Rademan House

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

Large, two storey hipped roof neo-Queen Anne / early Georgian country house, which assumed its present form in the 1950s when architect Claud Phillimore remodelled the fire-damaged remains of what was a larger three storey residence with two storey wings, probably dating from the early 1700s but much extended and embellished in Victorian times. The building now consists of a central bay with recessed side wings of similar height and flanking single storey, pavilion-like front projections, (both added by Phillimore), one of which is a garage. The façade is lined rendered and the roof slated.

The house is set with in its own small estate on the S side of the Ballynahinch Road 2½ kilometres W of Crossgar.

The front (N) elevation is symmetrical. To either side of the central bay are the single storey hipped roof projections, behind which are the full height recessed wings. The front door is panelled and half glazed and is set in a semi-circular arch headed opening with plain fanlight. Surmounting the arch is a split pediment each side of which is supported on a decorative consul bracket. The moulded stone door surround rises off a plain blocking stone. The door has a flat roofed canopy which is supported on plain Tuscan order columns. The canopy gives protection to the short bridge which spans the ‘basement ravine’.

To the left and right of the doorway are two sash windows with Georgian panes (6/6). To first floor there are five evenly spaced sash windows, as before. To the basement there are two sash windows as before to either side. To the W face of the basement of the projection to the left side is a 3/3-sash window. To the left the projecting bay has two sash windows as before whilst that to the right has a large up and over garage door. The recessed wings, (which are only visible at first floor to this side), each have three small, four pane octagonal windows.

To the left of centre of the E elevation is a two storey flat roofed semi-circular bay with three evenly spaced 6/6-sash windows each to ground and first floors. Below the windows is a narrow cantilevered concrete balcony with a modern steel guardrail. To the right of the bay is a small flat roofed extension. Above the flat roof is a shallow three-pane window, while the E wall of this is blank. The N wall has a modern window. To the right of this modern window is a door with a four-pane fanlight over (actually on the extreme left of the main N façade)

The S façade is symmetrical with a tall door in the centre. This is set in a tall opening which matches the window openings but has a moulded surround. To the left are two tall windows 9/12 with low cills. To the far left are a further two sash windows 6/6 which are much smaller. The windows to the right of the doorway are as per those to the left. In front of the windows to the left and right is a balcony / terrace with a short flight of steps with curving handrails. To the first floor there are nine sash windows all 6/6. The five to the middle are evenly spaced while those to the left and right are more widely spaced.

The W elevation has a two storey semi-circular bay as per the E elevation. The ground floor windows have slightly lower cills and to the left side there is a short flight of steps leading down from the balcony. To the left of the bay there is a PVC top hung window. To the far left the W side of the single storey extension has two sash windows.

The main roofs are covered in natural slate and have hipped ends. To the ridge line of the highest roof are two tall symmetrically placed chimney stacks

Historical information

Rademon House lies within lands granted to the Johnston family by King Charles II in 1667. The house itself is believed to have been built in the early 18th century, and is referred to by Walter Harris in 1744. Upon the death of Arthur Johnston in 1814 the house passed to the family of James Crawford, who had married the Johnston heiress in the late 1700s. The valuation returns of 1836 tell us that the original house was three storey with a basement and tall single storey wings.

In the mid 19th century the building was extended and embellished by the Sharman Crawfords (as the family were later known), with the single storey wings raised a storey and taller gabled end bays added to both, with two storey canted bays added to both front and rear of the main central block.

The Sharman Crawfords remained at Rademon until 1931, when the house and its lands were sold to David Reid. In 1951 the property was acquired by the present owner’s father.

The house remained in its extended mid Victorian form until the 1950s/1951 when, in the wake of severe fire damage, the building was remodelled by architect Claude Phillimore. In the process the uppermost storey (which was totally destroyed in the fire) along with the canted bays and parts of the wings were all removed and the building transformed into the neo-Queen Anne / early Georgian composition we see today.

References- Primary sources
1 Walter Harris ‘The ancient and present state of the County of Down’ (Dublin 1744), p.71
2 PRONI D.856 Sharman Crawford Papers
3 PRONI OS/6/3/30/1 OS map, Down sh 30, 1834
4 PRONI VAL/1B/386 1st valuation, Kilmore, c.1836
5 ‘Belfast and Province of Ulster directory’ (Henderson, Belfast News-Letter 1852-)
6 PRONI OS/6/3/30/2 OS map, Down sh 30, 1858
7 PRONI 2nd valuation, Kilmore, c.1863 [in print]
8 PRONI OS/6/3/30/3 OS map, Down sh 30, c.1901.
9 Photographs of Rademon House [?c.1910] in possession of current owner of house

Secondary sources
1 C.E.B. Brett ‘Historic buildings…East Down (Belfast 1973), p.49

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

Not listed

Criteria for listing: historic interest

Not listed

Evaluation

A large, two-storey, hipped roof, neo-Queen Anne / early Georgian country house, which assumed a much-changed form in the 1950s when architect Claud Phillimore added to the fire-damaged remains of what was a larger three-storey residence with two-storey wings, probably dating from the early 1700s but much extended and embellished in Victorian times. The building now consists of a two-storey central bay with additions by Philmore, which include recessed side wings (of similar height) and flanking single-storey, pavilion-like front projections. The building has lost too much of its original fabric, including interiors, and the additions detract from the original design. As a predominantly 1950s rebuild, the structure is not worthy of listing.