Lenaderg House

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

A symmetrical two-storey three-bay country house with two-storey side wing, built c.1780 and located on the east side of Lurgan Road in Lenaderg. L-shaped on plan with two-storey wing to northeast and two-storey gabled porch to front (later).

Roof is hipped with leaded ridges and hips and a variety of roughcast rendered chimneystacks with clay pots. Cast-iron half-round rainwater goods on slightly projecting eaves. Walling is roughcast render on a smooth render plinth; porch has corbel course between floors and above first floor windows. Windows are 6/6 timber sliding sash in moulded architraves with projecting stone sills (unless otherwise stated).

The principal elevation faces south-east and is symmetrically arranged about a central two-storey gabled porch; two windows to either side of porch at each floor. The porch has flat-headed recesses at each floor on all faces and comprises paired round-arched 1/1 windows to first floor; four-panelled entrance door with brass door furniture in a moulded lugged architrave accessed by two bull nosed stone steps. Round-arched 1/1 window to first floor and a 1/1 window to ground floor to each cheek.

The south-west elevation has two windows at each floor with tall central wall-headed chimney. Abutment to rear has two widely spaced paired multi-paned windows to ground floor with two directly over; abutted at re-entrant angle by a two-storey flat roofed sanitary extension having two 1/1 windows to left and a diminutive window to right to north-west elevation and a 6/6 window at first floor to south-west elevation.

The north-west (rear) elevation of return has two windows to first floor (that to right is 2/2); abutted at left by a single-storey hipped roofed extension.

The north-east elevation is abutted at centre by a two-storey side wing; to right side is a 2/2 window to first floor and two replacement uPVC windows to ground floor. Left side has a 6/6 window to first floor and panelled-and-glazed timber door to ground floor. Corner bay with a 6/6 window to each floor at re-entrant angle of the NE wing.

Two-storey wing to north-east has four 6/6 windows to first floor; four sets of glazed double-leaf doors with square-headed overlight to ground floor; that to left and third to right are accessed by a set of three bull-nosed steps. The north-east gable is blank. The north-west elevation has three 6/6 windows to first floor (that to left is more widely spaced). Ground floor has a paired glass panel door with overlight to left; two 6/6 windows and a timber sheeted door with brass door furniture at right.

Setting:

The house occupies a large site surrounded by mature trees. It is accessed by a gravelled lane to southwest leading to a gravelled courtyard to rear. The walled garden is lawned and contains a modern tennis court to north-west end. Bounded to road by a rubble stone wall, mature trees and hedgerow. Curved entrance has decorative cast-iron railings on a painted plinth wall and slender metal piers supporting a set of original gates. To rear is a refurbished two-storey rubble stone barn with hipped roof, smooth rendered quoins and red-brick dressings. Three replacement uPVC windows to first floor; timber sheeted door with glazed overlight in stone surrounds to left and right at ground floor; carriage-arch to centre containing a large set of timber-sheeted doors. To the rear of the barn in a single-storey converted summer house with conservatory which overlooks the garden to east.

Roof: Natural slate
Walling: Render
Windows: Timber
RWG: Cast iron

Historical information

Lenaderg House is a late 18th century linen house built on the site of an earlier building and with mid-nineteeth century remodelling. The house was built by a well-known linen dynasty at a time when there were at least 26 bleach greens on the River Bann, with the trade centring on Gilford (Lewis). The house remained in continuous connection with the linen industry until the mid-twentieth century.

‘Lenaderg Ho[use]’ appears captioned on the first edition OS map of 1833. It appears as a rectangular house with attached outbuildings forming a courtyard to the rear. The double-height porch is first shown on the second edition map of 1860.

According to Lewis, writing in 1837, ‘Lenaderg Cottage’, as it was first known, was built by the Weir family in 1645 as an ‘asylum for the officers of the royal army’, who were stationed on the Bann water during the war of 1641. Rankin states that a portion of the rear of the house dates from the 1690s, and that the main house is late eighteenth century. (Rankin) The double-height porch addition dates from c.1855 and is shown on the second edition OS map of 1860. The house was refaced in the late nineteenth century. (Rankin)

In 1831 ‘Lenaderg Cottage’ was the home of William Weir and by 1837 of Thomas Weir (PRONI; Lewis). The Weirs were cousins of the well-known linen family the Smyths, who lived nearby at Milltown House and later, at Bellfield. (Rankin; The Orthodox Presbyterian) The families were also in business together and launched the company Smyth, Weir & Co, linen manufacturers, bleachers and merchants in 1849, with offices in Donegall Place Belfast and a bleach works at Milltown, near Lenaderg House. (Rankin; Bassett’s Directory)

However, at the time of the Townland Valuation (1828-40), Thomas Weir had vacated the house and was living in a single-storey thatched cottage nearby. Lenaderg House was let to Hugh Hamilton Madden, curate of Tullylish parish from 1834-35 and later Chancellor of Cashel. Madden’s son was the Right Hon Dodgson Hamilton Madden, Judge of the High Court, Ireland and Vice-Chancellor of Dublin University. (Clergy of Down and Dromore)

In 1843 Wiliam Weir’s widow Jane, ‘greatly loved for her disinterestedness and benevolence of character’ died at the Cottage and her death was noted in the Belfast Newsletter.

