Cumran House

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

Substantial two storey residence of 1840, with Regency style overhanging hipped roof. To the rear there large but sympathetic single storey extensions largely added in 1988. The house is located at the end of a long winding drive to the W of Newcastle Road, less than a mile NW of the small village of Clough, 5.5 miles SW of Downpatrick

The S front is symmetrical with a centred front panelled door with four pane sidelights and spiders web segmental fanlight. To either side is a single sash windows with Georgian panes (6/6) To first floor are three evenly spaced sash windows, as before but shorter (3/6).

The W elevation has two window openings to the ground floor. That to the right has been bricked up while that to the left is as front ground floor. To the first floor there are also two window openings and again that to the right is blocked while that to the left is as first floor front. To the far left is a recently constructed gabled projection, which used to be a small dairy. The gable half overlaps the N elevation. The S face of this extension has two windows to the ground floor each with four fixed panes. Set at a higher level to the right side is a similar but narrower window.

The E elevation of the original house is similar to that to the W except that only the top right window has been blocked. To the far right is a long single storey, hipped roof extension (c.1988), which also half overlaps the N elevation. To its S face this has a 14 pane French door with a geometric fanlight over. To the W are three evenly spaced windows each with fixed 15 pane windows.

The rear elevation has much changed in recent years with the addition of the extensions. To the centre is a wide single storey flat roofed extension while to E and W the projecting extensions (noted above) now create a courtyard effect. To the centre of the flat roofed portion is a six-panel door with moulded surround. To either side of this is a 9 pane fixed frame window. The E face of large W extension has two roundels each with (12) Georgian-like panes. The NW corner of this extension is radiused. The N face is blank. The E face of the W extension has one four pane fixed window. The N face is gabled (with an asymmetric gable) and has one central sash window (6/6) set at a high level.

The original building has a hipped slated roof with a large overhang and curved plaster soffit. To the ridge are two plastered chimney stacks.

The main roof and those of the E and W extensions are covered with natural blue / grey slate. Cast iron rw goods. Rw pipes have swan necks.

Historical information

Cumran House was built in 1840 by Rev John Andrew McMordie, the then Minister of Seaforde Presbyterian Church, on land he had acquired the year previously. In total the building costs came to roughly £500. McMordie remained at Cumran until c.1873, when he sold it to the Kirkwood family. The Kirkwoods abandoned the house in c.1958, after which it lay largely derelict for 15 years. It was then bought by the present owner’s husband, who added the rear extensions in 1988.

References- Primary sources
1 PRONI OS/6/3/37/2 OS map, Down sh 37, 1858
2 PRONI 2nd valuation, Loughinisland, c.1860 [in print]

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

A. Style
B. Proportion
C. Ornamentation
D. Plan Form
H-. Alterations detracting from building
I. Quality and survival of Interior
J. Setting

Criteria for listing: historic interest

X. Local Interest

Evaluation

Substantial two storey farm house of 1840, with Regency style overhanging hipped roof, of special achitectural and historic interest.