Castle Espie House,

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

Castle Espie House is a large two storey residence of c.1870-75, vaguely Regency in style but with an asymmetrical front façade. The house was built for the manager of the near by brick works and is set within its own grounds, to the N of the Ballydrain Road, c.2 miles SW of Comber.

The front façade faces E. In the centre is a large elliptical arched recess wherein is the panelled entrance door with plain sidelights and elliptical fanlight. The recess is encased with plain moulded pilasters and an archivolt with keystone. To the left of the entrance is a full height canted bay with hipped roof. Each face of the bay to each floor contains a sash window. The window to the broader W face (to each floor) is slightly larger and has vertical glazing bars (2 panes over 2). To the right of the entrance is a large window with tripartite sash frame (2 over 2 to central light). To the first floor centre and right are two sash windows with vertical glazing bars (2 over 2).

The S façade is in two bays, with that to the centre and right projecting. To the ground floor left is a large tripartite sash window, as front. To the far left are a pair of French doors which are a fairly recent insertion [?was there once a window here]. To the left on the first floor is a sash window, as first floor front, and to the centre is a tall stairwell window with semicircular head and sash frame with margin panes.

The N façade has a large tripartite sash window to the right on the ground floor, with a first floor window directly above (as first floor front). To the very right hand (W) edge this façade is abutted by a single storey section which merges with a line of outbuildings to the N. The short W face of this section contains a doorway which leads into the house proper.

The W façade is in two bays with that to the centre and right projecting. To the left of centre on both floors there is a sash window with semicircular head.

The entire façade is finished in unpainted lined render with a plain projecting course between ground and first floor level to all sides. The E and S facades have in/out quoins to ground floor level. The roof is hipped and has an overhang. It is covered in natural slates. Three rendered chimney stacks with tall decorative pots. Metal rw goods.

To the N of the house there is an enclosed yard with outbuildings to N and W and a high wall with timber (electrically operated) gates. The outbuilding to the W side single storey with a gabled and hipped roof and a rough cast façade. To its W face are some small windows and to the E face are three doorways. The outbuilding to the N side is largely two storey with a hipped roof. To its S face there are two stable doors and a sash window, with a ‘loft’ door to the upper level. There is also a small gabled bird house attached to this façade. To the W of the house is the front drive which has low wrought iron gates with decorative cast iron posts.

Appropriately enough, Castle Espie House is actually built of Castle Espie brick.

Historical information

The quarrying of the limestone deposits (for farm and building use) had been carried out on a small scale since the 1600s at least. In 1740 it was reported that the activity had largely ceased as ‘there is no great demand for it’, but the OS Memoirs noted in 1834 the area had ‘extensive limestone quarries’ the stone of which was ‘principally sent to the various towns on the shores of Strangford Lough’, and, three years later, Lewis's Topographical Dictionary reported that the quarries were ‘extensively worked’.

At this stage much of the land with Castle Espie belonged to the See of Down, who in 1802 had leased it to Mr. Henry Waring Knox. Waring Knox appears to have sub let the quarry lands to a local farmer named McKee. Around 1850 most of Waring Knox’s lands in the area were bought by Samuel Murland, a prominent linen merchant from Castlewellan (Annsborough). Murland did not purchase the actual land on which the quarries lay, as these remained the subject of a suit in the Court of Chancery until 1864. Once the suit was settled, however, the land was acquired by Samuel’s son, Robert, who commenced the large scale production of lime for agricultural purposes in 1865, installing new kilns and building the present pier. To make use of the large amounts of clay extracted during the quarrying process, Robert also installed some new ‘Hoffman’ kilns from Germany, capable of both the burning of lime and firing of brick.

Robert Murland died in 1867 (aged only 30), before the business was fully up and running, and the Castle Espie works were taken over by his father who ran them with his nephew, Charles Murland, and his son in law, John Fenton. They purchased two vessels, the ‘Jessie Ray’ and the ‘Woodland’ [?or ‘Woodlawn’] and began shipping burnt lime and bricks throughout the Strangford. A description of the Castle Espie site in 1874 noted that what was previously a bare beach had been converted to a hive of industry with nearly two hundred people employed. As well as lime and the production of 100,000 bricks per year, tiles were also made as well as unglazed and half-glazed crockery in the form of bowls, jugs, tea pots and flower pots. A small amount of fully glazed ornamental wares were also produced. A terrace of houses (‘The Red Row’) were built on the site for some of the employees.

Though Castle Espie appeared prosperous the production techniques were costly and Samuel Murland appears to have heavily subsidised the whole business from his own pocket. Thus, when he died in 1878 with him died the main drive behind the whole scheme. The works closed down in 1879 and though offered for sale in 1885, were never re-opened save for a small amount of lime burnt by a local named Petticrew. The offer for sale indicated that the plant was capable of producing 12,000 tons of lime per annum as well as 24,000 bricks daily (obviously brick production had risen sharply after 1874).

In 1885 the site was bought by the Craig family who in 1912 sold it to William Dickson, a local man whose family had owned the neighbouring Quarry Farm since at least 1724. Dickson grazed the land and used the buildings to house live stock and farm produce. In 1966 the Quarry Farm and the former works lands were sold by Mr. Dickson’s daughter in law to a Mr. McCleery, who built a small runway for light aircraft, clearing away the kilns and the workers’ houses in the process. McCleery sold the lands in 1978 to Paddy Mackie who landscaped the former quarry holes into fresh water lakes and introduced water fowl. Today, mainly through Mr. Mackie’s efforts, Castle Espie is a thriving conservation centre, providing a habitat for over 80 species of wild fowl.

Castle Espie House was built as the works manager’s residence and probably dates from c.1870-75. Quite appropriately, it is constructed from Castle Espie brick.

References- Primary sources
1 PRONI OS/1/3/10 OS map, 1st ed. 1834, Down 11.
2 ‘Ordnance Survey Memoirs of Ireland Vol.7: Parishes of County Down II’, ed. Angelique Day and Patrick McWilliams (QUB1991), p.123.
3 Samuel Lewis ‘Topographical Dictionary of Ireland’ (London 1837).
4 PRONI OS/6/3/10/3 OS map, 1st rev. 1858, Down 11.
5 PRONI 2nd valuation, Comber, 1861.
6 George Henry Bassett ‘County Down Guide and Directory’ (Dublin 1886), pp.303-305.
7 PRONI OS/2/3/10 OS map, 2nd ed. 1901, Down 11.

Secondary sources
1 ‘Castle Espie: A Short History’ (Pamphlet produced at Castle Espie ?1990s).

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

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

Criteria for listing: historic interest

Y. Social, Cultural or Economic Importance
X. Local Interest

Evaluation

Fine, two storey hipped roof residence of c.1870-75, built for the manager of the near by Castle Espie brick works. The house is vaguely Regency in appearance but has an asymmetrical front façade with a canted bay to one side. There is a small yard to the north side with original outbuildings.