Ballygowan House,

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

Large-ish two storey farm house of pre 1833 origin, recently greatly extended and now used as a offices for a building firm.

In the middle of the front (S) façade is a huge flat-roofed porch extension which was added recently. To the E face of this extension is a large elliptical arch headed doorway with timber door, ‘spoked’ fanlight and sidelights. The doorway is flaked by two Tuscan columns which support a projecting ‘lintel’ hood with cornice. To the S face of the extension is a Venetian window. Ramp to doorway.

To the left and to the right of the extension is a sash window with Georgian panes (8 over 8); the left hand window is covered with a metal grill. To the first floor are three similar windows. All windows frames appear to have been replaced recently and most have modern concrete cills.

The E gable has a window as front to the left on the ground floor, now covered with a grill. At attic level is a small four pane window.

The W gable has a similar arrangement, but the windows appear much older and the gable itself has a dilapidated appearance.

To the centre of the rear façade is a very large two storey gabled return with windows to all side, all modern, but made to resemble the sash versions to the front. To the left of the return (on the main rear façade) is a narrow sash window to the first floor. To the right of the return the rear façade a first floor window has been blocked.

The front façade, E gable and return are finished in plain render and painted. The W gable and the right side of the rear façade are mainly finished in rough cast which has flaked off in places.

The gabled roof is covered in Bangor blue slates with two yellow brick chimney stacks with some early to mid 19th century looking octagonal pots.

Builders yard to rear with original outbuildings used as stores etc.

Historical information

A building is shown on this site on the OS map of 1834 which largely resembles the plan of the present property prior to the recent extensions. A similar building is shown on the revised map of 1858, now marked ‘Ballygowan House’.

In origin the house may be early to mid 18th century and may have been built by the Reids, a family of linen drapers and bleachers, who held much of the lands within Ballygowan from the 1740s at least. In the will of James Reid (1765) ‘Ballygowan House’ is mentioned and United Irish leader Rev. William Steel Dickson tells us that he spent two nights at ‘Ballygowan House, the seat of Robert Rollo Reid Esq.’, in May 1798. (Reid himself appears to have been a United Irishman, but was later induced to give evidence against Steel Dickson).

Robert Rollo Reid died in 1805 without issue and his lands were bought at auction by Lord Dufferin, who in turn sold them to a William Lowry. In a 1819 rental for Ballygowan townland Dufferin’s land agent is noted as living in Ballygowan House ‘a large 3 storey house’, however whether this agent was one of the Lowry’s is uncertain for the valuation returns of 1835 state that the house was at this point leased to a Samuel Orr. By the time of the 2nd valuation (c.1863) it was in the hands of a Lowry (Samuel) again. The Lowry family appear to have remained in Ballygowan House until at least 1886. For much of the 20th century the property was home to the Mageean family, one of whom became RC Bishop of Down & Connor. The building was acquired by the present owner’s father in 1969 and it is currently used as the offices for a building firm.

References- Primary sources
1 PRONI MIC 510/1/116 Lease of lands at Ballygowan, Robert Kyle, Ballybeen, to James Reid, Ballygowan 1746.
2 PRONI D.1071/A/H2/82/2 Dufferin Papers Note of Will of James Reid, Ballygowan House 1765. [James Reid died in 1785.]
3 PRONI MIC 510/2/273 Lease of lands at Ballygowan, Daniel Mussenden to Hugh Reade [Reid] 1785.
4 ‘Narrative of the Confinement & Exile of W. Steel Dickson’, (1811), pp.44-46.
5 Linen Hall Library BNL 8 Mar. 1805. [Notice of the of Robert Rollo Reid of Ballygowan.]
6 Linen Hall Library BNL 12 April 1805 [Notice of auction of the late Robert Rollo Reid’s furniture etc. at Ballygowan House.]
7 Linen Hall library BNL 4 Oct. 1805 [Notice of the sale (at the Donegall Arms Belfast) of Ballygowan House, lands etc.]
8 PRONI D.1071/A/H2/82/23 Dufferin Papers Rental for Ballygowan 1819.
9 PRONI OS map 1st ed. 1834, Down 16.
10 PRONI VAL1B/316C, p.16 1st valuation Comber parish 1834.
11 ‘Ordnance Survey Memoirs of Ireland Vol.7: Parishes of County Down II’, ed. Angelique Day and Patrick McWilliams (QUB 1991), pp. 40.
12 PRONI OS map 1st rev. 1858-60, Down 16.
13 PRONI 2nd valuation Comber parish c.1863.
14 George Henry Basset ‘Co. Down Guide and Directory’ (Dublin 1886), p.282.

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

Not listed

Criteria for listing: historic interest

Not listed

Evaluation

Substantial two storey farm house of possible mid 18th century construction now used as the offices for a building firm. A large porch extension has been added to the front and the rear return rebuilt on a larger scale.