Currraghard Lodge

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

Regency style hipped roof villa of c.1835-40, largely single storey with return wings and gabled entrance porch, but with one of the wings increased in height in the 1930s. The building is situated at the end of a tarmac drive to the N of the Tullybrannigan Road, on the western outskirts of Newcastle. Originally the property had substantial grounds, but to the W the Tullybrannigan Road was redirected at some point (after 1859) and now passes close to the rear of the house.

Basically the house is U-shaped, with the wings creating a small courtyard. To the rear (W) of this courtyard the ground level rises and to this side there are some single storey outbuildings.

The front façade faces roughly E and is symmetrical. To the centre is a relatively large gabled porch with plain corner pilasters and tympanum. To the N face of the porch is the timber panelled entrance door with semicircular fanlight with Georgian tracery. The panels on the doorway are merely outlined. Three stone steps to doorway. To the E (gabled) face of the porch there is a semicircular arch headed sash window with Georgian panes (6 panes over 6- with 3 to the arch head) and moulded surround. The S face has a similar window, but with moulding less pronounced. The porch has a bevelled base and its roof has a slight overhang which rests on a bracketed eaves course. Both the base and the eaves course continue around the rest of the outer facades of the building. To either side of the porch (on main front façade) are two flat arched sash windows with Georgian panes.

The S elevation consists largely of the façade of the S return wing, which has four windows as main front. To the far left this façade merges with the S face is a slightly lower (utility room) section.

The N elevation consists largely of the N façade of the N return wing, which was raised in height in the 1930s (though to the far left, where the wing abuts the main front section, the elevation is single storey). To the ground floor there are four unevenly spaced windows, as main front. Between the 2nd and 3rd window is a blind window. To the upper level, there are three windows, as ground floor only smaller. To the far right this façade culminates in a ‘set back’ flat-roofed portion (possibly added after c.1930s). This portion has a window (much as before) to the upper level.

Where the N return wing rises above the single storey main front section there is a small E facing section of façade which contains a very small four pane window.

The S façade of the N wing has two widely spaced ground floor windows, much as before. Near the centre of the façade is a taller semicircular stairwell level window, similar to those on the porch but without surround. To the upper level far right is a small window as upper level N façade. To the far right the façade is recessed. To the W, is the two storey flat roofed section (see above). To the S face of this flat roofed section there is a ground floor window, much as rest of ground floor. To the exposed section of the W façade of the N wing there is a semicircular headed window to both ground and upper floors, much as previous semicircular headed windows, but with that to the upper level fixed- not sash.

The short exposed W façade of the main front section of the house has a central semicircular headed window, as porch but without surround. The N façade of the S wing has a partly glazed (c.1930s)doorway to the ground floor. To the right of this façade is the N face of the attached utility room section (see above), with has a timber sheeted stable door and two small sash windows (4 over 2).

The ‘outer’ façade is finished in lined render with bevelled quoins, base and bracketed eaves course. The ‘inner’ façade, that facing into the courtyard is in plain render and has neither the base or eaves course. The entire façade is painted. The roof is hipped and covered in natural slate. Four, relatively tall, rendered chimney stacks with bevelled bases, coping and matching pots. Cast iron rw goods.

To the W of the courtyard the ground rises and there are steps leading to a ‘farm’ yard with single storey hipped roof, rubble-built, outbuildings to the S and W and a high wall, with gateway, to the N. The outbuilding to the N is the larger and has various window and door openings including two very large vehicle openings with timber sheeted doors. The smaller outbuilding to the S looks as though it may have been designed as a piggery and has three arched doorways to the N and a walled off former sty and a smaller hipped roof structure, to its E side. All of these outbuildings are whitewashed.

The high wall is rough cast rendered and its gateway has simple square gate pillars with pyramidal caps, and timber sheeted gates. To the immediate NE of the gateway is a small game store and rubble and brick single storey shed with a hipped slated roof and timber sheeted doorway to W.

Historical information

Curraghard Lodge dates from some time between 1834 and 1846 and is shown, much as today, on the OS map of 1859. It may have been built by a Mr Shackleton for he is listed as resident on a Roden Estate map, which looks as though it may have drawn up c.1840. Shackleton did not stay long in the house, however, for a William Waring is recorded as the owner in ‘Slater’s Directory’ for 1846. Waring remained there until at least 1873, but the building does not appear to be listed in any directory for the next decade or so, suggesting it may have been vacant for most of the time, or rented out. In 1895 a Mr Samuel Bradshaw is recorded as resident, a Miss Andrews in 1901, Miss Atkinson in 1905 and a Miss Hatchill in 1915, but again, for some years the property is not recorded in the directories. The reason for this may be related to the idea that (according to local memory) the house may have served as a kind of convalesing home during the early 1900s. If this is the case then the Misses Andrews, Atkinson and Miss Hatchill may have been nurses.

In c.1920s Curraghard was acquired by the Kirkpatrick family. It was Mrs Kirkpatrick who extended the property in the 1930s, by adding another storey to the northern return wing. The current owner bought the house from the Kirkpatricks in 1984.

References- Primary sources
1 PRONI OS/1/3/43 OS maps 1st ed. 1834, Co Down sheet 43
2 Linen Hall Library ‘Slater’s National Commercial Directory of Ireland’ (Manchester 1846), pp.429-31
3 ‘Belfast and Province of Ulster Directory’ Vols.1-21, 1852-1900, (Belfast, Henderson [1852-65], Belfast News-Letter [1865- ])
4 Map of part of Lord Roden’s Co. Down estate (c.1840) [Original in possession of Lord Roden]
5 Linen Hall Library ‘Slater’s Royal National Commercial Directory of Ireland’ (Manchester 1856), pp.491-93
6 PRONI OS/6/3/43/3 OS maps 1st rev.1859, Co Down sheet 43
7 PRONI Second (Griffith’s) valuation records, Kilcoo (1863) [in print]
8 Linen Hall Library ‘Slater’s Royal National Commercial Directory of Ireland’ (Manchester 1856), pp.491-93
9 Linen Hall Library ‘Slater’s Royal National Commercial Directory of Ireland’ (Manchester 1870)
10 George Henry Bassett ‘County Down Guide and Directory’ (Dublin 1886), pp.137-139.
11 Deeds and plans in possession of the present owner.

Secondary sources
1 EHS Records of the first survey of buildings of historical and architectural interest in Tollymore ward (1972-)
2 P.J. Rankin, ‘Historic buildings, groups of buildings, areas of architectural importance in the Mourne area of South Down’, (Belfast UAHS 1975)

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

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

Criteria for listing: historic interest

X. Local Interest

Evaluation

Largely single storey Regency style hipped roof villa of c.1835-40 with return wings and gabled entrance porch. A storey was added to one of the wings in the 1930s. To the rear there is a collection of hipped roof outbuildings including a small store for game.