Herdstown House

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

Substantial two storey gabled gentleman farmer’s residence of perhaps c.1770-80 with large full height gabled entrance bay to front and large (partly mid 19th century) rear return. The property is set on a slight rise to the W of Hogstown Road, just over 1 mile W of Donaghadee and now also serves as a guest house.

The symmetrical front elevation faces E. To the centre of the elevation is a large full height gabled bay. To the ground floor of this bay is the main entrance which consists of a panelled timber door with semicircular fanlight with spoked / spider’s web tracery. The door is encased with stone pilasters with plain shafts and, acanthus leaf capitals. The fanlight has a reeded [?or scalloped] architrave with keystone with urn and swag moulding thereon. The doorway is flanked by narrow six pane sidelights with c.1970s circle pattern glazing.

To the first floor of the bay is a (relatively small) sash window. To either side of the bay there is a slightly taller sash window to the ground floor, with a slightly shorter version to each side on first floor level.

The S gable has a sash window to right on the first floor, with two small attic windows with two pane frames which resemble sash ones but which appear to be fixed. The N gable has two sash windows to both ground and first floors, with two much smaller sash windows to attic level. This gable merges with the N face of the large two storey gabled return, which has two sash windows and a squatter modern window to the ground floor and three smaller sash windows to the first floor. To the W end the return is abutted by a lower two storey outbuilding.

To the S face of the return there is a two storey lean-to. The S face of the lean-to has three windows with modern frames to the ground floor, and three windows (of differing size) to the first floor, also with modern frames. To the W face of the lean-to there is a modern door to the ground floor and a window to first floor, as S face. The exposed (right hand) section of the rear façade of the main section of the house ahs a window to both floors, both with modern frames.

The entire façade is finished in painted rough cast. All sections of the roof appear to be covered in asbestos slate. Velux window to lean-to section. There is a rendered chimney stack to the two main gables of the main section of the house, with another two to the return. All these stacks appear to have been rebuilt or re-rendered in recent times. The rw goods appear to be main cast iron.

Large collection of outbuildings to rear, that to N post c.1860, two storey with a rubble façade and hipped roof; that to W (probably) pre 1834, much longer, finished in rough cast with a gabled roof, but now sporting many enlarged window openings with c.1950s metal frames.

Historical information

The main section of Herdstown House and part of the rear return are shown on the OS map of 1834. The valuation of the following year confirms that at this stage the return was indeed somewhat smaller, measuring 29ft x 19 x 20½ and states that the house was relatively old at this point, perhaps dating from the mid to later 1700s. The revised OS map of 1858-60 indicates that the return had taken on much of its present form by that date.

The owner recorded in the 1835 valuation is one Alexander McMinn, whose family had held the property since at least 1814 and may have actually been responsible for its building. The actual date of construction, however, is not certain; a house belonging to ‘McMinn esq’ is shown to the west south-west of Donaghadee on Taylor’s and Skinner’s map of 1777, but as the same map appears to refer to this house as ‘Temple Patrick’ it is probable that this is a different dwelling situated within Templepatrick townland to the south of Donaghadee. Herdstown House is shown on James Williamson’s map of 1810, however.

The McMinns remained at Herdstown until at least 1886. At some point during the 19th century (according to the present owner) the property served as an inn.

References- Primary sources
1 ‘Taylor’s and Skinner’s Maps of the roads of Ireland’ (Dublin 1777), map 11 [Copy in Linen Hall Library and PRONI Library.]
2 PRONI D.616 James Williamson’s maps of Co Down, 1810
3 ‘Directory of noted places (Dublin 1814) [Copy in PRONI search room.]
4 PRONI OS/6/3/2/1 OS map, 1834, Co Down sh 2
5 PRONI VAL 1B/32 p.3 1st valuation, Donaghadee parish, 1835
6 PRONI OS/6/3/2/2 OS map, 1858-60, Co Down sh 2
7 PRONI 2nd (‘Griffith’s’) valuation Donaghadee parish, Donaghadee, c.1861-3 [In print in PRONI search room.]
8 PRONI OS/6/3/2/3 OS map, c.1901, Co Down sh 2

Secondary sources
1 Hugh Dixon, Ken Kenmuir and Jill Kennett, ‘Historic buildings…Donaghadee and Portpatrick’ (Belfast, 1977), p.33 [This book points out the similarity between Herdstown House and ‘Rockville’ in Portpatrick in Scotland, a town much linked to Donaghadee in terms of trade and travel prior to the mid 1800s. Both houses have large gabled bays to front, a design feature which, in pre c.1830 Ulster houses, is quite rare.]

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

A. Style
B. Proportion
D. Plan Form
H-. Alterations detracting from building
I. Quality and survival of Interior

Criteria for listing: historic interest

X. Local Interest

Evaluation

Substantial two storey gabled gentleman farmer’s residence of perhaps c.1770-80 with large full height gabled entrance bay to front and large (partly mid 19th century) rear return. Most of the windows to the rear have modern frames.