Ballymote House

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

Substantial two storey late gabled farmhouse of c.1835, in typical simple late Georgian style, with large full height late 20th century return. The building is situated at the end of a drive to the E of Killough Road, roughly 3 kilometres S of Downpatrick.

The front W façade is asymmetrical. To the centre of the ground floor is a panelled timber door with decorative margins and elliptical fanlight with somewhat over sized moulded in-out dressings and matching voussoirs. To the right are two sash windows with Georgian panes. To the left, but more widely spaced, are two similar windows. To first floor are five similar but slightly shorter windows, each of corresponds . The front façade is finished in painted lined render with in-out moulded quoins.

The S façade is gabled and has one sash window, as before, to the right of the ground floor but is otherwise blank. The left side has moulded in-out quoins. The façade is abutted by a gate pillar.

The return is two storied and is positioned to the centre of the rear façade. To the left of the return (i.e. the original rear wall of the house) there is a sash window, as before, to both floors. To the right of the return is a glazed doorway (is this a fixed?) to the ground floor and a sash window, as before, to the first floor. The E face of the return has one sash window, as before, to the right on the ground floor, and two similar windows to the first floor. The S face of the return has an elliptical headed panelled door with decorative margins and radial fanlight. To the right is a sash window, as before. To the left of the first floor is a large tripartite window (4/4, 6/6 and 4/4). To the right is a 6/6 window as before. The N face of the return has a tripartite window to the left of the ground floor, the centre 6/6 sash of which is in fact a glazed door. To the right is a 6/6 sash window, as before. To the first floor are three 6/6 unevenly spaced sash windows.

The N gable of the main house has one right of centre 6/6 window to first floor but is otherwise blank. The right corner has in-out moulded quoins.

The walls are finished with smooth lined render. The entire roof is covered with natural slate. The front section of the building has four unevenly spaced, pot-less, chimney stacks set on the ridge. There is one similar chimney stack to the middle of the return ridge. Metal rw goods.

To the S and W are two storey outbuildings.

Relatively plain, curving gate screen possibly dating from c.1870s. The screen is situated at head of the drive on the Killough Road.

The screen is curved and has a central carriage gate with flanking pedestrian entrances. The low wall is finished in lined render and stone coping. The gate piers to either side of the carriage entrance are thick square examples, finished in render with arched panels to three faces, moulded cornice, base and stone caps. When surveyed in December 1976 there were stone lion figures to each cap. Both the carriage and pedestrian entrances have decorative iron gates (with some of the decoration broken off).

Cattle grid to carriage entrance.

Historical information

A building is shown on the site of this house on the OS map of 1834, but its shape does not match the present building (it is too long and slightly narrower). Today’s house appears to be that shown on the revised OS map of 1858. The valuation returns of 1838 give us an important clue to the date of construction, for they record that the building we see today was brand new (they graded it ‘A+’), suggesting that the earlier building of 1834 was demolished shortly after that date and the present one erected in its place.

The resident in 1838 is listed as one Samuel Seeds, with a William Seeds recorded in the second valuation of c.1863 (who leased the land from Lord Bangor). For much of the 20th century the property was in the hands of a family named Byrne, but was largely abandoned after the late 1960s. The building was renovated by the present owner in the 1990s, with the large return added to the rear also (replacing a much smaller earlier return).

The drive to the house was originally located some metres to the north, and is shown as such on the OS map of 1858. The present gate screen appears to date from the 1870s, which suggests that the new drive was cut at this time.

[It must be pointed out that the present owner believes this house to date from 1710, but offered no evidence to support this other than the deeds, which recited earlier deeds of c.1740. Deeds, however, are concerned primarily with land, not buildings and the date of deeds does not prove the date of a building. Moreover, the writers could find no physical or documentary evidence to suggest that the house was older than c.1835. If this house had been built in 1710 it would have been a relatively high status property, a minor gentry residence perhaps and probably would have had a name which would have been marked on the 1834 OS map.]

References- Primary sources
1 PRONI OS/6/3/38/1 OS map, Down sh 38, 1834
2 PRONI VAL/1B/378 First valuation, Down, c.1838
3 PRONI OS/6/3/38/2 OS map, Down sh 38, 1858
4 PRONI Second valuation, Down, 1863 (in print)
5 PRONI OS/6/3/38/3 OS map, Down sh 38, c.1901

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

A. Style
B. Proportion
H-. Alterations detracting from building
J. Setting

Criteria for listing: historic interest

X. Local Interest

Evaluation

Substantial two storey late gabled farmhouse of c.1835, in typical simple late Georgian style, with large full height return added c.1990s.

Relatively plain, curving gate screen, possibly dating from c.1870s, with thick panelled piers, rendered walling and decoratively iron gates. The piers used to be topped with lion figures, but these have been removed.