Dunadry House

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

No access.

The First Survey card records:

'Mid C19. A two-storey, five bay house with attics. The panelled entrance with plain pilasters and cornice hood is flanked either side by 12-pane sashed windows in moulded surrounds. Upper windows are 9-pane. Rectangular fanlight has curvilinear glazing. Extremities of building are dressed with quoins. Attics are lighted by semi-circular headed windows with interlaced heads. Two-storey return of later construction. Unrecessed windows at rear. Harled & rendered outbuildings.

Does not appear on 1832 OS map Appears on 1902 OS map

Date of visit: 5 April 1972'

Historical information

Buildings appear on the site of Dunadry House on the 1st edition OS Map of the area, dated 1834. It shows a building to the north-west of the site and one to the south west. The current house appears to have been built by the 1857 OS map. There is a large building to the south-east of the site in addition to the building to the north-west. The 1902, 3rd edition map shows these buildings adjoined to the west end, and the building is marked as Dunadry House. The 4th edition map, dated 1921, shows the building arranged as shown on the current edition.

The Townland Valuation, dated 1836, shows the site as the house, yard and offices of a Mr William Gray, the house valued at £9.0s.0d. The Immediate Lessor of the land in 1859, as shown by the Griffiths Valuation, was the Marquis of Donegal, and the occupier was Mr Adam Gray. The house was valued at this time as £10.0s.0d.

The house was renovated in 1979 and 1980 by Isherwood & Ellis, Belfast and Ballymena, who rebuilt the chimneys, repaired and re-slated the roof, rendered the exterior and replaced the sash windows in original style (Pierce et al. p 121)

Recently, there have been further extensive renovations and a large new block has been constructed a the rear of the property, connected to it by a link block.

References
Primary
1. PRONI OS/6/1/50/1, 1st Edition OS Map, Co Antrim, sheet no 50, 1834
2. PRONI OS/6/1/50/2, 2nd Edition OS Map, Co Antrim, sheet no 50, 1857
3. PRONI OS/6/1/50/3, 3rd Edition OS Map, Co Antrim, sheet no 50, 1902
4. PRONI OS/6/1/50/4, 4th Edition OS Map, Co Antrim, sheet no 50, 1921
5. PRONI VAL/1A/1/50, Townland Valuation Map, 1836
6. PRONI VAL/1B/163, Townland Valuation Field book, 1836
7. PRONI VAL2A/1/50C, Griffiths Valuation Map, 1859
8. PRONI VAL/2B/1/9 - Griffiths Fieldbook (1859)

Secondary
1. Pierce, R., Coey, A. & Oram, R. “Taken for granted: a celebration of 10 years of historic buildings conservation.” Royal Society of Ulster Architects, 1984.

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

A. Style
B. Proportion
C. Ornamentation
J. Setting

Criteria for listing: historic interest

X. Local Interest

Evaluation

A two-storey, five bay house with attics, built mid 19thc. Although the subject of much renovation and having a large rear extension, the house retains some historic character.