Tobar Mhuire

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

Large two storey hipped roof gentleman’s residence of 1864. To the rear there is a large attached rubble-built stable block, now largely integrated internally with the main house. The building is set within its own compact estate, on the southern edge of Crossgar. The property was built on the site of a late 18th century residence, Crossgar House.

The front façade faces SW and is symmetrical. To the centre of the ground floor is a large flat roofed porch topped with a balustrade. The porch can be entered from either the SE or NW, where there are identical doorways. Both doorways have panelled timber doors with plain fanlights and moulded surrounds. To the SW face of the porch there are three tall, narrow sash windows with surrounds as the doorways. The porch is rendered and has in / out quoins and an over sailing cornice. The balustrade has curved balusters and squat panelled piers. The end piers have urn finials.

To both the left and the right of the porch (on main façade) are two sash windows with vertical astragals (2/2) and surrounds as doorways. To the first floor are five similar, but slightly shorter windows. The central window sits within a shallow recess.

The NW façade is three bays, with that to the centre recessed. To each floor are four windows, all as front except that to the top left which now has a fixed light with stained glass.

The SE façade is in two uneven bays. That to the left projects and to its ground floor a large gable conservatory / green house has been attached. To the first floor is a window as front. The right hand bay (which is larger) has three similar windows to each floor.

To the rear of the main house there stretches a two rubble built wings which link to a large stable block to the NE. The wing to the SE is two storey, whilst that to the NW is single storey. Both run parallel with each other and both have gabled roofs. The area between both (which was originally open) is covered with a glazed hipped roof topped with a ridge of vents. The SE façade of the SE wing has five windows ad a door to the ground floor and six windows to the first floor, all with windows have frames as main house and the door is a modern glazed model. The openings have cream brick dressings. The NW façade of the NW wing has two windows as previous, two timber sheeted doors and three small roundel openings. All of these have cream brick dressings also.

The exposed section rear façade of the main house is in three bays. The bay to the left is almost completely covered by the SE wing described above. The right bay has three small windows near the eaves, with stained glass. The recessed inner bay has a large semicircular headed sash window at stair landing level, with margin panes. To the inner (NW) face of the SE bay there are two first floor sash windows (without surrounds). The inner (SE) face of the NW bay appears to be blank (though it could not be seen in its entirety from the outside).

The main house is finished in lined render with in / out quoins an bevelled base. The roof has a slight overhang supported on paired brackets. There are six rendered chimney stacks with dentilled corbelling. The roof is covered in natural slate with red clay ridge tiles. Small cast iron skylight to left on rear of roof. Cast iron rw goods.

As stated above, the wings stretching from the rear of the main house link to a large two storey stable block, now mainly converted to living accommodation and integrated with the house proper. This stable block is similar to the wings in that it is rubble-built with cream brick dressings to its openings. It has a hipped and slated roof with cream brick chimney stacks. The block is arranged around a relatively large courtyard. The wing to the SE side (which appears to have been single storey) was demolished in c.1960s and a large chapel (almost large enough to be classed as a church if it were not attached to this monastery) built in its place. To the S corner of the block is a three storey battlemented tower.

The NW face of the NW wing of the stable block has a right of centre segmental arched carriage entrance with timber sheeted doors. To the left of this is a sash window (as before), with a large modern window to the far left. To the right are three sash windows (all as before) with a panelled doorway with fanlight to far right. To the first floor are four sash windows with a roundel window above the carriage arch and a small roundel window to far right. This block has two cream brick chimney stacks.

The inner (SE) façade of the NW wing has a very large segmental headed window to left on the first floor with modern frame. This window was undoubtedly created by partly blocking up a former arched doorway. Two the first floor there are two sash windows, and, to the centre (above the carriage arch) a roundel window.

The NE façade of the NE wing has six sash windows (as before) to the left on the ground floor, with another window which appears to have been reduced in size. To the first floor left are a further five sash windows, (all as before but of slightly varying size), with a smaller window with modern frame. To the right hand side of this façade there is a large single storey lean-to with a series of modern windows to its NE face (which is rendered) and a small upper level sash window to the SE face. To the N end this lean-to has a projecting section with fixed light window to NE face and sash window to NW. To the main NE façade of the NE wing above the lean-to, there are three squat windows with modern frames.

