Rossconor House

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

Substantial, two storey, double pile, Georgian gentleman’s residence which may have assumed its present form in c.1800, now largely derelict. The house is set at the end of a short lane to the N of the Annacloy Road, roughly 3 miles NW of Downpatrick.

The symmetrical front façade faces roughly SW. To the centre of the ground floor is a six panel timber door encased with Tuscan ¾ column jambs set on thick stone plinths. The jambs have entablature blocks above the capitals with roundel mouldings thereon. The longer central portion of the entablature (directly above the door) is recessed and have an oval flower-like moulding to its centre. Above this is a semicircular fanlight with petal-like tracery and broken glazing. The fanlight archivolt has ‘scooped’ shell-like moulding. Brick dressings to arch of doorway opening.

To the left of the doorway are two window openings with brick dressings. There are two similar openings to the right of the doorway, also blocked. To the first floor are five more window openings the centre one of which is set within a recess. Most of these upper floor windows have the remains of Georgian paned sash frames.

The NW façade is double pile and rough cast rendered. There are no openings to this façade except for a small square window to the left at attic level. The SE façade has a boarded up window to right of centre with a plain sheeted door to far right. To right on the first floor is a small window with the remains of a sash frame. Directly above this, to attic level, is a smaller frameless window, similar to that at attic level on NW façade. The SE façade is rough cast rendered.

The rear façade is rough cast rendered also. There is a frameless window to left on the first floor with a window at a slightly lower [?presumably stair landing] level to the centre. The right hand side of the façade is covered in greenery.

The roof is slated and has [?]rendered parapets. Four rendered chimney stacks. Remains of cast iron rw goods.

Large gabled outbuilding to rear. To the southeast a small single story dwelling lakely adapted from a former out building. A large two storey building in georgian style has recently (2004) been constructed off the aproach lane. A twentieth century bungalow is located adjacent to the entrance to the access lane .

Historical information

This house is shown on the OS map of 1834 and recorded in the [near] contemporary OS Memoirs as ‘the residence of Captain Brown…a very plain substantial building with a small plantation’. The valuation records of c.1838 tell us that the building had assumed its present double pile form by that date, however, the present owner states that the walls of the main gabled sections are not actually connected, suggesting the house was built in two stages.

The 1830s records tell us that the small plantation around the house also included water powered corn and flax mills as well as a ‘coach house’. These were all still present in 1863, by which stage a small gate lodge had been added to the main drive. Rossconor House was still in the possession of the Brown family by the latter date. By 1907 (and possibly before this) both the dwelling and the mills were in the hands of a Mr McCorriston, who remained there until at least 1915.

The house was last occupied in the early 1970s. A new house in similar georgian style was built off the entrance drive in 2004. The gate house was replaced by a bungalow in the 1970's.

References- Primary sources
1 PRONI OS/6/3/30/1 OS map, Down sh 30, 1834
2 ‘OS Memoirs of Ireland, Parishes of Co Down IV’ ed. Angélique Day and Patrick McWilliams (QUB 1992), p.88
3 PRONI VAL/1B/386 1st valuation, Kilmore, c.1838
4 ‘Belfast and Province of Ulster directory’ (Henderson, Belfast News-Letter 1852-)
5 PRONI OS/6/3/30/2 OS map, Down sh 30, 1858
6 PRONI 2nd valuation, Kilmore, c.1863 [in print]
7 PRONI OS/6/3/30/3 OS map, Down sh 30, c.1901

Secondary sources
1 J.A.K Dean ‘The gate lodges of Ulster: A gazetteer’ (Belfast 1994), p.92

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

A. Style
B. Proportion
C. Ornamentation
D. Plan Form
J. Setting

Criteria for listing: historic interest

X. Local Interest

Evaluation

Substantial, two storey double pile Georgian gentleman’s residence which may have assumed its present form in c.1800, now largely derelict. It is considered to be of special interest for its style, proportion, ornamentation, unaltered plan form and designed setting. It is of local historical interest.