Rose Cottage

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

Single-storey three-bay stone-built gate lodge, built prior to 1906 to designs by an unknown architect. L-plan form facing NE towards Derrymore Road, having a single-storey rear return to SW which appears to be a later addition. Rose Cottage is one of two lodges located at the East entrance to Derrymore House (HB16/23/010).

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

Pitched natural slate roof with roll top black clay ridge tiles. Rectangular-section mid-ridge red brick chimney to front has a single tall back clay pot; similar chimney to mid-ridge of rear return also has a black clay pot. Narrowly projecting eaves with exposed painted timber rafter ends; dentilated painted timber bargeboards and diamond shaped attic lights to gables. Generally cast iron RWGs; half-round guttering discharging to circular section downpipes.

Principal elevation
The front NE facing elevation is composed of a symmetrical three bay block, narrowly set back from Derrymore Road, being fronted by a modest paved front yard. Yard is enclosed along roadside by a random-coursed rock-faced stone wall, having random stone coping, and a painted wrought iron flat-bar pedestrian gate to centre of elevation hung on stone walling with brick jambs to ope and substantial rock-faced granite caps. A tarmaced path leads to door at centre of elevation opening onto three granite steps; painted three panelled timber door with black furniture and six glazed sections to its top. Door is flanked by double hung 6/6 sliding timber sash windows. Red brick mid-ridge chimney to roof is in-line with door.

Garden set to lawn on SE side of lodge and there is a recessed vehicular entrance to NW with gravelled lane leading to Derrymore House (HB16/23/010); painted metal gates, with cast trefoil finials, hung on circular-section stone-built pillars with stone caps.

Southeast
SE elevation is fronted by a paved path leading to rear SW and a garden set to lawn and enclosed to SW by timber fencing. Rear garden and SE elevation of rear return is accessed via by a painted timber gate. Elevation consists of a single-storey single-bay block to NE, with a 4/4 sash window to SW and attic light to centre of gable, and a single storey three bay rear return to SW with three equally spaced 4/4 timber sash windows.

Southwest elevation
Rear elevation faces SW into a rear garden enclosed by timber fencing to NE and NW and wire fencing to SE and SW, being accessed via a set of vehicular gates to the NW opening onto a gravelled road leading SW toward Derrymore House; modern painted metal gates, with some scrollwork, hung on stone-built circular section pillars with granite caps. Elevation consists of a single storey rear return projecting from SE having an attic light to centre of gable. Rear return has a double hung 4/4 sliding timber sash window to NW side of door; painted sheeted timber door opening onto a concrete step and area of paving.

Northwest elevation
Side elevation faces NW towards a gravelled lane leading to Derrymore House and Hortus lodge (HB16/23/008) to opposite side of lane. NW elevation consists of a single-storey single-bay block to NE having an attic light to centre of gable and a 4/4 timber sash window in-line below. Rear return block is set back having a 4/4 sash window at NE and a red brick mid-ridge chimney towards SW.

Setting
A private gravelled lane leads SW from Derrymore Road to Derrymore House (HB16/23/010) via a set of painted metal gates, with cast trefoil finials, hung on circular-section stone-built pillars. Rose Cottage is located to the SE of the lane and Hortus Lodge, a similar sized building but with some significant differences in detailing, is located in private grounds to NW of the lane. A high rectangular plan stone wall encloses a garden to SW of Hortus Lodge. Modern green house to walled garden and boundary walling remains mostly intact.

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

Historical information

No. 49 Derrymore Road, a one-and-a-half-storey rubble-stone former gate lodge (also known as Rose Cottage) located at the east entrance to Derrymore House (HB16/23/010), was constructed prior to 1906, most likely in the late-19th century. 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.

It is not known with certainty when No. 49 Derrymore Road was constructed as a gate lodge at the eastern entrance to the Derrymore estate. The building was not recorded on either the first or second edition Ordnance Survey maps (1834-35; 1859), although Derrymore’s ornamental walled garden had been laid out by at least the 1830s. In the mid-19th century only the estate’s southern lodge (No. 85 Camlough Road) was included in Griffith’s Valuation (1859), which valued it at £11. Rose Cottage was first recorded on the third edition Ordnance Survey map of 1906, which depicted the gate lodge along its current layout. The gate lodge was not recorded separately from Derrymore House in the valuation sources until 1913 when the Annual Revisions set its total rateable value at £2. The valuer noted that the gate lodge was occupied by a Mr. James Thompson. The Thompson family continued to reside at the site until at least the 1930s; it is not known when the family 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 Ms. Emma Colligan and had been increased in value to £6. In 1994 Dean 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. 49 Derrymore Road, carried out as part of the Second Survey, has found that Rose Cottage continues to be utilised as a private dwelling with few major changes having been made to the layout of the building since the turn of the 20th century.

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 VAL/2/B/1/54 – Griffith’s Valuation (1859)
5. PRONI VAL/12/B/15/1A-1K – Annual Revisions (1866-1929)
6. PRONI VAL/12/B/15/9A – Annual Revisions (1924-1929)
7. PRONI VAL/4/B/2/21 – Second General Revaluation of Property in Northern Ireland (1956-72)
8. George Bassett: The Book of County Armagh (1888)
9. Ulster Town Directories (1880-1918)
10. First Survey Record – HB16/23/009 (1981)

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
J. Setting
K. Group value

Criteria for listing: historic interest

R. Age
S. Authenticity
U. Historic Associations
X. Local Interest

Evaluation

Single-storey three-bay stone-built gate lodge, built prior c. 1906 to designs by an unknown architect. T-plan form facing NE towards Derrymore Road, having a single-storey rear return - a sympathetic and modest later addition. The building has good quality external walling with well designed proportions and detailing, characterised by diamond shaped lights to gables, decorative bargeboards, exposed rafter ends and local stone walling. Although its character is reduced somewhat by modern internal finishes the building is of local importance. Rose Cottage has group value being one of two lodges located at the East entrance to the Derrymore House (HB16.23.010), the other one being Hortus Lodge (HB16.23.08).