Steward’s House, Florida Manor, Florida Road, Kilmood, Killinchy, Co Down, BT23 6RU

Steward's House, Florida Manor, Kilmood

This is a small, one-and-a-half-storey steward's house of around 1820, built in rubble construction within the Florida Manor estate, situated to the south-west of the manor house itself. It is one of a series of vaguely gothick buildings constructed by David Gordon in the Kilmood area between approximately 1820 and 1822, and its architectural interest is enhanced by its group value with those related structures. The building has been derelict for some time and is partly covered in greenery.

The most distinctive external feature is the pair of large crow step gables, which closely resemble those of the entrance bay of Kilmood courthouse, also built by David Gordon around 1820 to 1822. The main roof is gabled and covered in Bangor blue slates, with three small skylights to the rear and a tall rendered chimney stack at eaves level to the rear. The main facade faces west. Slightly right of centre on this front elevation is a gabled entrance porch, which is clearly a later addition dating from the late Victorian or Edwardian period; it is built in brick, has a finial to the gable, and appears to have been harled at some point. The entrance is located on the north face of the porch and consists of a panelled door with two-pane sidelights. There is a small boarded-up window to the south face of the porch. To the left of the porch is a small window opening retaining the remains of a casement frame, and to the right is a further small window opening, now boarded up.

The south gable has a small window opening at ground-floor level and one at attic level; the attic window has an unusual trefoil relieving arch formed in brick above it. Attached at ground level to the right-hand side of the south gable is a small gabled extension with the remains of a large glazed opening to the front west elevation and a doorway to the south; the rear facade of this extension has been partly patched in breeze block. The north gable appears to be blank. To the rear facade there is a small window to the right, and to the left a brick-built lean-to store extension; the rear lean-to also appears to have been harled at some point. The main walling is un-rendered.

The Manor of Florida was created in 1638 on lands previously acquired by Sir James Montgomery, second son of Viscount Montgomery, from Con O'Neill. The name Florida is said to derive from Sir James's love of flowers. During the Commonwealth period of 1649 to 1660, the lands were placed in the custody of a Colonel Barrow, but were returned to Montgomery ownership after considerable dispute in 1664. In 1691 to 1692 the manor passed to the Crawford family, and came into the possession of Robert Gordon through his marriage to Ann, the niece and sole heiress of David Crawford, at around 1770. It was almost certainly one of the Gordons who built the present manor house, probably between around 1780 and 1800, with some sources suggesting a date of 1796 based on an inscribed timber found in the stables. The manor house may have been constructed around an earlier Montgomery dwelling, which a later datestone in the adjacent farmyard suggests may have dated from around 1676. The estate is shown on the first edition Ordnance Survey map of 1834, which marks the manor house, the large farmyard to the rear, the steward's house, and the gate lodges to the east and north. By the time of the revised Ordnance Survey map of 1859 to 1860, a return to the west had been added, linking the house with the stable block, and the rear conservatory or porch and the early Victorian chimney pots may also have been added around this time. In the later 19th century, with the passing of successive Land Acts, much of the Gordon estate began to be sold off, and by the 1880s the manor house itself appears to have been leased by a Thomas Brand. By at least 1917, the demesne and its buildings had been acquired by William Devenney, a local farmer, who appears to have lived in the steward's house. Florida Manor, now unoccupied, fell into disrepair during this period, but after the Second World War it was bought by Milo Pickaar, who undertook significant renovation works.

The steward's house itself is shown on both the 1834 and 1859 to 1860 Ordnance Survey maps. It was almost certainly built around 1820 by David Gordon. The valuation records for Florida Manor do not record it separately, grouping it instead with the estate offices, but in the early 20th century the house was occupied by William Devenney. It was in all likelihood during this period of occupation that the present interior detailing was added, with the front porch perhaps dating from this time or slightly earlier.