Tower, Stramore House, 82-86 Stramore Road, Gilford, CRAIGAVON, Co Down, BT63 6HN

Tower at Stramore House

A rubble stone folly in the form of a three-stage crenellated tower, built around 1800 and located on Stramore Road north-west of Gilford village. The tower stands on the boundary of the grounds of Stramore House, forming a prominent and distinctive feature in the landscape. Although possibly constructed for practical purposes, the detailing is representative of the fashion for romantic landscape features and the resurgence of interest in Gothic style which was prevalent in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries.

The tower is square on plan with no roof. The walls are constructed of random rubble stone with fieldstone quoins to the lower reaches and some snecking, with vestiges of lime render. Each elevation has a single opening to each stage, centrally placed. The lower stages have pointed-arched lancet window openings with remains of timber frames and no sills. The upper stage features pointed-arched arrow loops and roundels. The walls rise to a parapet stage which has a single Irish crenellation set to a slightly breakfront panel at the centre, flanked by decorative corner turrets in brick. Each corner turret is slightly overhanging and has three vertical rectangular apertures to each face. The top stage has three brick-lined roundels to each face, beneath parapet level. A pointed-arched entrance opening to the south-east face has no door.

The tower is abutted to north-west and south-east by a tall rubble stone boundary wall. It is set at a bend on a narrow country road, with Stramore House located a short distance to the south-west, set in extensive lawned grounds with mature trees.

Historical Background

The tower is shown uncaptioned on the first edition Ordnance Survey map of 1834, positioned north-east of Stramore House on the edge of the demesne close to the roadside, forming a prominent feature which deflects the course of the road. By the third edition of 1901-2 it is depicted as roofless, and on the 1960s-70s edition the building is captioned 'Tower'. The structure is listed in the Townland Valuation of 1828-40 as a 'castle or square tower' measuring 16½ feet by 16½ feet, evaluated as 'old but in repair'.

The tower formed part of the Stramore House demesne and belonged to the prominent linen manufacturing family, the Nicholsons, who may also have been its builders. According to local tradition, the tower was built by John Nicholson as a barracks and watch tower for Orangemen who were recruited by the local landed gentry on behalf of the government to serve as yeomanry during the 1798 rebellion. John and Robert Jaffrey Nicholson were both involved with the Bann Infantry, and Robert built a smaller tower at Banford House. Although the Nicholsons were part of the Richardsons' extended family, they did not inherit the Stramore estate from the Richardsons until 1801, suggesting the tower may have been constructed sometime after the 1798 rebellion. The tower remains in the same ownership as Stramore House.