Mortuary at Cowan Heron Hospital

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

A mortuary building erected c1915. No evidence or record concerning its style or character. Demolished in the late twentieth century.

Historical information

The Cowan Heron Hospital (HB17/14/011A), an Arts-and-Craft cottage hospital to the south of Dromore, was constructed between 1898 and 1900 to designs by Peter Chalmers Cowan (c. 1859-1930), an Engineer and county surveyor for Co. Down 1889-1899. The hospital was opened in 1900 and was first recorded on the third edition of the Ordnance Survey map (1903) as a central block possessing two wings, extending to its west and east side, and a large two-storey rear return; the map captioned the site as the ‘Cowan Heron Cottage Hospital.’

Field inspection of the site finds that the (now demolished) mortuary was located to the south-west side of the hospital along the boundary of the site. It is not known when the hospital’s mortuary was constructed, however the building on the south-western boundary of the site first appears on the fourth edition of the Ordnance Survey map in 1919-20 suggesting that the mortuary was constructed between 1903 (third edition) and c. 1920.

The Annual Revisions record that the hospital was constructed on land that belonged to William Cowan Heron (c. 1820-1917) of Altafort House (HB17/14/004), a local Justice of the Peace and businessman. The 1901 Ulster Town Directory for Dromore notes that Heron constructed the hospital at his own expense ‘for the benefit of the people of the town and neighbourhood.’ Heron was responsible for a number of improvements to the town of Dromore including supplying the town clock in 1891, situated in the cupola of the Town Hall (HB17/15/010), and rebuilding the schoolhouse and constructed a schoolmaster’s house in the townland of Ballyvicknacally in c. 1880 (HB17/14/003A+B).

Upon its completion in 1900 the Cowan Heron Hospital and its associated outbuildings was jointly valued at £75, a rate that was maintained until the end of the Annual Revisions in 1930, despite the construction of the gate lodge (HB17/14/011B) by c. 1903 and the mortuary after that date.

The increase in the demand on the hospital resulted in the addition of the two extensions to the west and east wing sometime between 1903 and 1919-20; it is likely that these additions were made prior to 1917 as Crosbie states William Cowan Heron continued to make, and meet the cost of, improvements and repairs to the hospital until his death in that year. The construction of the mortuary also occurred during this period and may have been financed by Cowan Heron although there is no evidence to support this theory (Crosbie, p. 26; Ulster Town Directory 1901).

The mortuary continued to be depicted on the current edition of the Ordnance Survey map in c. 1970, however at an unknown time in the late-20th century the mortuary was demolished; the demolition occurred in 1997 as part of a scheme for the redevelopment of the main building and grounds. In its final years it was solely utilised as a care home for the elderly (Doloughan). There is no longer any trace of the mortuary at the former hospital site.

References

Primary Sources

1. PRONI OS/6/3/21/2 – Second Edition Ordnance Survey map 1859
2. PRONI OS/6/3/21/3 – Third Edition Ordnance Survey map 1903
3. PRONI OS/6/3/21/4 – Fourth Edition Ordnance Survey map 1919-1920
4. PRONI VAL/12/B/16/10C – Annual Revisions 1892 - 1898
5. PRONI VAL/12/B/16/10E – Annual Revisions 1899 - 1908
6. PRONI VAL/12/B/16/10F – Annual Revisions 1909 – 1930
7. Ulster Town Directory (1901)
8. Ordnance Survey Map – 202-8SW (c. 1970)
9. First Survey Record – HB17/12/028A (1994)

Secondary Sources

1. Cosbie, J. E. M., ‘A tour of Mid and South Down: 1910-35’ Belfast: Friar’s Bush, 1992.
2. Doloughan, A., ‘Cowan Heron Hospital – A gift to the people of Dromore’ Dromore: Dromore and District Local Historical Group, 1991.

Online Resources

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

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

Not listed

Criteria for listing: historic interest

Not listed

Evaluation

A mortuary building erected c1915 after the construction of the main hospital c1900. Demolished in the late twentieth century in relation to the redevelopment of the grounds.

General comments

Previously part of record HB17/12/028A