Tullyhinan House

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

A two-storey three-bay Victorian house built 1850 to the designs of Thomas Turner to replace an earlier dwelling. Square plan form with adjoining campanile tower and various abutments to the rear. Located approximately 2 miles northeast of Banbridge adjacent to the junction between Skeltons Road and Half-Way Road.

Hipped eaves cornice and valley natural slate roof with leaded hips and ridges; concealed rainwater goods; smooth rendered chimneystacks with moulded entablature. Rusticated channelled walling to ground floor; smooth render to first floor surmounted by moulded entablature parapet with patera on frieze and moulded cornice; moulded plinth course and projected plinth. 1/1 timber sliding sash windows; with horns; continuous cill courses; ground floor windows comprise moulded architraves embraced by plain pilasters rising to scrolled brackets supporting moulded cornice; patera on frieze. First floor windows slight diminished-in-height; moulded reveals flanked by pilasters with projected base and capital adorned with patera, rising to cornice. Four raised-and-fielded door with beaded muntin; plain pilaster frame with moulded transoms; etched glass to side lights with apron panels; rectangular over light. The entrance door is embraced by a raised portico comprising squared corner piers with projected pilasters to the inward faces; plain Doric columns; all with moulded base and capitals supporting moulded entablature.

The principal elevation faces south and is asymmetrically arranged. Centrally positioned entrance porch flanked by single ground floor windows; three first floor windows directly over ground floor openings.

The west elevation is asymmetrically arranged. The ground floor right is abutted by a single-storey flat roof canted bay; windows to all faces; cornicing surmounted with ball finials; two first floor windows directly over. The left side is slightly projected. Tripartite ground floor and first floor windows fully complimented with matching surrounds.

The rear elevation is asymmetrically arranged; the left side is blank. The central bay is abutted by a two-storey rear return which adjoins the earlier building with matching the proportions; plain smooth rendered walling; no detailing; the west cheek comprises replacement glazed door to the left with a diminished-in-scale window to the right; slight first floor window; the gable abuts the earlier building (see
setting); the left side of the gable comprises a door at ground floor with a single first floor window over; the east elevation of the return is abutted by a lean-to block located at the re-entrant to the rear elevation and further abutted to the east by a pitched roof extension; slated roof; modern casement picture windows through out; sliding sash windows to the ground and first floor to the left side of the lean-to gable.

The east elevation is asymmetrically arranged. The left portion comprises two ground and first floor windows. The right is abutted by the campanile via a two-storey link block. Three stage campanile; matching walling detail; ground floor window with surrounds to the east face; round-headed window braking through the cill course; blank rectangular panel over; blank oculus to the north elevation; three rectangular openings to all sides with mouldings rising to eaves cornice and pyramidal slate roof surmounted by copper weather vane.

Setting

The house is largely screened from view by mature trees encompassing the site. Access is from the south via the former Half-Way Road running parallel to the new dual carriageway. From the main entrance a sweeping driveway approaches the house, which sits on an elevated site. The immediate grounds in front have not been formalised by landscaping. A secondary entrance from the west of Skeltons Road accesses the rear of the dwelling via a straight private tree-lined lane. The outbuildings to the rear (pre 1860) comprise a single-storey rubble masonry linear block with brick surrounds and pitched natural slate roof and an two-storey partially rendered rubble masonry block brick surrounds chimneys; in advanced state of decay. A smaller yard to the rear of the main dwelling is entered via brick gate piers and a round-headed arched pedestrian access. The outbuilding adjoining the dwelling is two-storey linear block; partially rendered rubble masonry walling; slate roof; some sliding sash windows; timber louvered windows; chamfered corner abutted the dwelling with enclosed stairs via round-headed entrance; generally in advanced state of decay. Modern two-storey house to the rear of the site and further modern agricultural units to the northeast.

