Mondarragh

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

Substantial, two storey gabled house of c.1840-50, in simple late Georgian style. The property is set at the end of a drive to the W of Creevy Road, roughly a mile W of Crossgar, 4½ miles E of Ballynahinch. At the entrance are a pair of good wrot iron entrance gates with heart shaped finial detail and bracing rods. These are flanked by a smaller wire fence on a grass bank.

The symmetrical front façade faces S. To the centre of the ground floor is a paneled timber door with sidelights and large (almost) semicircular fanlight. The fanlight has ‘radial’ tracery with ‘interweaving’ to its perimeter. The sidelights (which are relatively recent) have glazed panels with ‘interweaving’ as fanlight.

To the left of the doorway is a sash window with Georgian and margin panes (10/10). The window is set within a shallow, elliptical arch recess. To the first floor are three similar windows, not set within recesses.

The W gable has a French door to the left on the ground floor (undoubtedly a modern insertion). To the attic level are two small semicircular headed recesses, which were originally windows.

The E gable has a window to the right on the ground floor, as first floor front. To the attic level are two recesses, as W (also once windows).

To the rear there is a central, low proportioned, two storey gabled return. To the ground floor of the W face of the return there is a partly glazed door with a relatively small window with modern frame to left, and a slightly larger window, with modern frame, to right. To first floor right is a similar window. To the E face of the return there is a window, with modern frame, to the centre of the ground floor, another to the first floor, and a tall semicircular headed sash window (14/10) set at an intermediate level to the left. To the gable of the return there is a squat window with modern frame, to the left on the ground floor. To the right of this a doorway has been blocked up in relatively recent times. To the upper level there is a small window with modern frame. Some of the window openings to the return appear to be modern insertions.

The rear façade of the main building has a window to left on the ground floor, as first floor front, with a window to the right whose opening appears to have been altered and which now has a modern frame. To the first floor right is a window, as first floor front, only smaller.

The entire façade is finished in rough cast render and painted. The entire roof is slated and there are two large Velux windows to the rear of the roof of the main house. Two rendered and painted chimney stacks (to main gables).

Mainly two storey outbuildings to rear.

Historical information

A building is shown on this site on the OS map of 1834 but its shape is completely different from that of today. The present house (with return) is shown on the revised OS map of 1858, where it is marked as ‘Mondarragh’. The property is listed in the 1863 valuation as the home of an Arthur Johnston, with a James Orr in residence in 1886. The Orrs appear to have remained at Mondarragh until c.1940, after which it appears to have been acquired by a Mr Gilpin, then a Mr Gibson and, in the mid 1970s, by a Mr Steel.

In c.1970 the interior was badly damaged in a fire. The building was renovated with grant assistance from EHS in 1988. The present owner bought the house in 1995.

References- Primary sources
1 PRONI OS/6/3/23/1 OS map, Down sh 23, 1834
2 PRONI VAL/1B/330 1st valuation, Kilmore, c.1836
3 ‘Belfast and Province of Ulster directory’ (Henderson, Belfast News-Letter, 1852-)
4 PRONI OS/6/3/23/2 OS map, Down sh 23, 1858
5 PRONI 2nd valuation, Kilmore, c.1863 [in print]
6 PRONI OS/6/3/23/3 OS map, Down sh 23, c.1901

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

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

Criteria for listing: historic interest

X. Local Interest

Evaluation

Substantial, two storey gabled house of c.1840-50, nicely proportioned in a simple late Georgian style. Good, large fanlight over door complemented by more recent side lights below. Building is considered of special interest for it's style, proportion, ornamentation surviving plan form and internal detail, and for its considered setting. It is complemented by its fine and well maintained entrance gate and is of local historical interest as a good farmhouse of the era.