Bishop’s House

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

Arts and Crafts style house of informal design with Tudor detailing, south facing into mature grounds off Armagh Road. House is two storey and four bays wide, with two rear returns and outhouses and enclosed yard to rear.

Hipped natural slated roof with lead dressed hips, valleys and ridges (formerly copper). Overhanging, closed soffited eaves have a moulded timber bracket supporting the soffit and are broken to south elevation (façade) by sections of raised wall head and gables over first floor windows.

There are four rock faced granite block chimneys in total: The first rising at wall head, parallel with facade over the party wall shared with the right return. The second rising parallel to facade from rear pitch on fourth bay and a third similarly from fifth bay. Fourth is at join between left return and its second return.

Semicircular metal rainwater goods have cast iron down pipes and rectangular hoppers which are emblazoned with a single Tudor rose.

Walls are struck and weathered pointed squared rock-faced granite rubble brought to courses with corner stones dressed to a clean arris. All other dressings are in ashlar granite.

South elevation: second bay from left is gabled, returns forward and contains main entrance. Its roof is pitched and natural slated, tied into main roof. Three dressed granite steps rise to a granite paved platform with rock facade granite flanking walls in four courses with stepped dressed ashlar block coping. Gothic headed framed and panelled varnished oak door with bronze furniture is set within a Gothic headed masonry arched opening. Latter has stepped dressed jambs with double coved stop-end chamfer to opening. To left and right of door are cylindrical metal and glazed bracket lanterns (later additions).

To left and right sides of entrance bay are raised stepped two stage buttresses which riseto eaves level and terminate in ashlar coped gabled pinnacles to either side of front gable. Gable has a moulded dressed coping with an ashlar cross finial to apex.

Centred on wall over door, just below F/F cill level is a square concrete plaque. It consists of a raised cartouche imposed over a cross, with bishops hat above (with its tassles falling to left and right). Cartouche is decorated with the virgin and child in a niche, with a bishop below it. On panel below is a linen-fold motto etched with; "AD IESEUM PER MARIAM" (To Jesus through Mary").

All windows to facade are steel framed and plainly glazed with post and block ashlar granite jambs. Their flush cill, transom and lintel are each of a single granite piece and all four faces of each opening are canted.

To first floor (over door) is a two stage, six paned transom and mullion window, each casement is inset with stained glass with an external polycarbonate protective sheet over. Left and right cheeks of porch are identical and have a blocking course above eaves level of main roof and each has a raised three-stage buttress to front corner (the height of each stage is off-set from and taller than those to buttresses on facade). Each flank has a tall two staged transom window to ground floor, and a smaller two paned casement with leaded quarries, set within a single opening to first floor.

Left bay of front face has a two stage ten paned transom and mullion window to each floor. First floor is diminished in height and breaks eaves level with an ashlar coped blocking course above. Both windows have two piece cills, transoms and lintels. Overhanging eaves of main roof sweep around each end of this in a typical Arts and Crafts manner. To central bay (third from left) there is a two stage, eight paned transom and mullion window to ground floor with similar above. That to first floor is diminished in height, with similar coped blocking course and swept eaves as previous first floor window. To ground floor of fourth bay is a single storey canted bay window with a flat roof behind an ashlar coped blocking course. It has a two stage six paned transom and mullion window to its face and two stage, four paned transom and mullion windows to each cheek. Above to first floor, below overhanging eaves is a single stage three paned casement. Right bay of facade is as left bay but with slated gable breaking eaves.

West facing left elevation is symmetrical and a single bay deep. Wall is as facade with overhanging eaves. To ground floor centre is a two stage six paned transom and mullion window and to first floor, centred to left and right of ground floor window are single two stage transom windows. Abutting to left, and stepped back slightly is the west cheek of the right rear return. This return has a hipped natural slate roof tied into main roof, but with lower ridge line. West cheek is in granite as façade. To ground floor left is a small narrow barred casement, to ground floor right is a two stage, six paned transom and mullion window and to first floor, in line with opening below is a three paned single stage casement with wall head breaking eaves. Rear wall of this return is cement rendered with a single narrow barred casement to ground floor and a two stage four paned casement to first floor. Left cheek of return is abutted by a portion of rear elevation. The remaining wall is lined render and devoid of openings.

North (rear) elevation is abutted to right (just described) and left by returns, with the roof between the two, flat and concealed by a parapet. Rear wall (between the two returns) is lined cement render, and right third projects forward where it abuts the right return. To right of this raised section is an eight panelled painted timber door (top six panels glazed) with three paned transom over. Centred to first floor, over door, is a two stage, six paned transom and mullion window. Left portion of rear wall has four windows to ground floor, three are 9/9 sliding sashes and that to right is a pair of 6/6 sashes set within a single opening. Centred to first floor are four 6/6 sliding sashes and to their extreme left is a 2/4 sash with a lower cill level. All windows have horns and stooled projecting granite cills.

Right elevation of main block is as left. To its right, but stepped back is the left cheek of the rear left return. This return has a hipped natural slate roof, tied into main roof but with a lower ridge line. Wall is lined cement rendered and has three tall sliding sash windows to ground floor: to left is a 9/9 sash, to centre is a 12/12 sash and to right is a 6/6 sash, all same height but in varying widths. To basement steps fall from left to a door, and at top of steps is a small basement window. Equally spaced to first floor are two 6/6 sliding sashes. To extreme left, with a higher cill level is a single metal casement with an ashlar surround. Abutting to right of this elevation is a second return.

Second return is single storey and has a hipped natural slate roof abutting rear wall of first return. Pitch to this elevation contains a flat roofed dormer window with three six paned timber casement windows. Its rear pitch has a similar dormer containing a pair six paned window. Its walls are a continuation of those to other return and are lined cement rendered. To ground floor left is a tall 6/6 window and to right is a 12/12 window.

Right cheek of these returns is lined cement render. To ground floor right is a 12/12 sliding sash window and to its left is a t+g sheeted door with transom over. To first floor right is an 8/8 sliding sash. Abutting to left is the cheek of the second return, this contains a tall 6/6 sliding sash to left and a 12/12 window to right. Rear wall is devoid of openings.

Rear yard is enclosed to left and right by dashed walls, both with doors and to rear by single storey garage and outbuildings with flat in-situ concrete roofs. Garden has a looped driveway to front which continues to garage at rear left, centre of loop is lawned and remainder of garden has mature trees and shrubs, neighbouring to east are the grounds of St. Colman’s College which complements the
setting.

Historical information

Built in 1932, the year of the Eucharistic Congress. Designed by John J. Robinson, a Dublin-based architect who was also responsible for the nearby chapel, opened in 1938 (HB16/25/021).

Sources:

1. Current Bishop of Dromore, 1998.

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

A. Style
B. Proportion
C. Ornamentation
D. Plan Form
I. Quality and survival of Interior
J. Setting

Criteria for listing: historic interest

V. Authorship
X. Local Interest
Y. Social, Cultural or Economic Importance

Evaluation

An imposing residence displaying a transition between the historic Tudor style and Arts and Crafts style. Possibly one of the last buildings to be built in Newry granite, it has rather a sombre dignity befitting its use. Well detailed with all original features intact.