Greenmount

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

An asymmetrical two-storey+ attic three-bay early nineteenth century house with mid-Victorian remodelling including crow-stepped gables, entrance tower and full-height turret, set in its own grounds on an elevated site overlooking the Bangor Road, in Craigavad Td. The house is rectangular on plan with central return to rear.

Pitched natural slate roof with angled ridge tiles; rendered gable chimneystacks with moulded caps and four pots, painted masonry skews to gables; cast-iron rainwater goods with hopper heads. Walling is ruled-and-lined rendered over a chamfered plinth. Windows are generally 1/1 horned timber sashes in plain reveals with projecting masonry sills.

Principal elevation faces north and comprises central castellated entrance tower flanked by crow-stepped gabled side bays. The slender circular turret abuts at north east corner. To tower, the principal entrance comprises a six panelled door (top four panels raised and fielded with bolection moulding, lower panels flush) with kick-board and bronze door furniture, flanked by fixed sidelights over timber aprons, all divided by simple timber pilasters; the whole is surmounted by a spoked segmental fanlight with panelled spandrels and decorative frieze in shallow relief over. Framing the entrance is a pair of masonry piers; scrolled console brackets support a masonry canopy with decorative cast-iron anthemion parapet; up two bull-nosed sandstone steps. Surmounting entrance is a round-headed stained and leaded window in a moulded keyblocked surround; stucco cartouche over. The left bay has two windows to each floor, and the right bay is abutted by a two storey canted bay with traditional arrangement of three windows to each floor; crow stepped gables are each inset with a glazed roundel with hood mould.

The turret is three stages, each delineated by a plain string. Conical roof over decorative eaves moulding. Single opening to second stage and a series of fixed pane openings circumventing the third stage.

The left east gable is blank with the exception of a window to ground floor, set to left of centre. It is extended to rear by a tall rear yard wall, now abutted by a modern single-storey garage (of no interest).

The rear south elevation is abutted by a central two storey return. The exposed right section has a window to each floor. The exposed left section is abutted to ground floor by a single-storey castellated box bay, surmounted by a window to first floor. The return is irregularly fenestrated to west and east elevations, with some enlarged bi-partite openings and French doors; the gable is abutted on axis by a lower L-shaped rubble stone outbuilding which is built into a bank at rear.

The right west gable has a timber door flanked at right by a small window; window at right to first floor and two fixed-light round-headed windows to attic level.

Setting

The house is set within sloping mature gardens having mature tree and hedge boundaries, lawns and informal terraced gardens. The site is accessed via a steep tarmac driveway from the Bangor Road, which also provides access to two twentieth century houses. The immediate curtilage is accessed from this lane via a pair of modern electric gates on stone piers with ball finials, flanked by fixed railings. A short gravel drive leads to the house. The outbuilding to rear has a hipped natural slate roof with cast-iron rainwater goods and modern roof lights.

Roof: Natural slate
Walling: render
Windows: timber
RWG: Cast-iron

Historical information

‘Greenmount Cottage’ is captioned on the first edition Ordnance Survey map of 1834 and is shown as a simple rectangular building with a return. The Townland Valuation (1828-40) lists the house as the property of Hugh Kennedy and values it at £7.9s.

The second edition of 1858 shows that outbuildings have been added to the east and south of ‘Greenmount Ho[use]’ and a gate lodge is also captioned. Griffith’s Valuation indicates that profound changes have taken place, the valuation of the property rising in (undated) stages from £31 to £40. A complete remodelling of the house is likely to have taken place. By this time the house is occupied by George Kyle of Bridge Street, Belfast and leased from James Gunning of Cookstown. The valuer notes, “A very nice concern – ho[use] elegantly fitted up and a beautiful situation.” Dimensions are given for a house, three outbuildings and the gate lodge.

In 1872, the former lessor, James Gunning becomes the occupier, Frances Heron taking over the property in 1880. Jane Gardner is the occupier from 1887 and Andrew Alexander becomes immediate lessor in 1896.

James Gunning of Cookstown, who may have undertaken the remodelling of the house, was a partner in Gunning and Moore, bleachers and linen merchants of Wellbrook, near Cookstown. He and his partner purchased the business area of Cookstown in 1852 and following this Gunning moved into the town, building a house ‘Loymount’ which remained his residence until his death in 1875. Greenmount may have been in the nature of a retreat for Gunning and a will shows that a family member, Henry Gunning, was living there in 1874. (Belfast and Ulster Directory, Glasgow)

The OS map of 1900-02 shows the house somewhat extended to the rear and it is now known simply as ‘Greenmount’. Current owners have undertaken restoration works since taking up occupancy c.2005. NIEA files do not refer to the return being extended, so this has not been confirmed, however, the return as shown in 1858 is shorter.

References:

Primary Sources

1. PRONI OS/6/3/1/1 – First Edition OS Map 1834
2. PRONI OS/6/3/1/2 – Second Edition OS map 1858
3. PRONI OS/6/3/1/3 – Third Edition OS Map 1900-02
4. PRONI OS/6/3/1/4 – Fourth Edition OS Map 1919-31
5. PRONI OS/6/3/1/5 – Fifth Edition OS Map 1938-41
6. PRONI VAL/1/A/3/1 – Townland Valuation Map (1828-40)
7. PRONI VAL/1/B/318 – Townland Valuation (1828-40)
8. PRONI VAL/2/B/3/1 – Griffith’s Valuation Map (1856-64)
9. PRONI VAL/2/B/3/18B – Griffith’s Valuation (1856-64)
10. PRONI VAL/12/B/17/10A-G – Annual Revisions (1867-1930)
11. PRONI VAL/12/B/17/11A-C – Annual Revisions (1888-1930)
12. PRONI Will of Henry Gunning, died 4/10/74
13. PRONI Will of James Gunning, died 29/10/75
14. Belfast and Ulster Directory, 1843

Secondary Sources

1. Glasgow, Henry “History of Cookstown” Moyola Books, 2008
2. Information from current owners.
3. NIEA files

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

A. Style
B. Proportion
C. Ornamentation
D. Plan Form
H+. Alterations enhancing the building
I. Quality and survival of Interior
J. Setting

Criteria for listing: historic interest

X. Local Interest

Evaluation

Greenmount is a two-storey three-bay early nineteenth-century house with attic. It was remodelled in the mid-nineteenth century in a rather fanciful Baronial style including a turret, castellated entrance tower and crow-stepped gables. Ornamentation is concentrated on the principal facade, whilst subservient elevations have a plain appearance characterised by simple proportions. Well preserved, the house is a good example of a relatively unusual type and relates in style to the bathing villas at Marino (HB23/18/036A - /038B)