Roofing: Natural slate
Walling: rendered
Windows: Timber
RWG: Concealed

Historical information

Tullyhenan House, a two-storey gentleman’s mansion was the main seat of the Lindsay family, one of the most respected and well-connected Linen families in the Dromore and Banbridge area who also owned a number of other houses in the district including Ashfield House (HB17/13/014), Moorlands (HB17/07/038) Balleevy House (HB17/12/002) and Clanmurry (HB17/13/019). Tullyhenan House was the longest serving residence of the Lindsay family who settled in the Banbridge area from as early as the mid-17th century. Title Deeds held at the Public Records Office record that the Lindsay family possessed a dwelling on the site from at least 1755.

The current two-storey house was not constructed until c.1860; it replaced a previous dwelling that was situated on the same location and was depicted on the first edition of the Ordnance Survey map as an irregular square-shaped building possessing a north-facing return or outbuilding. The contemporary Ordnance Survey memoirs described the dwelling as one of the ‘only buildings deserving of notice’ in the parish of Magherally (OSM, p. 113), whilst the Townland Valuations noted that the estate, which also included a gate lodge, was the property of John Lindsay J.P. (1781-1858), and valued at £14 13s; the main house was individually valued at only £7 6s. 11d.

The current two-storey classical house was constructed around the time of John Lindsay’s death in 1858 when the property passed to his youngest son, also named John (1816-1881). The second edition of the Ordnance Survey map records that the current square-shaped house, possessing a two-storey north-facing outbuilding range which incorporates some fabric of the previous dwelling, had been completed by 1860; the site also consisted of two large outbuildings to the north-east of the dwelling, and the gate lodge which was located at the western entrance to the site. Griffith’s Valuation (1861) noted that due to the construction work the value of Tullyhenan House had greatly increased to £75; John Lindsay leased the site from the Ecclesiastical Commissioners at a time when the Established Church remained the largest landlord in Ireland.

Between 1864 and 1875 the value of Tullyhenan House was increased to £85 10s., the valuer did not note a reason for this alteration, however the increase was possibly due to the construction of an additional outbuilding to the northeast of the site by the third edition of the Ordnance Survey map in 1903. The Ulster Town Directories simply note that John Lindsay was a local magistrate; but he was also greatly involved in his family’s linen business. John Lindsay continued to reside at Tullyhenan House until his death in 1881 when possession of the estate passed to his nephew David Lindsay (1857-1898) (PRONI Wills). With the disbandment of the Church Temporalities Commissioners in 1881, David Lindsay purchased the estate outright by 1885; however upon his own death in 1898 the Lindsay family let Tullyhenan House to a Mr. Andrew Brown.

The 1901 Census records that Brown (39, Presbyterian) was employed as a farmer and resided at Tullyhenan House with his wife Mary (34) and their four infant children. The census building return described Tullyhenan House as a 1st class dwelling that consisted of 18 rooms. In 1909 the value of the site was reduced to £55 in the same year that Andrew Brown purchased Tullyhenan House from Walter Lindsay, ending over 250 years of the Lindsay family’s occupancy of the site. By 1911 there had been little change to the property, although the census building return for that year recorded that Brown owned an extensive dairy farm which consisted of two stables, 15 cow houses, a dairy, fowl house, boiling house, a barn, and a store. In 1914 the value of the estate was reduced once more to £40; however it is not certain why this devaluation occurred as the valuer made no note of explanation. Andrew Brown continued to reside at Tullyhenen House until 1921 when his relative Thomas Brown took possession of the estate, residing there until the end of the Annual Revisions in 1929.

Tullyhenan House was the home of the Lindsay family for over 250 years; the Lindsay’s first came to Ireland in 1642 during the Irish Confederacy War (1641-53). Originally from Scotland the 17th century Lindsays were part of the army of General Monro who was sent to Ireland with orders to quell the Irish Catholic Rebellion (which had began in 1641). In the aftermath of the conflict the Lindsays settled at Tullyhenan and established a dwelling at the current site. Rankin states that ‘in the development of the linen industry of the Bann towards the end of the 18th century the Lindsay family played a notable part ... The family connected with many other well known linen families such as the Crawfords, Mulligans and Hunters.’

