Mountpleasant

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

Mountpleasant is a large, formal, two storey late Georgian farm house, built in 1820 on the site of a house burnt down in the Rising of 1798. The house is set on top of a slight rise within its own grounds at the end of a winding drive off the Scrabo Road, on the western edge of Newtownards.

Front (E) facade has a central ‘Ards’ doorway with ‘blocked’ (Gibbs-like) pilasters with moulded cap which extends as a ‘transom’ below semicircular ‘blocked’ architrave with keystone. The front door is panelled with semicircular ‘spoked’ fanlight above. To either side of the doorway is a sash window with ‘Georgian’ panes ( 12 over 12) with three similar (but slightly smaller) windows to the first floor.

The N gable has a window to the left on the ground and first floors, as front, with a semicircular arched attic window opening high in the gable, with sash frame and horizontal glazing bars. Below the ground floor window to the left is the open stairwell to the basement, which is surrounded by a low rendered wall with decorative wrought iron railings. Partly attached to the right hand side of this gable is a two level gabled extension (which may have been part of the original house of the 1700s) which is partly finished in rough cast render but mainly unrendered. The ground floor of the front (E) facade of this extension has a large flat arched garage opening. To the upper level is a single paned window to the left, with a larger three light window to the left of this. The N gable of the extension has a large upper level arched fixed light window opening, which a broad modern looking window to the lower level. At the right hand side of this gable is an odd multi sided single storey ‘turret’, to the rear of which is a recessed doorway with ogee arch head and modern partly glazed door. The turret has a hipped roof with Bangor blue slates.

The S gable has an attic window high in gable as N gable with three windows to the first floor with sash frames with horizontal glazing bars. Attached to the right on the ground floor is a fairly recently built (c.1970) single storey gabled extension with three narrow medieval style fixed like windows to the front (E) with flat pointed (Tudor) arch heads and moulded reveals. There is a similar shaped doorway to the right on the S gable of the extension, with a modern ‘corner’ window and large modern patio doors to the rear. The extension is finished in an odd contrived looking rough cast render. To the left on the ground floor of the main S gable is a window with modern frame and a doorway to the right of this with modern totally glazed door. This gable merges with the S facade of a two storey flat roofed return/extension, which has a sash window to the first floor and a large modern kitchen window to the ground floor.

The rear of the main house has been much altered in recent times. To the right is the two storey flat roofed extension which has a single storey section attached to its N facade and the rear of the main building. The N facade of the extension as a whole (i.e. both the single and two storey sections) has modern windows and a modern glazed door with large fanlights and sidelights. To the left of the extension (on the main house) is a large modern kitchen window. To the first floor left is a sash window with horizontal glazing bars with a small oddly shaped modern window to the right of this.

The rear of the old extension to the N has two now blocked window openings with a centre stone mullion at what is now a ‘semi-basement level. These windows may once have been at ground floor level (and may date from the time of the original house) but the ground level towards the rear of the present house has been heightened, thus giving these windows a semi-basement’ appearance. To the first floor of the extension are two sets of two similar two light windows (i.e. with centre mullion), now with modern frames. The far right of the rear facade of this extension is a recessed section which is flush with the rear of the main house (and covered in the same fairly recent looking rough cast render and the main house). This section has a small fixed light window to the upper level and a modern partly glazed door to the ground floor.

The front facade and gables of the main house are finished is a ‘salt & pepper’ pebbledash render and covered in climbing plant growth. The rear of the main house and the flat roofed extensions are finished in rough cast.

The main roof is gabled and pitched with Bangor blue sates and two large-ish flat roofed dormers to the rear, with modern windows. Between the dormers is a small skylight. Stone parapets. Rendered chimney stack to each main gable. The old extension to the N has a Bangor blue slated gabled roof with stone parapets and a brick chimney stack to the front (in an odd position). The modern extension to the S has a gabled roof with concrete tiles. Mixture of cast iron and PVC rw goods.

To the rear of the house is a large (now concreted) former farm yard. To the rear (NW) of this is a large two storey rubble built outbuilding with Tullycavey slates to the gabled roof and various ‘medieval’ style window openings (much like those to the front of the modern extension to the S). This building is now in poor order but it looks as old as the house itself, if not older.

Historical information

This house was built in 1820 on the site of an earlier farm house burnt down in the rising of 1798. The present house may have been built by the Belfast architect John Millar, as he is listed in the valuation records of 1833 as the owner. In 1842 the house and farm was bought by William Mayne, the ancestor of the present owner and also of Blair Mayne, the man instrumental in the formation of the SAS. William Mayne built the small gate lodge at the end of the drive (now 147 Scrabo Road) in 1846. During this century most of the land formerly belonging to Mountpleasant has been sold, with a the fairly recently built dual carriageway cutting through a short distance to the north of the house, Scrabo County Secondary School sited a short distance to the west. Some houses have also been recently built along the SW side of the drive off Scrabo Road.

Judging from the cellars it may be assumed that the original house of the 1700s was probably quite substantial and may also have been two storey. The outbuildings to the rear and the small extension to the north look as though they may predate the present house (though the evidence of the 1834 OS Map is inconclusive regarding the extension), and may have been contemporary with the earlier dwelling. Both buildings also have odd elements of ‘medieval’-like styling, perhaps indicating that the original farmhouse may have possessed mock ‘gothick’ features.

References- Primary sources
1 PRONI D.654/LE8 Londonderry Papers- Leases relating to Ballycullen townland, 1750-[?]
2 PRONI D.654/M8/1-4 Londonderry Papers- Maps of Ballycullen townland, 1790-1821.
3 PRONI Ordnance Survey Maps, 1st ed. 1834, Co. Down sheet 5.
4 PRONI VAL 1B/322 p.23 1st valuation, parish of Newtownards, townland of Ballycullen, c.1835.
5 PRONI Ordnance Survey Maps, 1st rev. 1858-60, Co. Down sheet 5.
6 PRONI 2nd (‘Griffith’s’) valuation, parish of Newtownards, townland of Ballycullen, c.1861.

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

A. Style
B. Proportion
C. Ornamentation
H-. Alterations detracting from building
I. Quality and survival of Interior
J. Setting

Criteria for listing: historic interest

X. Local Interest
V. Authorship

Evaluation

Large, two storey, late Georgian farm house of 1820, built on the site of an earlier house of the 1700s. In recent times a small but inappropriate single storey extension has been added to the south and a large modern extension to the rear, the interior has been altered somewhat as well, changes which have eroded the impact of what is otherwise a good example of a strong farmer’s house of the period. The basement of the earlier dwelling has survived. The small single storey ‘extension’ to the north may be part of the original eighteenth century house also, as may the large outbuilding to the rear.