Former Rectory

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

A detached symmetrical two-storey-over-basement three-bay symmetrical Georgian house, a former rectory for St John’s Church; built c.1820 located on the south side of Banbridge Road on the outskirts of Dromara. L-shaped on plan with single-storey modern flat-roof extension to rear and single-storey extension to north.

Hipped natural slate roof with blue/black angled ridge tiles; rendered centred chimneystacks with terracotta pots. Replacement cast-iron rainwater goods. Walling is painted smooth render with raised quoins, band rustication to ground floor (facade only); roughcast render to rear. Windows are mainly 6/6 timber-framed sliding sash with horns (some replacements); decorative voussoirs rise from a platband at window head level to ground floor, forming a slight recess to ground floor windows. Original segmental-headed stairwell window to rear. Ground floor windows to south elevation are set into chamfered surround with segmental arches.

The principal elevation faces east and is symmetrical, three openings wide. Centred original timber entrance door of six flat panels, accessed by three stone steps, surmounted by large segmental fanlight with decorative timber lattice-work; pattern repeated in sidelights; projecting painted masonry sills to sidelights.

The south elevation has two windows to all floors (including basement); to centre at ground and first floor is blind window.

The west elevation comprises, to left; window to left and stairwell window to first floor; ground floor with window to far left, abutted by L-shaped flat-roof extension to angle with return. Return to right has replacement glazed timber door with transom light. North elevation has three small windows to first floor.

The north elevation is abutted by a modern single–storey gabled extension.

Setting:
Situated in mature grounds set back from the main Dromara to Banbridge Road, accessed by a curved driveway with modern entrance wall, gate piers and large electronic gates. Enclosed to all sides by mature trees and hedgerow. Large two-storey rubble stone and roughcast outbuilding to rear having natural slate roof and original timber-sheeted carriage doors. Rear yard enclosed to north by painted masonry wall with replacement wrought-iron gates and piers with ball finial; small gatehouse to right. South gable of outbuilding extends to enclose the yard to south.

Roof: Natural slate
Walling: Smooth & roughcast render
Windows: 6/6 sliding sash
RWG: Replacement cast-iron

Historical information

This dwelling first appears on the 1833 Ordnance Survey map for Dromara as a quite large square shaped building with an L-shaped out building extending towards the road. In 1833 the house was recorded as a ‘Glebe House.’ The contemporary Townland Valuation valued the Glebe as a 1a- class dwelling worth £24. 2s. which included the main house, two major returns and six out offices. At that time the Glebe was occupied by a Rev. Hannington Elijah Boyd, incumbent of the parish church (after 1896 known as ‘St. John’s Church) which was located a short distance east of the Glebe.

The Ordnance Survey Memoirs for Dromara state that the glebe lands were in the possession of the Established Church and that ‘the present glebe, consisting of 20 acres [was] rented from the Marquis of Downshire with the house.’ The writer makes the point that in the 1830s there were no gentlemen’s seats in the Dromara area ‘with the exception of the Glebe House and Curacy.’

There is little discernible alteration to the Glebe House on the second edition of the Ordnance Survey map (1859) and Griffith’s Valuation (1861) records the value of the building at £25. The Rev. Hannington Boyd resided at the Glebe House until he was replaced in 1881 by Joseph H. Chapman who complained that the value of the house was too high; the valuers examined his claim and lowered the value of the Glebe to £21. After the disestablishment of the Church of Ireland in 1870-71 the Glebe became known as the ‘Rectory’ and it is recorded as such on the third edition Ordnance Survey map (1903). This map also shows that an extension was built to the Rectory attaching it to the L-shaped out building visible on the earlier maps. In 1900 the Rev. W. Falkner occupied the Rectory and resided there until 1922 when the Rev. J. Armstrong came into possession. The Rectory was bought outright by the Church Representative Body in 1913.

The 1901 Census records that Rev. W. Falkner (born c. 1848) lived in the Rectory with his wife and children, and that he employed two servants. The Rectory was recorded as a 1st class dwelling consisting of 15 rooms. The out offices were situated in the L-shaped extension and included a stable, coach house, harness room, cow house, calf house, piggery, two fowl houses, a potato house and a shed.