In 1808 John Lindsay of Tullyhenan House married Catherine Crawford, the daughter of George Crawford of Balleevy House (HB17/12/002), the merger creating the Crawford & Lindsay Co; the company took over the Ballydown bleach works in 1822. In 1886 Bassett stated that the Ballydown linen factory and bleach works employed around 400 people, 150 of whom worked at the factory whilst the remainder worked from home and were handloom weavers. With the advent of power spinning in the mid-19th century the majority of workers were forced to work in manufactories including Ballydown Mill and David Lindsay’s (1795-1859) factory at Ashfield (HB17/13/014) (Bassett; Rankin, pp 36-40).

Rankin states that the current house, constructed c. 1860, was designed by Thomas Turner (d. 1891), an architect and county surveyor for Cos. Cavan and Dublin who also designed the estates gate lodge (Dean, p. 99) and designed many public buildings and private residences throughout Ulster and Dublin (Dictionary of Irish Architects). The only remnant of the pre-1860 house that had formerly stood on the current site is the two-storey outbuilding that abuts the dwelling on its north side. Upon David Lindsay’s (1857-1898) death Tullyhenan House passed out of the Lindsay family at which time the owner, Walter Lindsay, moved to Ballydown. The Linen and bleaching business continued in production until the global recession of the textile industry in the wake of the First World War caused the family to close their factories (Rankin, p. 36-37).

Tullyhenan House was listed in 1977. Tthe gate lodge was demolished (c. 1970) and modern corrugated barns to the north-east of the house constructed prior to the current edition of the Ordnance Survey map in 1973. Tullyhenan House continues to be occupied and is part of a group of dwellings associated with the Lindsay family, who made a significant economic and social impact in the region through their factories, business connections and partnerships.

References

Primary Sources

1. PRONI T1606/1-3 – Title Deeds to Property 1755-1834
2. PRONI OS/6/3/27/1 – First Edition Ordnance Survey map 1833
3. PRONI OS/6/3/27/2 – Second Edition Ordnance Survey map 1860
4. PRONI OS/6/3/27/3 – Third Edition Ordnance Survey map 1903-18
5. PRONI VAL/1/A/3/27 – Townland Valuation map c. 1830
6. PRONI VAL/1/B/345 – Townland Valuation c. 1830
7. PRONI VAL/2/B/3/40 – Griffith’s Valuation 1861
8. PRONI VAL/12/B/16/19A – Annual Revisions 1864 - 1875
9. PRONI VAL/12/B/16/19B – Annual Revisions 1876 - 1889
10. PRONI VAL/12/B/16/19C – Annual Revisions 1889 - 1901
11. PRONI VAL/12/B/16/19D – Annual Revisions 1902 - 1911
12. PRONI VAL/12/B/16/19E – Annual Revisions 1912 – 1929
13. Ordnance Survey Memoirs, Co Down III, Vol. 12 (1834)
14. Bassett’s Co. Down: A guide and directory (1886)
15. PRONI Wills Catalogue (13 July 1858; 20 Oct 1881; 17 Jan 1898)
16. Census of Ireland (1901 / 1911)
17. Ulster Town Directories (1843-1918)
18. First Survey Record – HB17/13/006 (1969)
19. Ordnance Survey Map – 202-14 (1973)

Secondary Sources

1. Dean, J. A. K., ‘The gate lodges of Ulster: A gazetteer’ Belfast: Ulster Architectural Heritage Society, 1994.
2. Rankin, K., ‘The linen houses of the Bann Valley: The story of their families’ Belfast: Ulster Historical Foundation, 2007).

Online Resources

1. Dictionary of Irish Architects - http://www.dia.ie

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

Evaluation

A two-storey three-bay Victorian house built 1850 to the designs of Thomas Turner to replace an earlier dwelling. Character, appearance and proportions all survive. The campanile, which is a relatively rare feature representative of the detailing of the period, is of note. Much historic fabric and detailing of good quality survive, along with the original plan form. The original setting survives, including the outbuildings and planting. Built by the linen merchant John Lindsay, the house is one of a number of noteworthy linen houses in the District.