Large stable at Finnebrogue estate farmyard

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

Large, pre 1834 two storey rubble-built gabled stable building, with (slightly later) partly open single storey lean-to to south, large recent sliding door opening to west and east gable reconstructed in concrete block . The stable is part of a complex built in various stages from (perhaps) c.1790s, to the mid 1900s. The farmyard is located on the SE side of Killyleagh Road, roughly two miles N of Downpatrick, with the stable itself to the south side of the grouping.

To the W gable of the barn is a relatively recent looking large flat arched doorway with sliding door. Much of the façade around this gable is patched in concrete block and render. There is a projecting tall square pier to the right of the doorway.

The long N elevation has a timber sheeted pedestrian door to far left with a boarded up pedestrian door to the centre. Directly above each of these doorways, and at the same level in between the doorways, is a square-ish brick dressed window opening (four in all) each with the remains of Georgian-paned sash frame. Directly above each of these windows is a similar sized window- all of these upper windows are boarded up.

The S elevation is dominated by the large full length single storey lean-to. This has a slated roof supported on evenly spaced battered stone piers. It appears to have been originally completely open, but, to the N end the spaces have been filled in with brick and crudely fashioned timber and ‘chicken wire’ frames.

The E gable has been also entirely rebuilt in concrete block and has no openings.

The façade, outside of the E gable and much of the W gable, is in semi-coursed fieldstone rubble, with the gabled roof slated.

Historical information

The Finnebrogue estate farmyard
The early development of the Finnebrogue estate farm is unclear. The earliest extant plan of the complex is that supplied on the OS map of 1834, which shows much of the long range of buildings straddling the boundary wall to the north-west side, the large stable to the south-east of this, the house east again, the smaller house to the south end of the yard, and the large threshing barn, (with horse walk next to it), to the east of the long range. It is difficult to ascertain when these buildings appeared. The 1838 valuation grades some buildings ‘A’ (possibly built in the previous 25-30 years) and ‘B’ (possibly over thirty years old), implying that the complex witnessed various periods of development. Industrial archaeologist Dr Fred Hammond has suggested that much of the construction work may have taken place shortly after the refurbishing of Finnebrogue House itself, i.e. c.1795-1800, and that the creation of a ‘model’ farmyard may have been intended.

Map evidence shows that between 1834 and 1858 the long north-west range was extended northwards, with the large cow shed, corn store (with drying kiln), steam engine house and chimney grouping- a collection of structures all geared towards the feeding of cattle- built to the north-east, with the single storey range to the south, (opposite the large stable), also added to the site. Plans within the Perceval-Maxwell Papers at PRONI (see refs below) show that the large ‘cattle-feeding’ grouping to the north-east was built around 1854.

Between 1859 and 1900 the single storey stable block to the far east side of the complex appeared along with the single storey shed to the immediate east of the threshing barn, the brick gate house was built to the north side of the south gateway and a building (now demolished) was added to the very north-east corner of the yard. Unfortunately the valuation revision books give little indication of exact dates of construction or the original functions of each building.

In the early 20th century a long single storey side was added to the north side of the old threshing barn, circular grain silos erected to the north end of the yard (but now demolished), and two metal-framed Dutch barns built just to the north of the large stables (also demolished). In the course of the 1900s many of the buildings became adapted to new farm uses. Much of the long north-west range was demolished at some point and partly replaced with a corrugated-metal roofed lean-to structure.

In the latter decades of the century the complex appears to have fallen into disuse. It was sold to the present owner in c.1990-91. Since then the large house to the south-east has been refurbished, along with the smaller dwelling to the south-west. Some of the farm buildings are currently used as stores.

The large stable
This building is shown on the OS map of 1834 and recorded in the valuation of 1838. The lean-to does not appear to have been present in 1834, but it may be the ‘shed’ of similar dimensions recorded in the valuation, thus suggesting that it may have been built shortly before 1838; it certainly appears to have be present on the revised OS map of 1858.

The door to the west gable appears to be a relatively recent insertion [?c.1980s]. The east gable appears to have been rebuilt some time after 1991.

References- Primary sources
1 PRONI T.1023, D.1556, D.2480, D.3244, D.3817, D.4218 Perceval-Maxwell Papers, 1606-1969 [Of particular interest are D.1556/11/21, a mid 19th century plan of the farmyard, and D.1556/11/5 & 16, plans of the ‘cattle-feeding’ complex dating from 1854.]
2 Walter Harris, ‘The ancient and present state of the County of Down’ (Dublin, 1744), p.39
3 ‘Taylor’s and Skinner’s maps of the roads of Ireland’ (Dublin, 1777), map 282
4 PRONI OS/6/3/31/1 6in OS map, Co Down, sh 31, 1834
5 PRONI VAL.1B/372 First valuation, Inch parish, 1838
6 ‘Ordnance Survey Memoirs of Ireland’ vol.17, ed Angelique Day and Patrick McWilliams (QUB, 1992), pp.74-75
7 PRONI OS/6/3/31/2 6in OS map, Co Down, sh 31, 1858
8 PRONI VAL.2B/3/74 Second valuation notebook, Inch Parish, 1861
9 PRONI VAL.12B/18/13a-d Annual valuation revision books, 1864-79, 1880-97, 1898-1911, 1912-29
10 PRONI OS/6/3/31/3 6in OS map, Co Down, sh 31, c.1901

Secondary sources
1 ‘Archaeological survey of Co. Down (Belfast, HMSO, 1966), pp.362-63 etc.
2 Fred Hammond, ‘Farmyard, Finnebrogue estate, Downpatrick, Co Down’ [Survey report for EHS, September 1991]
3 Anthony Malcomson, The Perceval-Maxwell Papers- Introduction (1998) [Available at PRONI]

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

Not listed

Criteria for listing: historic interest

Not listed

Evaluation

Large, pre 1834 two storey rubble-built gabled stable building, with (slightly later) partly open single storey lean-to to south, large recent sliding door opening to west and east gable reconstructed in breeze block . The stable is part of a complex built in various stages from (perhaps) c.1790s, to the mid 1900s. It is of little architectural interest.

General comments

In the first survey this record was numbered HB18/18/059.