Delamont House

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

Large, two and a half storey house with eclectic and untidy mixture of Tudoresque half dormers, octagonal entrance tower and elements of Neo-Georgian simplicity. In origin the building probably dates from the later 1700s and was possibly a fairly typical large late Georgian country house. In c.1875 the façade appears to have been remodelled along loosely Tudor lines with various gabled bays, dormers, tall chimneys, the entrance tower and secondary ogee capped bell tower all probably added at this stage. In the mid 20th century a large portion of the building to the W side (including the bell tower) was destroyed by fire with what remained refashioned in 1967-68 into the slightly schizophrenic composition we see today. The property, which is now used as an outdoor educational centre, is set within its own large estate, to the E of the Killyleagh Road, c.1.5 miles SW of the town of Killyleagh.

The front façade faces E and is roughly symmetrical. The façade itself is generally in three bays with the central three storey octagonal entrance tower, flanked by two and a half storey gabled bays. To the ground floor of the tower is the original main entrance which consists of panelled and glazed door with small segmental fanlight and simple moulded surround. The doorway is set within a large porch recess cut into the base of the tower. The recess is flanked by plain pilaster-like piers and a plain ‘entablature’. The plainness of this porch surround may stem from the fact that the entrance was covered with a conservatory-like glazed outer porch in the late 19th / early 20th century.

To the first floor of the tower is a semicircular headed sash window with Georgian panes. To the second floor is a roundel window with ‘spoke’ tracery. The tower is topped with un unusual balustraded parapet, set on a slightly projecting base.

To the left of the tower is a projecting gabled bay. The bay has a bevelled outer edges and is broader at ground floor level. At this level there is a large tripartite sash window. There is a similar window to first floor level, with a similar, but significantly squatter window set within the gabled half dormer. The right hand bay repeats much of that to the left, but with a canted bay window to the ground floor (with sash windows to each face).

The S elevation is asymmetrical. To the left is a large, two and a half storey projecting gabled bay, with bevelled edges. To the first floor of the bay is a large glazed screen with Georgian-like panes and doorway. To the first floor is a large tripartite sash window with Georgian panes. To the half dormer is a much smaller single sash window with Georgian panes (3/3). Attached to the right of this bay is a much narrower and shallower bay with bevelled edge to right and short lean-to roof (which merges with main roof. To the ground floor of this bay is a sash window with vertical glazing bars (2/2). To the first floor is a slightly taller sash window with Georgian panes (6/6). To the right hand edge of the façade is a bay similar to far left but narrower. To the ground floor of this bay are French doors. To the first floor is a double sash window, with a similar (but much squatter) window to the half dormer. To the far left of this elevation (to the left of the first bay) there is a narrow sash window to ground and to first floors.

The N elevation is asymmetrical and has a complex functional appearance. To the right there is a partly glazed door with a sash window (with Georgian panes- 6/6) directly above to the first floor. To the right the there is a large part two, part single storey flat roofed projection. The two storey section has a modern spiral stair fire escape to its S face. The single storey section has large modern doorway to the S, with a large oil tank placed against the N face.

What is now the rear (W) façade was actually originally an internal wall which was refashioned after much of the W half of the building was destroyed by fire. The façade now has an informal Georgian feel. To the right of centre on the ground floor is an elliptical arched entrance with panelled door, sidelights and fanlight. To the far left of this the façade it single storey. To this portion of the façade there is an elliptical arched opening (leading into an enclosed yard, with a glazed door to its right. To the right again (on the ground floor of the main two storey section left of the entrance) are three sash windows of varying sizes and with Georgian panes (6/6, 6/6, 4/4). To the left of the entrance is a full height projecting pier, which is all that is left of a former internal wall. To the right of this is a double sash window with vertical glazing bars ( 2/2 each). To the first floor there are five sash windows with Georgian panes (mainly 6/6 except the smaller 3rd window which is 4/4).

The façade is rendered and painted. The roof is partly gabled, partly hipped (to the S and E) and partly flat (to the N and W). The pitched sections of the roof are covered in natural slate. To the W there is a small gabled dormer (which now appears to look out onto an area of flat roo). Three very tall Tudor style brick chimney stacks have survived. Modern rendered stack to N. The rw goods appear to be mainly metal.

To the SW of the house is large two storey outbuildings complex, arranged around a courtyard. This complex has been much altered in recent years, with the block to the N in the process of being converted to offices, with that to the S already converted [?to recreational facilities]. The block to the S has large (modern looking) elliptical arches to the ground floor to the N façade, with slate cladding and modern ‘oriel’ windows. The block to the N is rendered and has modern multi-pane timber window frames and timber sheeted doors. The block to the E is single storey and appears to have been greatly modernised also. The block to the W is a lean-to structure with a dilapidated E façade. It appears to be currently used as a store.

Historical information

The present Delamont House stands next to a rath, indicating that this general site may have been occupied as far back as early Christian, or even prehistoric times. A not insubstantial residence is shown either on this rath or close to it on Thomas Raven’s c.1625 map of Mullagh townland, then part of the estate of James Hamilton, Viscount Clandeboye.

