Tullyhinan House, 40 Halfway Road, Mullafernaghan, Banbridge, Co Down, BT32 4EZ

Tullyhinan House is a two-storey Victorian house built in 1850 to the designs of architect Thomas Turner, replacing an earlier dwelling. The house is situated approximately 2 miles northeast of Banbridge, adjacent to the junction between Skeltons Road and Half-Way Road.

The building has a square plan form with an adjoining campanile tower and various abutments to the rear. The roof is of natural slate with hipped eaves, leaded hips and ridges, and concealed rainwater goods. The chimneystack is smooth rendered with a moulded entablature.

The ground floor features rusticated channelled walling, while the first floor has smooth render. A moulded entablature parapet with patera on the frieze and moulded cornice surmounts the first floor, with a moulded plinth course and projected plinth at ground level.

Windows throughout are 1/1 timber sliding sash with horns and continuous cill courses. Ground floor windows have moulded architraves embraced by plain pilasters rising to scrolled brackets supporting a moulded cornice with patera on the frieze. First floor windows are slightly diminished in height, with moulded reveals flanked by pilasters featuring projected base and capital adorned with patera, rising to a cornice. Four raised-and-fielded doors have beaded muntins with plain pilaster frames, moulded transoms, etched glass side lights with apron panels, and rectangular over lights.

The principal south-facing elevation is asymmetrically arranged with a centrally positioned entrance portico. The portico comprises squared corner piers with projected pilasters to the inward faces and plain Doric columns, all with moulded base and capitals supporting a moulded entablature. The portico is flanked by single ground floor windows, with three first floor windows directly over the ground floor openings.

The west elevation is asymmetrically arranged. The ground floor right is abutted by a single-storey flat roof canted bay with windows to all faces, cornicing surmounted with ball finials, and two first floor windows directly over. The left side is slightly projected, with tripartite ground floor and first floor windows fully complemented with matching surrounds.

The rear elevation is asymmetrically arranged with a blank left side. The central bay is abutted by a two-storey rear return adjoining the earlier building with matching proportions and plain smooth rendered walling without detailing. The west cheek comprises a replacement glazed door to the left with a diminished-in-scale window to the right and a slight first floor window. The gable abuts the earlier building, with a door at ground floor and a single first floor window over on the left side. The east elevation of the return is abutted by a lean-to block at the re-entrant and further abutted to the east by a pitched roof extension with a slated roof and modern casement picture windows throughout, supplemented by sliding sash windows to ground and first floor on the left side of the lean-to gable.

The east elevation is asymmetrically arranged. The left portion comprises two ground and first floor windows. The right is abutted by the campanile via a two-storey link block.

The campanile comprises three stages with matching walling detail. The ground floor has a window with surrounds to the east face, a round-headed window breaking through the cill course, and a blank rectangular panel over. A blank oculus appears on the north elevation. Three rectangular openings are positioned to all sides with mouldings rising to the eaves cornice and a pyramidal slate roof surmounted by a copper weather vane.

The house is largely screened from view by mature trees encompassing the site. Access is from the south via the former Half-Way Road, which runs parallel to the new dual carriageway. From the main entrance, a sweeping driveway approaches the house, which sits on an elevated site. The immediate grounds in front have not been formalised by landscaping. A secondary entrance from the west of Skeltons Road accesses the rear of the dwelling via a straight private tree-lined lane.

The outbuildings to the rear, pre-dating 1860, comprise a single-storey rubble masonry linear block with brick surrounds and pitched natural slate roof, and a two-storey partially rendered rubble masonry block with brick surrounds and chimneys in an advanced state of decay. A smaller yard to the rear of the main dwelling is entered via brick gate piers and a round-headed arched pedestrian access. An outbuilding adjoining the dwelling is a two-storey linear block of partially rendered rubble masonry walling with a slate roof, some sliding sash windows, and timber louvered windows. The building has a chamfered corner abutting the dwelling with enclosed stairs via a round-headed entrance and is in a generally advanced state of decay. Modern outbuildings are located to the rear of the site and to the northeast.