Millmount

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

A symmetrical two-storey three-bay house built c.1790 and extensively modified c.1860, now largely Victorian in appearance. Extended and converted into a nursing home in 1982, the house occupies a large site to the west side of Lurgan Road north of Banbridge town centre. Rectangular plan with extension to south-east and modern two-storey extensions (1982) to north-west and north-east (of no interest).

Hipped natural slate roof with blue/black angled ridge tiles and two rendered chimneystacks with terracotta pots to centre of ridgeline. Cast-iron ogee rainwater goods on projecting eaves. Walling is smooth render with band rustication to ground floor, raised quoins and continuous sill course to first floor. Windows are timber sliding sash; 6/3 to first floor in moulded and lugged architraves on corbels with moulded keyblock; 1/1 to ground floor with low level sills, flanked by partially fluted pilasters and carved capital heads, surmounted by plain entablature and segmental pediment with carved inset.

The principal elevation faces south-west and is symmetrically arranged around a central doorcase, with three openings to each floor. Painted granite doorcase comprises a filleted surround with cornice surmounted by a timber fanlight in moulded surround; raised-and-fielded replacement eight-panel timber door flanked by ionic columns supporting a projecting entablature and four pane sidelights with a carved panel to base.

The north-west elevation has a window to left at first floor and to centre at ground floor; abutted at left by a modern two-storey extension of no interest.

The north-east (rear) elevation is fully abutted by a modern two-storey extension of no interest.

The south-east elevation has a window to centre at first floor and a 1/1 window to ground floor right (without architrave); abutted to right by the two-storey extension (pre 1833). The extension is three replacement windows (uPVC) wide to first floor, each with their original architraves. The ground floor has been altered with two windows flanking a central porch. The southeast elevation has original architraves to two windows, each with replacement uPVC glazing. To left is an infilled doorway with lugged architrave having carved keyblock.

Setting

Set on a large site to the west of Lurgan Road and accessed via a modern entrance to north. The site has been extensively developed for sheltered housing since the early 1980s and has been altered significantly. To south of the site are a number of former outbuildings, including a two-storey red-brick slated barn and a red-brick outbuilding. Rubble stone garden wall to east with pointed-arched opening. The original entrance at Lurgan Road has rendered entrance walls with granite coping stones and square granite gate piers. Rubble stone boundary wall to north and southeast. Original decorative cast-iron gates enclosing rear yard to southeast.

Roof: Natural slate
Walling: Render
Windows: Timber / uPVC
RWG: Cast-iron

Historical information

Millmount House dates from the late 18th century, first appearing on a map dated 1796 captioned ‘Millmount farm’ which included a ‘mansion house and several other houses’ then part of the estate of John Reilly in the townland of Edenderry north-west of Banbridge (map in Rankin, p. 72). In 1806 a Mr. Hayes established a number of mills in Edenderry along the River Bann and in 1824 Piggott’s Directory of Banbridge noted that William Hayes & Sons were operating from Millmount House (Ordnance Survey Memoirs, p. 134).

Millmount House is depicted on the first edition of the Ordnance Survey map (1833) as a large dwelling which possessed a number of offices that abutted the north-side of the house (with the exception of an outbuilding to the south and a two-storey barn to the south-east of the house, the majority of Millmount’s former out offices have been taken down). In the 1830s the Townland Valuation recorded that Richard Hayes owned the house and its bleach mill (which was located to the south of the site on the banks of the River Bann); the site, including the Bleachworks, was jointly valued at £92 6s.

Although constructed c.1790, Millmount House is largely Victorian in appearance, having likely undergone a modification in the mid-19th century. There is no valuation evidence to support an alteration suggesting that the modification work was carried out prior to Griffiths Valuation of the house in 1863. There was little discernible change to the site by the second edition of the Ordnance Survey map in 1860, although a gate lodge had been constructed at the entrance to the residence on the Lurgan Road. Richard Hayes continued to reside at Millmount in the 1860s and his property, which included the house, gate lodge and Bleachworks, was valued as a single property worth £240. Hayes owned his property outright and also let out at least 12 small houses on his land which were likely occupied by his workforce (Griffiths Valuation). The Ulster Town’s Directories note that the company was named William Hayes & Son, bleachers and linen manufacturers, at this time.

Richard Hayes continued to reside at Millmount until his death in 1864 at which time his widow Henrietta Hayes took over possession of the site and let the bleaching works out to the Malcomson family and later to a Mr. James McWilliams who continued to operate a Bleachworks from the site. Millmount House was first recorded separately from the Bleachworks in the Annual Revisions in 1864 when it was valued at £50.

