Tea House, Tollymore Forest Park, Bryansford, Newcastle

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

This is a striking, purpose built teahouse, built in 1978-9 to designs by Ian Campbell Architects. The first floor houses the tearoom while the shop and ancillary functions are located on the ground floor. It is set within the spectacular Tollymore Forest Park, just south of the Hilltown Road, Bryansford and west of the Bryansford Road Newcastle. It is sited within mature well-maintained parkland on the foothills of the Mourne Mountain range.

An extract from the Timber in Construction, Ed Surley and Bedding, Batsford, London 1985 p.178 describes the building as follows: -
“The roof is an independent pyramid arch structure supported on round timber posts of 250mm diameter at 7.8M centres with a central post to the slab at first floor level. The perimeter supports are braced externally by diagonal timber poles with bolted ‘Boy Scout’ connections. This form of construction is also used for the bridge which provides access from the upper level car park. The poles were treated with preservative and are stained blue-black. This contrasts with the bright red timber cladding and joinery. The tearoom is on the first floor of the building with a shop and conveniences below. These are concrete and masonry constructions and are essentially independent of the timber structure. A section through the building shows the roof configuration with four pyramids open to the tearoom. The inverted pyramid in the centre accommodates storage tanks and ducting. Structural softwood decking forms the ceiling spanning up to 3.9M between the main arch ribs of sawn softwood – all stained red”

Walls to the ground floor are finished with roughcast render. Corner battered buttresses are formed in squared rubble granite. The first floor structure and intermediate columns are board marked concrete. The first floor has curtain walling formed with continuous glazing set over timber sheeting to all four sides. The mansard roof is covered with fibre cement slating. There is a novel rainwater system; this has a series of chains dropping from guttering to gravel beds. Stout timber doors cover the shop entrance when not in use. Generally detailing is robust and vandal-resistant.

The building has a strong ‘diagonal’ theme; this is expressed externally in the bridge entrance, the recessed ground floor walls and chamfered corners to the roof.

The bridge spans a small curving ornamental pool (now drained), with a cobbled floor..

Historical information

This tea house was built in 1978-79 to designs by Ian Campbell of Ian Campbell & Partners, the contractor, Rodgers Bros. of Castlewellan. The building has been the recipient of an number of awards, namely the Royal Institute of British Architects National award (1980- one of only seven buildings in the UK honoured in that year), a Civic Trust Commendation (1980), and an An Taisce Award (1984). Built as a facility for visitors to Tollymore Park, the building has been closed in recent years, due to the fact that its design no longer meets current (public) building regulations in relation to matters such as disabled access.

References- primary sources
1 'Sunday Telegraph', 3 August 1980
2 'Building', 8 August 1980
3 'Project', 12 August 1980
4 'Architect's Journal', 8 July 1981

Secondary sources
1 Evans, David, Larmour, Paul, and Hall, Alistair, 'Modern Ulster Architecture', (Belfast, 2006)

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

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

Criteria for listing: historic interest

X. Local Interest
V. Authorship

Evaluation

This is an original and stylish design from the late 1970's by one of N Ireland's foremost architects. The design uses a combination of sophisticated timber detailing to the first floor roof construction and simple detailing to the first floor exterior and the pedestrian bridge giving access from the upper car park. The bridge spanned a now drained curving pond that has its cobbled floor intact. It has a robust ground floor designed to prevent vandalism and a lightweight first floor providing panoramic views of the surrounding forest park. Detailing is thoughtful and in some areas novel; vertical chains were designed to direct rainwater and the innovative pyramidal roof structure provides drama and interest to the tearoom interior. The prominent timber materials have obvious resonance with the surrounding forest which in turn provides a stunning setting for this important late twentieth century building. Shortly after its completion it received a national award from the Royal Institute of British Architects, only one of seven awarded that year. It subsequently won further recognition for its design from the Civic Trust and An Taisce.