Guardhouse

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

Detached U-plan range of rendered two-storey former guard houses, built c.1780. Comprising a south block (fronting onto The Square as No.10), a central east block and a north block, with screen walls extending from the west gables to enclose the courtyard.

Hipped natural slate with black clay ridge tiles, cast-iron guttering on iron brackets to stepped eaves course and cast-iron downpipes. Panelled sandstone chimneystack on sandstone ashlar parapet wall to both west gables. Painted ruled and lined rendered walling to courtyard elevations with projecting plinth course, rough-cast render to south elevation (No.10 The Square). Rusticated sandstone quoins to both west gables. Square-headed window openings, painted masonry sills and original timber sash windows, 6/3 with exposed sash boxes to first floor, 6/6 to ground floor.

South elevation is nine windows wide with part of the ground floor below the level of The Square. South elevation abutted by Gate Lodge to the western end (HB19/05/076B). Off-centre rebuilt redbrick chimneystack. Largely replacement 6/6 timber sash windows with part exposed sash boxes, ogee horns and concrete sills. Off-centre square-headed door opening with replacement timber panelled door and rectangular overlight, opening onto concrete platform and seven concrete steps enclosed by replacement iron rail to front garden. Front garden area enclosed to The Square by spear-headed iron railing on low cement rendered redbrick wall with matching pedestrian gate and decorative iron lamp incorporated into railing.

Blank west elevation to south block extending as a screen wall to the courtyard (to the north) and as a corridor to the gate lodge (to the south).

North inner elevation to the south block is seven windows wide with a square-headed door opening to the centre having double-leaf vertically-sheeted timber doors and rectangular overlight. To the left bay is an elliptical-headed opening containing replacement timber doorcase with double-leaf sheeted doors and sidelights.

Symmetrical west elevation to east block is five windows wide with an elliptical-headed door opening to the centre having replacement double-leaf sheeted and glazed doors flanked by sidelights and surmounted by an original webbed fanlight.

South elevation to the north block is seven windows wide with solar panels to the roof and five square-headed vehicular openings under single timber fascia. Replacement vertically-sheeted garage doors divided by rendered panels and replacement 6/3 timber sash windows to the first floor. Elliptical-headed door opening to the inner right bay with replacement doorcase as per south block.

Blank west elevation to north block extending as a screen wall to the courtyard (to the south) and as the side elevation to a lean-to section to the north elevation with equilateral-headed window opening.

The north elevation to the lean-to section is obscured by later additions with a narrow passageway revealing square-headed window openings with hood mouldings and equilateral-headed windows; and an equilateral-headed arch with hood moulding.

Setting:
U-plan range of former guard houses, with the central east block facing west, enclosing a bitmac courtyard on the grounds of Hillsborough Castle. The south elevation to the south block fronting onto The Square, in line with the north terrace of the square, known as No. 10 and abutting No. 11 (HB19/05/039).

Roof Natural slate
RWG Cast-iron
Walling Render
Windows Timber sash

Historical information

The guardhouse was originally built as a stable yard, together with a farm yard to the north of it. The two buildings are shown as a pair of interconnecting U-shaped ranges to the east of the main house at Hillsborough on an estate map of 1788. On a map of 1803 the building is captioned ‘stable yard’.

Drawings by Robert Furze Brettingham dating from c.1795, as part of his plans for the major remodelling of Hillsborough Castle, show plans and elevations of the stable yard. However, the buildings depicted differ markedly from those that survive today.

The building is listed in the Townland Valuation (1828-40) for Hillsborough as the Marquis of Downshire’s stables, other offices and yard valued at £28. Following this, the stable yard no longer appears in valuation records, becoming part of Small Park townland and being included in the valuation for the Hillsborough Castle estate.

When Hillsborough Castle was sold to the government in 1922, the stables were converted for the use of a guard of ‘A’ Specials whose duties were to protect the Governor of Northern Ireland, then the Duke of Abercorn, from assassination. The ‘A’ Specials were disbanded in 1935 but the Governor retained a Guard consisting of an officer, two sergeants and sixteen constables, which continued to exist until the Duke retired in 1945. (Hillsborough Castle, p.19)

The guardhouse was listed in 1976. In 1994 the building was restored and upgraded for use by the RUC. Further renovations and restorations took place in 2007. (NIEA file)

References:

Primary Sources

1. PRONI OS/6/3/14/1 – First Edition OS Map 1833
2. PRONI OS/6/3/14/2 – Second Edition OS map 1858
3. PRONI OS/6/3/14/3 – Third Edition OS Map 1902-3
4. PRONI OS/6/3/14/4 – Fourth Edition OS Map 1919-20
5. PRONI VAL/1/A/3/14 – Townland Valuation Field Map (c.1830)
6. PRONI VAL/1/B/344A-B – Townland Valuation (1828-40)
7. PRONI VAL/1/D/3/5 – Townland Valuation Town Plan (c.1834)
8. PRONI VAL/2/B/3/45A-C – Griffith’s Valuation (1856-64)
9. PRONI VAL/12/B/20/14/A-E – Annual Revisions (1864-1930)
10. PRONI VAL/12/E/102/1/1-6 – Annual Revisions Town Plan ([c.1864]-1909)
11. PRONI D671/M/8/2 – Map of Hillsborough, 1771
12. PRONI T3153/1 – Map of Hillsborough, 1788
13. PRONI D671/M/8/25 – Map of Hillsborough c.1800
14. PRONI D671/M/8/57 – Map of Hillsborough 1803
15. PRONI D671/P/8/27/1-5 – Plans and Elevations of Stables at Hillsborough Castle, c.1795
16. NIEA file – HB19/05/077

Secondary Sources

1. “Hillsborough Castle” Ulster Architectural Heritage Society, 1993

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

A. Style
B. Proportion
C. Ornamentation
D. Plan Form
J. Setting
K. Group value

Criteria for listing: historic interest

R. Age
S. Authenticity
V. Authorship
X. Local Interest

Evaluation

Detached U-plan range of rendered two-storey former guard houses, originally built as a stable yard c.1780 and remodelled during 19th century. An extensive range of former guards houses forming a symmetrical composition around an enclosed yard. The exterior retains much of its original fabric but the interior has lost some character as a result of modernisation. Situated north of Hillsborough Castle (HB19/05/076 A-H), this range of buildings form an integral part of the demesne and terminate an important terrace to the south of The Square(HB19/05/039A-C). The former guard house has group value with the other listed structures at Hillsborough Castle.

General comments

This record has been re-allocated. Originally HB19/05/077.
Additional listing criteria apply-R-Age, S- Authenticity.