In c.1877 Robert Joy, a Justice of the Peace who also traded in Belfast’s Stock Exchange (Ulster Town’s Directory), married Richard and Henrietta Hayes’s daughter Elizabeth and came into possession of Millmount House. The 1901 Census states that Joy (62, Church of Ireland) was born in England and lived at Millmount with his family; the Census Building Return described Millmount as a 1st class dwelling that consisted of 16 rooms and possessed a large number of out offices. These out offices included a stable, two cow houses, a dairy, boiling house, a store and laundry, and were located in the outbuildings abutting the rear of the house and in a number of smaller outbuildings to its south side (of which a two-storey barn and a redbrick outbuilding are the only survivors). The third edition of the Ordnance Survey map (1903) shows that little discernible change had been made to the site since 1860, however the Bleachworks to the south of the house had been greatly expanded; the Ulster Town Directories note that Hayes’s former factory continued to operate under the name Hayes & Co throughout this period.

By 1902 Millmount House had passed into the possession of the Cowdy family; Anthony Cowdy let the house and the Bleachworks factory (the factory he acquired in1892) from the Hayes family and lived there until his death in 1908 when his widow Sarah took over possession (PRONI Wills). Sarah Cowdy was recorded as occupant of Millmount until 1926 when her son Francis Charles Cowdy took possession of the site. By the end of the Annual Revisions in 1930 the value of the house remained at £50.

Rankin records that William Hayes took a lease for 900 years of Millmount House and its land from John Reilly; Rankin believes that the current house was constructed in 1796; however a previous dwelling had existed in the late-18th century, constructed by the McClelland family who occupied the site and operated a corn mill from 1762. William Hayes married Margaret Crawford of Ballievey House (HB17/12/002) in 1796 and adapted the corn mill on his land into a Bleachworks by 1806. Richard Hayes came into possession of the business after his father’s death in 1827. In 1892 Anthony Cowdy let the Bleachworks from the Hayes family; Cowdy had previously operated a business in Greenhall, Loughall and upon coming into possession of the site on the Lurgan Road moved part of his business there. The family moved into Millmount House in 1902 and upon Anthony Cowdy’s death in 1908 the company ‘Anthony Cowdy & Sons, Ltd., was administered by his sons; Francis Charles Cowdy lived at Millmount until his death in 1953. Rankin states that the Cowdy family continued to reside at Millmount House until the mid-1960s when the linen and bleaching industry declined and the Cowdy family closed the factories at both Greenhall and Millmount; however the First Survey records that at the time the survey was conducted in 1969 a member of the Cowdy family was still in possession of the house (Rankin, pp 75-76).

The gate lodge that stood at the entrance to Millmount on the Lurgan road is no longer standing, having been demolished at some point since 1970 (when it appears on the current Ordnance Survey map); Dean states it was probably constructed by Thomas Turner who was known to have carried out some work for the Hayes family (Dean, p. 83). Millmount House was listed in 1977 and was extended and converted into a nursing home in 1982 with the addition of modern two-storey extensions to the north-west and north-east. The former out offices to the rear of the house have been taken down and in 1991 were replaced by 31 flats.

References

Primary Sources
1. PRONI OS/6/3/27/1 – First edition Ordnance Survey map 1833
2. PRONI OS/6/3/27/2 – Second Edition Ordnance Survey map 1860
3. PRONI OS/6/3/27/3 – Third Edition Ordnance Survey map 1903-1918
4. PRONI VAL/1/B/348 – Townland Valuation c. 1830
5. PRONI VAL/2/B/3/64/C – Griffith’s Valuation 1863
6. PRONI VAL/12/B/16/6/A – Annual Revisions 1864-1874
7. PRONI VAL/12/B/16/6/B – Annual Revisions 1874-1884
8. PRONI VAL/12/B/16/6/D – Annual Revisions 1885-1894
9. PRONI VAL/12/B/16/7/A – Annual Revisions 1899-1910
10. PRONI VAL/12/B/16/7/B – Annual Revisions 1911-1922
11. PRONI VAL/12/B/16/7/C – Annual Revisions 1921-1930
12. Ordnance Survey Memoirs, Down III, Vol. 12.
13. Piggott’s Directory 1824
14. Ulster Town Directories (1843-1918)
15. PRONI Wills Catalogue (7 Aug 1908)
16. Ordnance Survey map 220-4 (1970)
17. First Survey Record – HB17/04/017 (1977)

Secondary Sources

1. Dean, J. A. K., The gate lodges of Ulster: A gazetteer’ Belfast: Ulster Architectural Heritage Society, 1994.
2. Magennis, P., ‘Banbridge: An illustrated history and companion’ Donaghadee: Cottage Publications, 1996.
3. Rankin, K., ‘The linen houses of the Bann Valley: The story of their families’ Belfast: Ulster Historical Foundation, 2007).

Online Resources

1. Housing Care Website: Millmount House - http://www.housingcare.org/housing-care/facility-info-11167-millmount-house-
banbridge-northern-ireland.aspx

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

Not listed

Criteria for listing: historic interest

Not listed

Evaluation

A symmetrical two-storey three-bay house built c.1790 and extensively modified c.1860, now with a largely Victorian appearance. Extended and converted into a nursing home in 1982 it has been severely degraded by the loss of its plan form and interior, as well as the large modern extensions and its setting has been eroded by the introduction modern housing, tarmac hard standings and parking. Although some of its architectural detailing has survived, the changes have compromised its character and it is no longer of special interest.