Moor Hall (with gates and outbuildings)

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

Moor Hall is a long, single storey gabled house of probable 18th century (and perhaps 17th century) origin. It is set on a hill top to the to the NE of the Killyleagh Road, c.2 miles S of Killinchy- a site which appears to have been inhabited since medieval times. The house itself was substantially renovated in c.1900 by a Henry Moore [?or Morrow] who added to a large, incongruous, hipped roof, glazed entrance porch, with adjoining bays, to the front. To the S of the house are a collection of outbuildings. Those nearer to the house are probably pre 1834 but have witnessed much alteration, whilst the complex to the far S was probably built c.1900.

The front façade faces roughly W. In the centre of the façade is the large, conservatory-like, entrance porch. This porch is five sided and mainly glazed, with a totally glazed hipped roof. To its W face is the entrance doorway which is also mainly glazed. The smaller upper panes to the porch have typical late Victorian/Edwardian coloured and patterned glass. The porch’s timber mullions have small consul brackets at eaves level which support the porch roof overhang. The roof itself is topped with a decorative iron finial.

The two outermost sides of the porch (to N and S) each have a two sided, flat roofed bay attached with a tall window to each side of each bay, each with simple moulded surrounds and PVC frames. Each bay has a cill course, eaves cornice and short parapet.

To the left of the left bay, the front façade of the main house has four windows grouped in two pairs all as bays and with the windows of each pair sharing a cill. To the far left there extends a short rendered wall with a round gate pillar topped with a ball pinnacle (now minus its gates).

To the right of the right bay are two pairs of windows same as left hand side. To the far right (S) the house appears to have been extended (along the line of the original house), with a panelled door to the extension. The whole front façade is finished in painted lined render with chamfered quoins and a chamfered plinth. The quoins to the right (S) are no longer to the wall edge due to the addition of the extension.

The N gable of the house is blank and finished in painted lined render with chamfered quoins and chamfered plinth. The S gable has a panelled door to the left and a square PVC window to the right. To the attic level there is a sash window. This gable is finished in rough cast.

To the rear of the house the ground level slopes away so the façade is generally taller than at the front. To the centre left at the rear there is a large two level gabled return. To the S façade of the return there are two, high level, ground floor, PVC windows to the left. To the N façade of the return there are three similar windows set at a similar level (though the actual ground level is slightly higher to this side). The window to the far right on this façade is much narrower than the other two. The gable of the return has a very large PVC window to ground level and a smaller PVC window to the upper level. Below the ground level window there is a small timber sheeted doorway at a semi-basement level, with a small PVC window to its right.

To the left of the return on the main rear façade there is a single PVC window. The render to the left of this window shows evidence of a low gabled structure (perhaps a small ‘greenhouse’) once having been attached to it. To the right of the return on the main façade there are four PVC windows and, between the first and the second PVC windows, a much larger window with central arched tracery. This window is completely filled with stained glass. The rear façade and the return are both finished in painted lined render. There are chamfered quoins to the right (N) with a chamfered base to the right half of the façade also.

The roof is covered in natural slate and has an overhang with plain barges. The overhang dates from c.1974 when the roof was replaced. The roof line of the return rises slightly above the roofline of the main house. The return roof has four small [?cast iron] skylights, two to each side. There are four concrete brick chimney stacks (with corbelling) to the main house. These stacks are evenly spaced, but that to the S is no longer to the gable due to the addition of the extension. The return has a similar chimney stack.

To the immediate NW of the house there is evidence which suggests that this site was inhabited in medieval [? or early Christian] times.

To the immediate S of the house is a low rendered wall with square gate posts and late Victorian looking iron gates.

OUTBUILDINGS
To the immediate S of this wall is a two storey gabled outbuilding which may be mid 19th century but which appears to have been greatly altered in the 20th century. This is largely cement rendered with chamfered quoins and plinth. To its N gable there is a moulded pediment with a semicircular headed niche below wherein there now sits a bust of the Duke of Wellington!. This left (E) side of this gable merges into a short ‘wall’ (with sloping top) which stretches to the right (S) edge of the front façade of the house. This wall, which is actually the N face of a lean to attached to the rear of the large outbuilding, is also cement rendered with semicircular headed moulding thereon. The W façade of the outbuilding there is a large flat arch doorway to the ground floor with a sliding door. To the left of this is a single window, and to the first floor are four smaller windows. The ground floor window has a modern frame whilst those to the first floor are part modern framed and part louvered. The S gable has a small boarded opening to the first floor. To the E this outbuilding merges into a single storey lean to which is finished in rough cast with a natural slated roof and two timber sheeted doors. To its far N side the lean to rises in height slightly and has corrugated iron to the roof.

To the S of this outbuilding is a large complex of outbuildings probably dating from c.1900, all arranged around a cattle yard. These are all field stone rubble-built with red brick dressings. The complex is linked at all sides save for the NE corner and a section to the S which are open.

