Ardigon House

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

Ardigon House is a classical style, two storey, hipped roof, gentleman’s country residence, built in 1849. It stands at the end of a long drive, to the W of the Ardigon Road, c.2 miles W of Killyleagh.

The front (SE) façade is symmetrical, with a slightly recessed narrow central bay. To the ground floor of this central bay is an entrance portico set on a base of stone steps. The portico consists of two Ionic columns and two square corner columns all of which support an entablature with cornice and blocking course with panelled and corniced outer ‘piers’. Within the portico is the main entrance, which consists of a panelled timber door with shallow panelled pilaster jambs and three pane sidelights with aprons. Above the door is a large elliptical fanlight with radial tracery. The entrance has moulded outer pilaster jambs and a moulded archivolt. The back of the portico has respondent pilasters.

The projecting outer bays each have two sash windows to the ground floor. Both windows have a moulded surround with an entablature with cornice above an a panelled ‘cill’ below. The ground floor of the outer bays is finished in rusticated render, with a projecting course above window level.

To the first floor the outer bays each have two windows with plain moulded surrounds. The first floor of the central bay has a tripartite sash window with outer plasters and a corniced entablature supported on mullions with consul brackets. Above the entablature are two moulded panels. The first floor of this façade is finished in lined render and topped with an eaves cornice and parapet with squat inner and outer piers as the portico.

The SW façade is finished in lined render. To the ground floor are two sash windows, with Georgian panes to that to the right. To the right of this is a window-like recess. To the first floor are three (slightly unevenly spaced) sash windows, slightly smaller than those to the ground floor.

The NE façade is also finished in lined render, with two sash windows to the ground floor and three to the first floor, all with Georgian panes (six over six). To the far right on the ground floor there projects a high wall, mainly finished in rusticated render with large outer piers and inner pilasters. At mid point on the wall there is a panelled timber ‘dummy’ door with a shallow portico with Doric columns supporting an entablature with cornice and blocking course with small outer piers. The rest of the wall has a similar ‘entablature’, cornice and parapet with piers similar to the portico and two larger outer piers with pyramidal tops. The wall has a chamfered base, as does the SE, SW and NE facades of the house. The ‘rear’ side of the wall is rendered.

The wall turns at a right angle to the right and heads NW to enclose the rear yard. The outer side of this portion of the wall is in snecked greywacke stone, with a brick and concrete (NW) end pier.

The rear (NW) façade of the house is in random greywacke rubble with red brick dressings to the openings. The façade appears to have been originally symmetrical. To the ground floor are two sash windows, of slightly differing size, with Georgian panes (six over six). To the centre is a timber door, partly glazed with stained glass. To the immediate right of this is a window (as before), whilst, to the immediate right of this is a shallow lean to which links to a car port (to the NW) and a single storey, hipped roof, outbuilding (to the W).

To the first floor are four windows (as before) with a larger semicircular headed (stair) window to the centre with multi-pane patterned glazing.

The roof is hipped and covered in natural slate. There are four, symmetrically positioned, rendered chimney stacks with corbelling and (relatively) tall octagonal pots. Cast iron rw goods.

To the rear of the house there is a large, mainly two storey, outbuilding. The SE portion of this building appears to be a dwelling and has (to its SE façade) a modern partly glazed door with a pair of segmental headed windows (with modern frames) to the right and a window with Georgian panes to the first floor. This façade looks as though it has been altered and its openings look odd and ill-fitting. The NW portion of the this outbuilding has a rubble finish with various pedestrian, carriage and stable doors, as well as some louvered window openings, to its SW façade. To the SW of this portion of the large L shaped outbuilding, is a rectangular shaped outbuilding, also rubble built but part two, part single storey with openings generally as previous and a hipped roof.

Gravel forecourt in front of house.

Historical information

Ardigon House is believed to have been built in 1849 by Francis Heron. It replaced an earlier house, bought by Heron’s grandfather [?or father] some time before 1816. The previous house, which is shown on the OS map of 1834, stood slightly to the north west of the present and, going by the description in the c.1835 valuation records was probably a relatively modest one and a half storey building dating from the mid 18th century. This older house appears to have stood (in some form) after the new one was complete, for both are shown on the revised OS map of 1859.

A gate lodge, contemporary with the present house, originally stood next to the main (south) entrance but this was demolished some years ago. Some of the outbuildings to the rear appear to predate the present house (they are indicated on the 1834 map), however, the L shaped outbuilding to the north east side appears to have undergone much alteration in recent times.

The house remained in the Heron family until at least 1965.

References- Primary sources
1 PRONI OS/1/3/24 OS map, 1st ed. 1834, Co. Down 24.
2 PRONI VAL/1B/336 p.18 First valuation, Killyleagh, 1837.
3 PRONI OS/6/3/24/2 OS map, 1st rev., 1859, Co. Down 24.
4 PRONI Second valuation, Killyleagh, 1861. [In print in PRONI search room and Linen Hall Library.]

Secondary sources
1 William J. Knox ‘Decades of the Ulster Bank’ (Belfast 1965), p.21. [James Heron, son of Robert Heron, (the owner of the original Ardigon house) was one of the founders of the Ulster Bank in 1836.]
2 J.A.K. Dean ‘The Gate Lodges of Ulster- A Gazetteer (UAHS Belfast 1994), p.61.
3 Lyn Gallagher ‘The Ulster Bank Story’ (Belfast 1998), p.53, 56-8, 74.

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

A. Style
B. Proportion
C. Ornamentation
I. Quality and survival of Interior
J. Setting

Criteria for listing: historic interest

X. Local Interest

Evaluation

Neat and compact two storey classical style gentleman’s residence of 1849, with hipped roof and entrance portico. To the NE of the house stretches a wall, decorated in a matching style as if to simulate a single storey wing. Some of the outbuildings to the rear predate the present house.