Gardener's house at Finnebrogue estate

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

Small, two storey, largely rubble-built gabled gardener’s house of c.1840s, with large late 1990s 1½ storey extension to rear which incorporates some former garden sheds. The property is built against the outside of the north wall of the Finnebrogue estate walled garden, roughly a third of a mile NE of Finnebrogue House, two miles N of Downpatrick.

The front elevation of the house is symmetrical and faces roughly E. To the centre of the ground floor of the front elevation is a gabled porch with door with glazed panels to N face. The door has in-out brick dressings (as do all openings on the original section of the house and most others). To the E (gabled) face of the porch there is a sash window with vertical glazing bars (3/3). The porch has a slate roof with rendered parapet. To the left of the porch is a window as before only larger, with a similar window to right of porch. To the first floor are two similar, but much smaller windows.

The S gable forms part of the high garden wall, with its uppermost part rising above wall level. To this part of the gable there is a small central casement window with small lattice panes. To the N gable there is a window to the centre of each floor, both corresponding to the windows to the front.

The rear elevation is now largely obscured by a large 1½ storey post 1995 extension, however a small, narrow, lattice-paned window roughly to the centre of the first floor is still in place.

The original portion of the house has a fieldstone rubble façade with slated gabled roof with rendered parapets and a single, central, brick chimneystack. Cast iron rw goods.

The recent extension has a slated gabled roof with a very large conservatory-like glazed gabled bay to the N and a rubble and brick portion to W of this (with a slightly more traditional cottage appearance). To the W again (where the ground level rises) the extension links to a single storey row of former sheds / donkey houses with flat roofs and rubble façades. These sheds (which have been largely rebuilt and extended somewhat) are now converted to domestic use and are integrated with the house.

Historical information

Though the walled garden to the immediate south of this property dates from 1802, this house is somewhat later, map evidence showing that it was built some time between 1834 and 1858 (perhaps, judging from the window frames, the mid to later 1840s). Unfortunately the valuation records give no details relating to the house, but from its positioning and from evidence handed down from former employees (notably a former gardener, Mr Dick Kelly), it appears that the dwelling served as the gardener’s house. The current owner, however, believes that it may have been built as a summer or dessert house, but this seems unlikely given its position and somewhat plain appearance; moreover, there is a ruinous summer house in the former pleasure garden to the south of the walled garden.

The property remained occupied until the mid 20th century [?early 1960s] but was largely abandoned in the 1970s and 80s. It was renovated in the late 1990s. In the process a large extension was added to the rear, linking the house to some former sheds / donkey houses, which have been converted to domestic use.

References- Primary sources
1 PRONI T.1023, D.1556, D.2480, D.3244, D.3817, D.4218 Perceval-Maxwell Papers, 1606-1969
2 PRONI OS/6/3/30/1 6in OS map, Co Down, sh 30, 1834
3 PRONI OS/6/3/30/2 6in OS map, Co Down, sh 30, 1858
4 PRONI VAL.12B/18/13a-d Annual valuation revision books, 1864-79, 1880-97, 1898-1911, 1912-29
5 PRONI OS/6/3/30/3 6in OS map, Co Down, sh 30, c.1901
6 PRONI OS/6/3/31/3 6in OS map, Co Down, sh 31, c.1901

Secondary sources
1 Anthony Malcomson, ‘The Perceval-Maxwell Papers- Introduction’ (1998) [Available at PRONI]

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

A. Style
B. Proportion
J. Setting
K. Group value

Criteria for listing: historic interest

X. Local Interest
V. Authorship

Evaluation

Small, two storey, largely rubble-built gabled gardener’s house of c.1840s, with large late 1990s 1½ storey extension to rear which incorporates some former garden sheds. The property is built against the outside of the north wall of the Finnebrogue estate walled garden, and has group value with the other listed structures on the estate..

General comments

In the first survey this record was numbered HB18/18/002B