Stables at Mount Stewart

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

Rubble built ‘U’ shaped two storey (mainly) gabled stable block of c.1846 by Charles Campbell, with Classical overtones and a domestic (as opposed to outbuilding) appearance. The building, which has been subdivided into flats, originally served Mount Stewart house and is situated a short distance to the SE of the house itself, cut into a small hill, giving a steep embankment to the north and south sides.

Roofs all have Bangor blue slates and are gabled at front and hipped to the rear. Brick chimney stacks, cast iron rw goods, PVC soil drainage.

The yard is bounded on the W side by a gate screen with rusticated sandstone pillars with pyramidal caps. The inner pillars have coach lamps. There are pedestrian gates between both outer and centre pillars, with low walls with spearhead railings to the outer sides of the outer most pillars.

To the centre of the symmetrical W elevation is a slightly projecting bay with central timber sheeted double door, with stone canopy on stone brackets. To either immediate side of the door is a sash window, with small panes. To the first floor of the bay are three evenly spaced similar looking PVC windows (simulated sash). The bay is topped with a pediment with roundel feature with Scrabo stone dressings (as all windows to courtyard) and decorative insert with star shape. To either side of the bay are single windows to each floor as before (PVC to first floor).

Each side of the building is completed by large forward projecting symmetrical wings (the uprights of the ‘U’). The facades facing into the courtyard each have five evenly spaced windows (as before) to the first floor. To the ground floor of each are three large conjoined segmental arch openings, each with plain sheeted double timber doors with door/window to the inner side. The front (W) facing gables of the wings each have a window to the ground and first floors as before and a gable pediment with a recessed roundel feature.

The N elevation has a partly blocked (or reduced) doorway and small blocks former window openings to the ground floor. To the right on the first floor is a casement window, a blocked window opening to the centre and glazed door to the right. This upper floor door is reached via a timber bridge which spans from an embankment on the N side over the enclosing path.

The E elevation has a slightly projecting bay to each side, each with one window to the ground floor (as front) and one PVC window to the first floor (simulated sash). The centre bay has two small PVC windows to either side of a central timber doorway a door, at first floor level. The door is reached by way on a metal fire escape stair. A small segmental arch timber bridge spans from the half landing of the stair, over a pathway to the embankment on the E, which has a stone retaining wall. Either side of the stair is one ground floor window.

The S elevation has a door to the first floor left which is accessed via a straight fire escape metal stair to the right of which are two PVC windows (as before). To the ground floor centre is a small blocked opening, with a window (as ground floor front) to the right. Stonework is random rubble with Scrabo stone dressings (‘in and out’) in openings and quoins to courtyard sides, with brick dressings to openings to rear sides.

Historical information

This block was built in 1846 to designs by Charles Campbell. It was completed roughly at the same time as work was finishing on the rebuilding of the east wing of Mount Stewart house itself.

References- Primary sources.
1 PRONI D.654/H2/7 Londonderry Papers Estate ledger 1828-50
2 PRONI VAL/2B/3/4 Second valuation, Greyabbey, c.1859
2 PRONI OS/6/3/11/2 OS maps, Down 11, 1860

Secondary sources
1 'Mount Stewart' (National Trust, 1986)
2 Anne Casement, 'Mount Stewart landscape study' (National Trust Northern Ireland Region, 1995)

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

A. Style
B. Proportion
C. Ornamentation
H-. Alterations detracting from building
K. Group value

Criteria for listing: historic interest

V. Authorship
X. Local Interest

Evaluation

Rubble-built U- shaped two storey gabled stable block of c.1846 by Charles Campbell, with mild Classical overtones and a domestic (as opposed to outbuilding) appearance. The building, which has been subdivided into flats, originally served Mount Stewart house.