In 1733 Mullagh was bought by Thomas Delahaye from Viscount Limerick (a descendant of James Hamilton). It was possibly as a play on his name that the new owner called his estate ‘Delamont’. Delahaye’s residence (which he probably built shortly after 1733) is shown on Taylor and Skinner’s map of 1777, where it is erroneously marked ‘Dallymount’.

In 1793 the Delamont estate was sold by Thomas Delahaye’s [?]daughter to David Gordon, a member of a Belfast merchant family, whose brother, Robert, had acquired Florida Manor (through marriage) some years previously. On Robert’s death Florida was also to pass into David’s hands.

It is not certain whether David Gordon rebuilt Delamont, or merely enlarged the existing Delahaye dwelling. The house is shown on the 1834 OS map as a large, roughly L shaped building, with further block to the immediate north. The contemporary valuation returns tell us that the was already two and half storey at that stage, with a full height projecting porch (presumably to the front and possibly the forerunner of the present entrance tower); the block to the north, which appears to have been physically separate single storey outbuilding. The valuers also state that in their view the house was fairly recently built (they graded it ‘A’) suggesting that the original Delamont, if not demolished was completely renovated and possibly extended by Gordon.

The 1859-60 OS map shows a plan similar to that to that of 1834, but small projections to the front and south are also indicated. That to front may well be a mainly glazed single storey outer porch shown on later photograph of c.1900, whilst the projection to the south is probably the large conservatory also shown on the same photograph. It is possible that the Tudoresque embellishments to the building had been carried out by this date (the heyday of the Tudor revival being the 1840s), however, Gordon family history suggests that these may have been executed by Robert Gordon in c.1875. A clue to the date of the changes may lie in the fact that the slightly Tudoresque south gate lodge (which is shown on the 1859-60 map) is believed to have been constructed in 1841- .

Photographs of c.1900 show the extent of the Tudor restyling with a profusion of gables, tall brick chimney stacks and a central ogee capped bell tower present. The unusual ‘American gothick’ (for want of a better term) entrance tower was also in place at this stage. This tower may well represent a heightening and perhaps remodelling of the full height porch recorded in the 1830s, however, the lack of any hint of Tudoresque detailing suggests that this remodelling took place in the late 1800s.

In c.1938 the glazed outer porch to the front was removed and internal changes were apparently made to servants’ rooms (presumably to the attic floor). Delamont retained this form until the 1960s, when, following a fire much of the western half of the house had to be demolished, with the remaining front portion was refashioned in 1967-68 to designs by Arthur Jury. The Neo-Georgian appearance of the rear façade (which thereafter acted as a de facto front façade) dates from this time.

In the later 1970s the last of the Gordon residents ran a restaurant from the house, but in 1985 he sold the whole Delamont estate to Down District Council and Belfast Education and Library Board. Two years later the house reopened as an outdoor education centre. The estate grounds themselves now serving as a country park.

References- Primary sources
1 Map by Thomas Raven, c.1625, showing the townlands of Mullagh and Tullykin (original at Bangor Castle, reproduced in Lindsay Proudfoot ed., ‘Down- History and society’ (Dublin 1997), p.46)
3 PRONI D.4204 Gordon family papers
2 ‘Taylor and Skinner’s Maps of the roads of Ireland (Dublin 1777), map 281
4 PRONI OS/6/3/31/1 OS map, 1834, Down 31
5 ‘Ordnance Survey Memoirs of Ireland vol.17: Parishes of County Down IV’, ed. Angelique Day and Patrick McWilliams
(QUB 1992), p.81 [c.1835]
6 PRONI VAL/1A/3/31 1st valuation map, c.1835, Down 31
7 PRONI VAL/1B/336 1st valuation, Killyleagh (Barony of Dufferin), 1838
8 PRONI OS/6/3/31/2 OS map, 1859, Down 31
9 PRONI 2nd (‘Griffith’s) valuation, Killyleagh, 1863
10 PRONI OS/6/3/31/3 OS map, 1901, Down 31
11 Robert M. Young, ‘Belfast and the Province of Ulster in the 20th century’ (Brighton 1909), p.278 [This book includes a photograph of Delamont House c.1900]
12 PRONI OS/6/3/31/4 OS map, 1920, Down 31

Secondary sources
1 Mark Bence-Jones, ‘A guide to Irish country houses’ (London 1988), p.101

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

Not listed

Criteria for listing: historic interest

Not listed

Evaluation

Large, two and a half storey house with eclectic and untidy mixture of mildly Tudoresque half dormers, octagonal entrance tower and elements of Neo-Georgian simplicity. In origin the building probably dates from the later 1700s and was possibly a fairly typical large late Georgian country house. In the mid 1800s (perhaps the 1840s, but possibly later) the façade was remodelled along loosely Tudor lines with various gabled bays, dormers, tall chimneys and an ogee capped bell tower, all probably added at this stage. The unusual entrance tower may be a late 19th century reworking of an earlier full height porch bay. In the mid 20th century a large portion of the building to the W side (including the bell tower) was destroyed by fire with what remained refashioned in 1967-68 into the slightly schizophrenic composition we see today.