Islandderry House

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

Large, two-storey over basement gentleman’s country residence of c.1800, now derelict and roofless. The property is set on a rise to the N of Lurgan Road, roughly 3.5km NW of Dromore, and is approached via a long curving drive, where, half way along, one passes a large two-storey ‘replacement’ house of c.1980s.

The front elevation is symmetrical and faces roughly S. To the centre of the ground floor is the main entrance. This consists of a flat-arched doorway with stone pilaster jambs, and a semicircular fanlight with moulded stone archivolt. The doorway has lost its door but the fanlight retains the dilapidated remains of its ‘spoked’ tracery. The entrance is reached via a much weathered and somewhat overgrown flight of splayed stone steps, with dilapidated remains of wrought-iron handrails.

To the left of the entrance are two flat-headed windows with the dilapidated remains of timber sash frames (one over one) and stone sills. There are two similar windows to the right hand side of the entrance with five more to the first floor, as before but somewhat shorter. To basement level there are two windows to the left of the steps to the entrance, with one to the right; each of these windows has security bars over.

Just to the left of centre of the basement level of the W elevation there is a doorway, presently without a door. To the left of this there is a flat-headed window, now devoid of its frame. To the right of the doorway is another, (similar sized), window with a dilapidated mid 20th century metal casement frame. Set at an intermediate level directly above the latter window is a slightly smaller window with a metal frame of similar date and condition. To the left of centre of the uppermost floor there are two windows of the same size, with a mid 1900s metal frame to that to left and a badly dilapidated timber sash frame (3/3) to that to right. An extension or projection of some kind appears to have been attached to the right hand side of the W elevation at some point. Its outline, and what appears to have been a doorway opening leading from the main part of the building, are still visible. To the left hand (S) edge, the W elevation is abutted by a tall wall large constructed in rubble.

To the left of centre of the basement level of the E elevation there is a narrow flat-headed window, now frame-less. To the right of this there is a smaller window, now also minus its frame. Directly in line with these, to the ‘ground’ floor, are a pair of much taller windows with the remains of timber sash frames, (each 2/2). Directly in line with these are two smaller windows with equally dilapidated timber sash frames, that to left probably originally 2/2, that to right, (a smaller window), 3/3.

To the ground floor of the rear elevation there are five large evenly spaced windows to the ground floor with five much smaller windows (directly in line) to the first floor. All of the windows have the remains of timber sash frames, those to the ground floor a mixture of 1/1, 2/2 and 6/6, those to the first floor, 3/3. The basement level windows all appear to have been blocked.

The façade is finished in unpainted roughcast. There is a moulded eaves course and a projecting base course. The roof, (which was hipped), was largely collapsed with just the remains of a small amount of its timber structure to the E and W sides. There are two large rendered chimneystacks flush with the E facade, with two more flush with the W facade. Some sections of cast iron rw goods remain in place, including downspouts to the E, W and S.

At the road entrance there is a gatescreen comprising a central vehicular gate and flanking pedestrian gates - all symetrical. Gate piers are 1500mm high square stone with shallow pyramidal caps and an incised panel on the outer side. Gates are unusual round section 6 bar gate with curved cross bracing. Curved wings complete the screen. These are replacement vertical railings set on a stone plinth with 2 further stone piers (as before).

Historical information

For much of the first half of the 17th century, the townland of Islandderry was in possession of Art Oge McGenis (or McGuinness). In 1640 Art and his son, Hugh, mortgaged the townland to Alexander Waddell for six years and a consideration of £160. The civil upheaval following the events of 1641, however, resulted in Alexander retaining Islandderry beyond his alotted tenure, the McGenis’s ‘being papists’ and ‘not entitiled to the equity of redemption’. Finally, in 1668, Alexander received an official grant of the land from King Charles II.

It is feasible to suggest, as the present owners do, that there has been a dwelling on the site of the current ‘Islandderry House’ since the 1600s, and a detailed examination of the fabric of the present house could, possibly, reveal the use of earlier material. The asymmetric arrangement of openings on the west elevation may also be instructive. There was certainly a substantial residence within the townland in 1777, for one is indicated on Taylor’s and Skinner’s map of that year. Judging from its design, however, the building we see today is most likely a creation of the the the late 18th or early 19th century. It was definitely standing in 1834, for it is shown on the OS map of that year, and recorded in the (near) contemporary valuation, along with a very substantial collection of single and two-storey outbuildings to the west side. Significantly, the valuers grade the property as ‘A’, suggesting a building of perhaps less than 20-25 years.

The second valuation of c.1860, which refers to the house as a ‘good plain mansion house…[with the] lower storey large [and the] upper storey low’ notes no alterations to the building, with no changes listed in the later revaluations.

The Waddells remained in possession of the house until the mid 1970s. It was then bought by the present owner’s family who lived in it until the mid 1980s, when they built a new dwelling some distance to the south. The building remains vacant.

References- Primary sources
1 PRONI D.2129 Waddell family papers, 1652-1935 [This collection contains various documents relating to Islandderry, including account books of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, however there appears to no earlier documents which realte specifically to the house itself.]
2 ‘Taylor’s and Skinners Maps of the Roads of Ireland’ (Dublin, 1777)
3 PRONI VAL/1A/3/20 OS map, Co Down sheet 20, with valuation
references (1834-c.38)
4 PRONI VAL/1B/342 First valuation, Dromore (c.1835-c.38)
5 PRONI VAL/2A/3/20B OS map, Co Down sheet 20, with valuation references (1859-c.63)
6 PRONI VAL/2B/3/38C Second valuation, Dromore (c.1860-c.63)
7 PRONI VAL/12B/16/21A-E Annual valuation revision books, Skeagh RD (1864-1929)

Secondary sources
1 Information supplied by owner (June 2004)

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

A. Style
B. Proportion
C. Ornamentation
D. Plan Form
J. Setting

Criteria for listing: historic interest

X. Local Interest

Evaluation

Large, two-storey over basement gentleman’s country residence of c.1800, now derelict, roofless and virtually stripped of all interior detailing. Although late Georgian country houses such as this one are still relatively common and although in a very poor state, this building is impressive and retains local importance. The house has a fine curving gate screen at the end of a long curved approach.

General comments

The house was listed in 1976, the gatescreen in 1986. Both records had the same reference number. EHS have combined both records and listed both together. A.P. 29/06/2007