The N block of the complex the most impressive and least altered section. It is mainly single storey to the N side and (as the ground level lowers), split level to the S. In the centre the building has a two storey ‘entrance’ section with a hipped roof topped with a bellcote/‘cupola’ with an ogee cap. To the ground level on the N side of this two storey section is a large elliptical arch which goes straight through to the cattle yard. Above this is a semicircular headed window opening whose frame is now ‘boarded’ with corrugated iron. Directly above this a curious brick built ‘dormer’, with roundel window, rises from the eaves. This ‘dormer’ has a slightly ‘Jacobean’ feel, having a curved top and small brick end piers. The exposed upper levels of E and W facades of this two storey section are totally in red brick and each has two sash windows (either side of the roof line of the lower sections to E and W).

The rear façade has the entrance arch to the ground floor, which, unlike its counterpart to the N façade, has sandstone dressings to its sides rather than brick. To the left on the first floor is a window with boarded up frame. To the right of this window sections of the rubble façade along the lines of the chimney flues are patched in brick. At this side the roof has a brick chimney stack which rises from the eaves.

To the E side of the two storey ‘entrance’ section, the N façade has a window, then a pedestrian doorway, another window, a large elliptical doorway and then another pedestrian doorway. The doorways are all timber sheeted with plain fanlights. The windows have dilapidated sash frames. To the right side of the ‘entrance’ section the N façade has three timber sheeted stable doors with fanlights.

To the right side (i.e. right of the two storey ‘entrance’ section) of the S façade is dilapidated looking with openings largely disused. There are two window openings and two (to the right) high level doorways. The windows are boarded. The doorway to the left still has a sheeted door, but, curiously, there are no steps with which to reach it. The doorway to the right, which is larger, is blocked up with breeze blocks. There are several small openings at ground level below the doorway to the left, also blocked with breeze block. The coursing of the rubble to this portion of the façade is varied, and it appears that part of the façade of an older building has been incorporated. The left side of the S façade is abutted at a right angle by the single storey block to the W of the cattle yard (see below). The E gable has a small upper level opening which is now boarded. There is a large crack running down this gable. The W gable is blank. The roof of this whole N block is covered in natural slate

The W, S and E blocks around the cattle yard much less interesting in appearance. That to the S has a series of stable doors to its inner (N) façade, whilst the inner (W) façade of that to the E has a very large vehicle doorway to the centre, with a corrugated iron door, and various window and door openings to left and right, most either blocked or missing their frames or doors. The block to the W has been greatly altered in recent times by the addition of a large lean to-like section to its (E) inner side, and the replacement of its roof with corrugated iron. This roof also covers the lean to. The block has also been heightened in concrete and sections of the walling appear to have been demolished.

Historical information

Moor Hall sits next to a mound whose presence may indicate medieval settlement on this site. More recent habitation is said to have begun in c.1630, when a Scots sea captain named James Moore (or Moor) built a house on the site, which he either called or became known as, ‘Moore Hall’. Moore’s descendants remained in possession of this house until at least the 1770s, for it is shown on Taylor’s and Skinner’s 1777 road map of the area and marked as the possession of ‘Mr. Moore’. By this stage, however (according to folk memory and recounted by the present owner), the original 17th century house may have been largely rebuilt.

What is undoubtedly the present house is shown on the 1834 OS map and recorded in contemporary valuation records, with the return to the rear already present at this stage. By this time Moor Hall was in possession of a John Morrow, whose family retained ownership until at least 1886. According to the current owner, the house was then bought by a Henry Moore, who supposedly wished to acquire the property because of its name. This story may be apocryphal, however, for other evidence (supplied by the owner at the time of the first survey in 1978) suggests that Henry ‘Moore’ was in fact Henry ‘Morrow’, a member of the family already owned the house. Whatever his name, Henry, in c.1900, completely renovated the house, adding the porch and bays, refitting the hall (with the help of Italian craftsmen), adding the new marble fire places, repositioning (or making more regular) many of the window openings, and blocking up the rear door. He also believed to have built the rubble and brick outbuildings to the south of the house at this stage also.

In c.1930 Moor Hall was sold to Frank Furey, a farmer from Killyleagh, who was probably responsible for the extension to the south gable. In 1974 the roof was replaced, giving it its present overhang.

References- Primary sources
1 ‘Taylor’s and Skinner’s Maps of the Roads of Ireland (Dublin 1777), map 281.
2 PRONI VAL/1B/335 p.23 First valuation, Killinchy, 1834.
3 PRONI OS/1/3/24 OS map, 1st ed. 1834, Co. Down 24.
4 PRONI OS/6/3/24/2 OS map, 1st rev., 1859, Co. Down 24.
5 PRONI Second valuation, Killinchy, 1861. [In print in PRONI search room and Linen Hall Library.]

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

Not listed

Criteria for listing: historic interest

Not listed

Evaluation

Moor Hall is a large single storey house of probable early to mid 18th century origin, which was completely renovated in c.1900 when a large (and arguably entirely unsuitable) glazed porch was added to the front, bays built to either side of it, and window openings altered. The roof was replaced in 1974, and now has an overhang, and the window frames are now almost entirely PVC.

To the south of the house is an extensive collection of outbuildings including a grouping of rubble and brick complex of c.1900 with a two storey ‘entrance’ tower with bellcote.

General comments

**Under consideration : awaing additional information** 30th March 2004