Brett states that the house dates from 1821, possibly designed or built by James McBlain or Charles Lilley and that part of the house (the stone outbuildings at the rear) was originally used as a manor court house owing to the fact that a former Rector also served as the local Justice of the Peace; a ‘black hole’ used to detain offenders stills exists in the basement (Brett, p. 32; NIEA File). S. E. Long, a late Rector of St. John’s Church, states that the Glebe House was indeed built in 1821 and leased to the Rev. H. E. Boyd with a gift of £100. A loan of £1,125 was granted by the Board of First Fruits to construct this property. In 1870-71 the Church vestry feared that the Glebe and its lands would be sold after the disestablishment of the Church of Ireland, however these fears were not realised. In 1874 repairs were carried out to the house and it was perhaps at this time that the extension was built to the Rectory. From 1939 the Rectory was used for some evening services as it was easier to ‘black out’ the windows of this house than it was to darken the Church in case of an attack from the Luftwaffe; in 1940 further repairs and redecoration work was carried out at the Rectory perhaps to accommodate this new function (Long, p. 19; Irish Builder, Vol. 82, 8 Jun 1940, p. 390).

Long states that St. John’s Church was dogged by financial problems throughout its history and the Vestry came to the decision that the upkeep of the Rectory was a considerable drain upon church resources. It was therefore decided to sell the property in 1952, however a buyer could not be found until the Rectory was purchased in 1958 by a Lt. Col. Cunningham for a sum between £5,000 and £7,000. A new cost effective Rectory was built in 1960 for £5,000 (Long, p. 24).

The former rectory was listed in 1993. The rear extension was added in 2001 (NIEA File). Research conducted in the field has found that few original features remain within the house which had undergone renovations; the house’s central staircase is one of the few remnants of its original interior. The outbuildings to the north of the house still exist and are used by the current owners as farm buildings. This Glebe house is quite an interesting building in the history of the Church of Ireland as it tells us about the great uncertainty facing the church during the disestablishment in 1870.

References:

1. PRONI VAL/1/A/3/28 – Field Map c.1833
2. PRONI VAL/1/B/341 – Townland Valuation
3. PRONI OS/6/3/28/1 – First Edition OS Map 1833
4. PRONI OS/6/3/28/2 – Second Edition OS Map 1859
5. PRONI OS/6/3/28/3 – Third Edition OS Map 1903
6. PRONI OS/6/3/28/4 – Fourth Edition OS Map 1903-1920
7. PRONI VAL/2/B/1/36 – Griffith’s Valuation 1861
8. PRONI VAL/12/B/20/9 A – Annual Revisions 1865-1879
9. PRONI VAL/12/B/20/9 B – Annual Revisions 1880-1892
10. PRONI VAL/12/B/20/9 C – Annual Revisions 1893-1908
11. PRONI VAL/12/B/20/9 D – Annual Revisions 1909-1929
12. Irish Builder Vol. 82, 8 June 1940, p. 390 (Dictionary of Irish Architects - http://www.dia.ie/)

Secondary Sources

1. Brett, C. E. B., ‘Historic buildings, groups of buildings, areas of architectural importance in the towns and villages of Mid Down: Hillsborough, Dromore, Dromara, Ballynahinch, the Spa, Drumaness and Saintfield’ Ulster Architectural Heritage Society, 1974.
2. Kelly, D., ‘Lisburn’s rich church heritage: Churches and places of worship in the Lisburn city area’ Lisburn: Impression Print and Design, 2009.
3. Long, S. E., ‘The parish of Dromara: A short history’ Newcastle: Mourne Observer Press, 1979.
4. NIEA File – HB19/07/009.

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

A. Style
B. Proportion
C. Ornamentation
H-. Alterations detracting from building
I. Quality and survival of Interior
J. Setting
K. Group value

Criteria for listing: historic interest

X. Local Interest
Y. Social, Cultural or Economic Importance
R. Age
S. Authenticity
T. Historic Importance
V. Authorship

Evaluation

Dromara House is a detached two-storey-over-basement three-bay symmetrical Georgian dwelling, formerly the rectory for the nearby St John’s Church (HB19/07/016), with which it has group value, built c.1820, possibly designed or built by James McBlain or Charles Lilley. Some good architectural detailing to the exterior, including a large segmental fanlight and original entrance door. Although the interior has been much altered during a refurbishment, the building retains its original stairwell. The original roughcast outbuilding to the rear is intact and contributes to the setting, forming a group with the main house.