By 1855 Lenaderg House had passed to William Smyth, eldest son of John Smyth Sr of Milltown House and founder, with his siblings of the company William Smyth & Co Ltd, a successful linen firm which went on to employ more than 250 people. (Rankin; Bassett’s Directory; www.bob-sinton.com) The railway line built between Newry and Portadown by 1852, provided a convenient means of transport for the company’s goods and no doubt aided the expansion of the business. In 1857 the Smyths became owners of the Bannville Beetling Mill and by this time had customers from all over the world including the USA, Italy, Russia and Germany. (www.bob-sinton.com) An iron foundry was established in 1876 for the company’s own needs as well as local light engineering work. By 1886 the bleach works and bleach greens covered an area of 220 acres. The works were water powered with steam used as an auxiliary and there were six iron water wheels. (Bassett’s Directory) Smyth was responsible for remodelling the house when he took it over in 1855 and adding the double-height extension to the front facade.

The ‘house, offices and land’ are listed in Griffith’s Valuation (1856-64) and the buildings are valued at £30. The property is leased from John Smyth & Son, later William Smyth & Co. Smyth’s wife Anna died in 1893 and William Smyth himself died in 1894, unexpectedly at Lenaderg House, and was described in his obituary as a ‘highly estimable and very popular gentleman. Open-hearted and kindly in disposition and very genial in manner, he was a favourite with all who had the pleasure of his acquaintance’. In common with other gentlemen engaged in the linen trade, Smyth was accustomed to visit Belfast on a Friday ‘where he had troops of friends who will deeply regret that they shall see his pleasant face no more’. (Belfast Newsletter; Rankin)

After Smyth’s death the house was advertised to let in the pages of the Belfast Newsletter and was briefly the home of Catherine Lindsay of the Lindsays of Tullyhenan, another family with a strong linen-producing heritage. Catherine was an unmarried woman of 51 who lived in the house with her general domestic servant, a young girl of 17 from County Louth. (1901 census) The house was then taken over by the manager of the Milltown bleach works, John Henry Davies, who had previously worked for 40 years at Richardsons’ bleach works at Glenmore and who was also a distinguished botanist. His lengthy obituary in the Irish Naturalist of 1909, makes clear that he was the author of numerous papers on mosses and discovered several species new to Ireland and one species new to the British Isles. Some of his specimens were in the herbarium of Trinity College. ‘Those who knew him best will not easily forget his tall and stately person, his handsome and kindly features, his genial manners, and aptitude and readiness in imparting information on botanical subjects, and his always having in his pockets specimens of some unusual form of some moss or other – what muscologists term ‘puzzles’ – which he invariably produced and made the subject of conversation’. (Irish Naturalist)

John Henry’s son Arthur Crossfield Davies is listed in the 1911 census as the Director of the Bleach Works, living with his mother, three sisters and a brother, who is a manager in Hazelbank power loom factory. The family retain a general domestic servant. AC Davies inherited his father’s fascination with the natural world, eventually being elected a Fellow of the Royal Astronomical Society in 1923 (The Observatory) The house remained the home of the Davies family until the 1940s.

The First General Revaluation of 1933/4 found Arthur C Davies in residence and notes that he was then working as secretary to the firm of Smyth & Co. The house was revalued at £56 and comprised seven bedrooms, three receptions, a cloakroom, bathroom, three pantries a kitchen and scullery. The valuer commented that it was an old-fashioned house in very good condition with exceptionally well-kept grounds.

When Milltown Bleach Works closed down in 1940, the house was sold, an advertisement in the Irish Times of 1944 describing it as a ‘desirable gentleman’s residence and grounds...fitted throughout with all modern conveniences including electricity’ The rooms included entrance hall, large dining room etc Also a conservatory, forcing frames and potting shed. The outbuildings included a cow byre, stabling with storage loft for fruit etc over, a coach house and harness room. The house was subsequently occupied by Clifford R Carter (1949) and William J Wilson (1954) and remains a dwelling.

References:

Primary Sources

1. PRONI OS/6/3/27/1 First Edition OS Map 1833
2. PRONI OS/6/3/27/2 Second Edition OS map 1860
3. PRONI OS/6/3/27/3 Third Edition OS Map (?)
4. PRONI OS/6/3/27/4 Fourth Edition OS Map 1903-18
5. PRONI VAL/12/B/16/25A-D Annual Revisions (1864-1929)
6. PRONI VAL/3/C/4/2 – First General Revaluation (1936-57)
7. PRONI VAL/3/D/4/3/L/4 – First General Revaluation (1933-57)
8. The Orthodox Presbyterian Vol2, p.216
9. Belfast Newsletter, 17th January 1843
10. Belfast Newsletter, 8th March 1894
11. Irish Naturalist, Vol 18, No 11, November 1909, pp235-236
12. The Observatory, Vol 46, 1923
13. Irish Times 30th August 1944

Secondary Sources

1. Bassett, G H “County Down One Hundred Years Ago: A Guide and Directory 1886” Belfast: Friar’s Bush Press, 1988
2. Lewis, Samuel. “A Topographical Dictionary of Ireland” London: S. Lewis & Co., 1837.
3. Rankin, K “The Linen Houses of the Bann Valley, The story of their families” Belfast, Ulster Historical Foundation, 2007
4. Rankin, F, Leslie, Canon JB, Swanzy, Dean HB "Clergy of Down and Dromore" Belfast: Ulster Historical Foundation, 1996
6. www.bob-sinton.com –“Smyths of the Bann”

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

X. Local Interest

Evaluation

Lenaderg House is a symmetrical two-storey three-bay country house with two-storey side wing, built c.1780. Many original features and much historic fabric survive and much of the original character is unchanged. The setting of a small demesne with mature trees having courtyard, walled garden and converted barn to rear, and accessed by a set of original cast-iron gates remains virtually unaltered and adds to the historic integrity of the site. Lenaderg House is a fine example of its type, reflecting the development of the linen industry in the Bann Valley.