ‘The Richardson’s of Bessbrook: Ulster Quakers in the linen industry (1845-1921)’ Dublin: Original Writing Ltd., 2008.
5. ‘Bessbrook Conservation Area Guide’ Belfast: Department of the Environment (N. I.), 1983.

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

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

Criteria for listing: historic interest

S. Authenticity
U. Historic Associations
Y. Social, Cultural or Economic Importance
R. Age
T. Historic Importance

Evaluation

One-and-a-half-storey three-bay stone-built former gardeners house, built in c.1881 to designs by an unknown architect. T-plan form facing NE towards Derrymore Road, having a monopitched porch to front, a one-and-a-half-storey rear return to SW and a single storey flat roofed extension with attached yard and outbuilding to its NW side. Hortus lodge is one of two lodges located at the East entrance to Derrymore House (HB16/23/010), with which is has group value together with the attached walled garden to its rear. The building has good quality external walling with well designed proportions and detailing, characterised by heavy projecting eaves with timber brackets and granite walling. The building's character is somewhat reduced by modern internal finishes, a rendered extension and some external cement render but it remains of local historical importance.