Mutton Hill, 71 Dromore Road, Banbridge, County Down, BT25 1JK

Mutton Hill is an unusual one-and-a-half-storey, three-bay roughcast rendered house built around 1820 and significantly remodelled around 1850. It sits on an elevated rural site to the north side of Dromore Road in Banbridge, and represents a notable architectural hybrid of Georgian and Victorian styles in a gentrified vernacular idiom. Historic fabric from both periods has survived in virtually original condition, and the Victorian modifications have produced a floor plan of particular interest. The various outbuildings to the rear yard add further to the character and interest of the site.

Architectural Description

The house has a rectangular plan with a polygonal glazed porch to the front and a two-storey extension dating from around 1850 to the rear, creating parallel ridges. A single-storey porch abuts the southeast corner. The roof is pitched and covered in natural slate with ridge tiles and raised verges; four tall roughcast rendered chimneystacks carry tall clay pots. Rainwater goods on the projecting eaves are a mixture of cast-iron and extruded aluminium ogee profile. Windows are replacement multi-paned timber casements, with timber sliding sash windows where noted, set on projecting granite sills.

The principal elevation faces southwest. Two multi-paned casement windows flank a polygonal multi-paned porch, which screens the original elliptical entrance. The entrance is fitted with a four-panelled timber door with brass door furniture, a spiderweb fanlight, and geometric sidelights. At wall-head level is a tripartite dormer with 2/2 glazing (vertical astragals) flanked by diminutive 2/2 windows (horizontal astragals) with glazed cheeks.

The northwest elevation has a 6/6 timber sliding sash window to the left of centre at first-floor level, and two further 6/6 windows to the left of centre at ground floor. The gable of the rear extension projects from this elevation and carries a diminutive window to the attic, a canted oriel window to the first floor (6/6 with 2/2 cheeks), and a multi-paned window to the ground floor.

The northeast elevation is entirely abutted by the Victorian two-storey extension and a single-storey lean-to porch. The rear extension has asymmetrical fenestration with two 6/6 windows at first-floor level and three windows at ground floor. The lean-to porch to the left is slightly recessed and contains a modern glazed timber door and a timber casement window, opening to the southeast via a modern timber-sheeted door.

The southeast elevation has a projecting chimneybreast containing a 6/6 window to the attic and a multi-paned timber casement window at ground floor. The gable of the rear extension, which also projects from this side, carries a 2/2 window to the attic.

Setting

The house is accessed via a long tree-lined avenue from Dromore Road. A gravelled driveway to the front is entered through two roughcast rendered gate piers supporting replacement timber gates. The rear yard is accessed through a set of painted gate piers with pointed stone caps. The yard contains a variety of rendered and whitewashed outbuildings, all with timber-sheeted half-doors and some retaining original fenestration.

The earliest outbuilding is a rubble stone block to the south, abutting the southeast corner of the house, with a multi-paned window and timber-sheeted door to the south gable and timber-sheeted half-doors to the east elevation. The stable block to the east has raised stone verges, a weathervane, and an original wrought-iron latch-gate to the southeast gable. To the south of the yard stands a Victorian slated dog kennel with wrought-iron railings and a latch-gate.

Historical Background

The Georgian house in its original form is shown on the first edition Ordnance Survey map of 1833 as a linear structure, accompanied by a range of outbuildings and twin gate lodges. By the time of the second edition map of 1860, the house had been remodelled and extended considerably to the rear, with gardens planted with trees and laid out with pathways surrounding it. The 1860 edition names the house 'Mutton Hill' and notes a gate lodge at the head of the entrance driveway. This gate lodge, now demolished, has been dated to around 1820 by Dean, who provides a photograph and description.

The house could not be identified in the Townland Valuation as the reference map is missing. By the time of Griffith's Valuation (1856–64), the occupier was William Campbell Evans, who leased the house from James Henry MD. The house and outbuildings — including the gate lodge and a labourer's house — were valued at £21 10s. The valuer recorded that the house had a south aspect and was in a commanding situation with a good view of Banbridge and the surrounding district. The associated land amounted to over 22 acres. Valuation records gave dimensions for the single-storey house, its two-storey return, and a further single-storey addition to the rear.

In 1873 the house passed to Elizabeth S Evans, who died in 1885. She was followed in 1887 by Hugh N Simms and in 1904 by William W Larmour. Hugh Neill Simms was a bank accountant from Dublin working for the Provincial Bank in Banbridge. He lived at Mutton Hill with his wife from Tyrone and three daughters aged 20, 14, and 9, employing a single domestic servant. The house had twelve rooms and was designated first class in the 1901 census. William Wright Larmour was a civil engineer, assistant county surveyor for County Down, and engineer to Banbridge Rural District Council during his time at Mutton Hill. He was responsible for a number of manses, schools, and at least one church in the area.

In 1919 the gate lodge and labourer's house were separated from the valuation of the main house, lowering it to £17. Contemporary valuer's notes from that time provide a plan and dimensions of the house and outbuildings. In 1922 the property passed to Frederick W Crothers, in 1954 to Sara Crothers, and in 1955 to Ivan Watson.

The First General Revaluation of 1933–34 assessed the house at £21 and the agricultural outbuildings at £5 15s. The associated valuer's notes provide a plan showing a number of single- and double-storey buildings to the rear, largely of rubble masonry with slate or tin roofs and some timber-and-felt structures. These outbuildings included a wash house, byre, barn, and garage. The recorded accommodation comprised, on the ground floor: a square hall, two reception rooms at the front, a large kitchen, scullery, pantry, and wash house. On the upper floors: two attic bedrooms at the front, a bathroom and separate WC, two full-storey bedrooms at the back, a maid's room, and attics used for storage only. Electric light, originally provided by a plant on the premises, was later supplied from the town. The valuer noted that the house was old and had been modernised but was of a peculiar design internally.

The house was listed in 1977. Repair works were undertaken in the late 1970s, including renewal of external window shutters, which are now gone. In 1987 the original entrance porch was extended and the entrance doors moved to one side.