The Albany

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

Long, relatively plain, two storey gabled building of c.1860s-70s, built to house the servants of guests staying at Ballywalter Park. The building is set a short distance to the north of the main house, roughly half a mile south of Ballywalter.

The gabled roof is slated with rendered parapets and four rendered chimney stacks. The building is mainly finished in plain render, though most of the lean to section has a brick facade.

The long front elevation is asymmetrical and faces S. It consists mainly of a series of large full height segmental arch recesses, some of which are linked. Set within three of the recesses are three timber sheeted entrance doors with single sash windows in each of the other recesses, with a horizontal astragal and vertical margin astragals, to the top sashes. The window to the far right has wrought iron bars in front of it. To the first floor (and also within the recesses) are sash windows with segmental arch heads, vertical and margin astragals.

The E gable has a set of stone steps which stretch to a doorway at first floor level.

Attached to the rear (N elevation) is a long (full length) lean to single storey section which appears to be divided into a number of store houses with various plain timber doorways and some small windows. The small portion of the lean to to the far right (W) is slightly taller than the remainder to the left and has two larger sash windows as front.

Next to the W gable is a long of line plain looking dog kennels.

Historical information

This building was probably built by Andrew Mulholland, possibly around c.1860s, to house the servants, grooms etc. of his guests at Ballywalter Park. It is now largely unused.

References- Primary sources
1 PRONI OS/6/3/12/1 OS maps, Down 12, 1834
2 PRONI VAL/1B/39 First valuation, Ballywalter, c.1834-38
3 PRONI VAL/2B/3/9 Second valuation, Ballywalter, c.1859
4 PRONI OS/6/3/12/2 OS maps, Down 12, 1860
5 PRONI VAL/12B/23/6a-f Annual valuation revision books, Ballywalter, 1866-1929

Secondary sources
1 Lord Dunleath et al, 'Ballywalter Park' (Belfast, UAHS 1985)
2 Alistair Rowan, "Ballywalter Park, Co. Down- I, II" in 'Country Life', vol.CXLI, No.3652, 2nd March 1967, pp.456-60: No.3653, 9th March 1967, pp.516-20
3 J.A.K. Dean, 'The Gate lodges of Ulster- a gazetteer', (Belfast, 1994), pp.11, 23, 63, 74.
4 Derek Patton, "The Village of Ballywalter- A brief history" in 'Journal of the Upper Ards Historical Society No.14' (1990), pp.10-15
5 A.J. Hughes and R.J. Hannan, 'Place-Names of Northern Ireland Vol. Two, County Down II- The Ards', (QUB, 1992), pp.71-73

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

B. Proportion
D. Plan Form
I. Quality and survival of Interior
J. Setting
K. Group value

Criteria for listing: historic interest

X. Local Interest

Evaluation

Long, relatively plain, two storey gabled building of c.1860s-70s, built to house the servants of guests staying at Ballywalter Park.