The inner (SW) façade of the SW wing has six sash windows (as before) to the ground floor, along with to glazed doors (one to the left with a larger one to the centre). To the first floor there are four sash windows (as before) with a doorway to far left (which opens unto the roof of a wing which stretches from the chapel to the SE.

The SW façade of the SW wing is of course abutted by the wings which stretch from the main house. The exposed section of the façade to the left has two sash windows to each floor (those to the first floor being slightly shorter), with a single roundel opening to each floor also. The exposed section of the first floor to the right of this has two small windows with modern frames. The exposed section to the right is finished in red brick at ground floor level, where there are three windows with modern frames and a partly glazed door. Two of these windows have frames made to resemble sash. To the first floor at this side there are three sash windows (much as before).

The inner (NE) façade of the SW wing there are five ground floor windows and a glazed door with semicircular fanlight. The first two ground floor windows from left have modern frames (made to resemble sash). To the first floor there are six sash windows, much as before.

To the S end of this SW wing is the three storey battlemented tower. To the SW the tower has two sash windows to each floor. To the SE there is a timber sheeted door at first floor level (reached via steps) with a sash window to second floor. There is a similar window to the second floor to the NE. The openings to the tower have cream brick dressings and quoins as most of stable block.

Historical information

Tobar Mhuire was built in 1864 by James Cleland, the then owner of Crossgar townland. Its stands on the site Crossgar House, a low, sprawling, one and half to two storey residence, probably built c.1780s by then landlord, Edward Ruthven. Ruthven sold Crossgar to William Thompson, a merchant from Downpatrick, during the 1820s, who developed the village itself and built the market house. The new landlord does not appear to have lived at Crossgar House, however, for in 1835 it was occupied by a Mrs Hamilton and in 1845 by a Rev. Maguire.

On Thompson’s death in 1862, Crossgar passed to his nephew, James Cleland. Almost immediately, Cleland demolished the old house and erected the present residence with its extensive outbuildings. This new house he named after a well to the south west of the building itself, which was referred to locally as ‘Mary’s Well’, or ‘Tobar Mhuire’. Either Cleland or his son, John, who inherited the estate on his father’s death in 1875, redirected the main drive to the new house, moving it further to the south and adding a new gate lodge.* The walled garden to the north-east was laid out around this time also.

The Clelands remained at Tobar Mhuire until c.1930, when the house was acquired by William McCalla, a Belfast shipping agent. Between 1942-45 it was occupied by Allied troops and after the War sold to a Mr. McDowell of Downpatrick. Shortly afterwards McDowell sold it to Lt. Col. Llewwllen Palmer, who in 1950 sold it to The Passionist Order, for use as monastery / retreat house.

*The original gate lodge to the north stood until at least 1932.

References- Primary sources
1 PRONI OS/6/3/30/1 OS map, 1834, Down 30
2 PRONI VAL/1B/330 1st valuation, Kilmore, 1835
3 PRONI VAL/1A/3/30 1st valuation map, c.1835, Down 30
4 ‘Belfast and Province of Ulster Directory’ Vols.1-21, 1852-1900, (Belfast, Henderson [1852-65], Belfast News-Letter [1865- ])
5 PRONI OS/6/3/30/2 OS map, 1859, Down 30
6 PRONI 2nd (‘Griffith’s) valuation, Kilmore, 1863
7 PRONI OS/6/3/30/3 OS map, 1901, Down 30
8 PRONI OS/6/3/30/4 OS map, 1920, Down 30

Secondary sources
1 J.A.K. Dean, ‘The gate lodges of Ulster- a gazetteer’ (Belfast UAHS 1994), p.97
2 ‘The Passionists, Tobar Mhuire 1950-2000’ (Downpatrick, 2000)

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

A. Style
B. Proportion
C. Ornamentation
H-. Alterations detracting from building
I. Quality and survival of Interior
J. Setting
K. Group value

Criteria for listing: historic interest

X. Local Interest

Evaluation

Large two storey hipped roof gentleman’s residence of 1864 with mild Italianate influence. To the rear there is a large attached rubble-built stable block, now largely integrated internally with the main house. The property has served as a monastery since 1950 and in the 1960s the single storey south-east wing of the stable block was demolished and a large, modern style chapel built in its place.

The house stands on the site of a late 18th century residence, Crossgar House.