Stables at Mount Stewart, Mount Stewart, Newtownards, Co. Down, BT22 2RU(?)

Stables at Mount Stewart

This is a rubble-built, U-shaped stable block of approximately 1846, designed by Charles Campbell to serve Mount Stewart house. It stands a short distance to the south-east of the main house, cut into a small hill with steep embankments to its north and south sides.

The building is two storeys, mainly gabled in appearance, with Classical overtones that give it a domestic rather than utilitarian quality. All roofs are laid with Bangor blue slates and are gabled at the front and hipped to the rear. Brick chimney stacks, cast iron rainwater goods, and PVC soil drainage have been installed.

The courtyard is bounded on the west side by a gate screen with rusticated sandstone pillars capped with pyramidal finials. The inner pillars carry coach lamps. Pedestrian gates sit between the outer and centre pillars, with low walls featuring spearhead railings on the outer sides of the outermost pillars.

The symmetrical west elevation is dominated by a slightly projecting central bay topped with a pediment containing a roundel feature and decorative star-shaped insert in Scrabo stone. The bay has a central timber sheeted double door with a stone canopy on stone brackets. Either side of the door are sash windows with small panes; the first floor has three similar-looking PVC windows in simulated sash style. Single windows flank the bay on each floor. Large forward-projecting symmetrical wings form the uprights of the U-shape. The courtyard-facing facades of each wing have five evenly spaced windows to the first floor, while the ground floor contains three large conjoined segmental arch openings with plain sheeted timber doors and inner door-windows. The west-facing gables of the wings each have windows to ground and first floors and a pediment with recessed roundel feature.

The north elevation has a partly blocked or reduced doorway and small blocked former window openings to the ground floor. The first floor has a casement window and a central blocked window opening, with a glazed door to the right reached via a timber bridge spanning from the embankment.

The east elevation has slightly projecting bays either side, each with one ground floor window and one PVC window to the first floor. The central bay contains two small PVC windows flanking a central timber doorway at first floor level, accessed by a metal fire escape stair with a small segmental arch timber bridge spanning to a stone retaining wall on the embankment. The south elevation has a first floor door on the left accessed via a straight metal fire escape stair, with PVC windows to either side. The ground floor centre has a small blocked opening with a window to the right.

The stonework is random rubble with Scrabo stone dressings ('in and out') to openings and quoins on the courtyard sides, and brick dressings to openings on the rear sides.

The building has been subdivided into flats. The stable block and gate screen are listed together as a group.