Gilford Castle Stableyard, 5 Banbridge Road, Gilford, CRAIGAVON, Co Down, BT63 6DJ

Gilford Castle Stableyard

A courtyard complex of stable and farm buildings dating to around 1870, located immediately south of Gilford Castle on an extensive demesne south of Gilford. The complex comprises one and two storey ranges with three storey service accommodation and a stair tower, all executed in the Scots Baronial style.

The buildings are roofed throughout in pitched natural slate with ashlar limestone chimneystacks to the accommodation block. Cast iron rainwater goods are fitted throughout, supported on stone eaves brackets to the accommodation block and yellow brick eaves brackets to the remaining structures; profiled stone kneelers finish the gables.

The main accommodation block is detailed as the principal building, constructed in rock-faced coursed limestone walling with tooled ashlar quoins, stringcourses, plinth and window dressings. The remaining stable structures are built in red brick laid in Flemish bond with penny-struck tuck pointing, featuring moulded yellow brick stringcourses. Openings are finished with yellow brick surrounds except for ground floor doors, which have ashlar limestone jambs. First floor windows are generally round-arched with yellow brick strings at impost level. Ground floor windows comprise 2/4 segmental-arched timber sashes, all with granite sills. Doors are typically segmental-arched timber tongue and groove sheeted, ledged and braced examples.

The courtyard is accessed via an ornate gate screen to the east, echoing the Scots Baronial styling of the main buildings. This comprises a four-centred arched entrance with moulded jambs and archivolt, fitted with timber lattice gates and framed by ashlar limestone piers with stepped pyramidal copings. The archway features a raised and pointed keystone and dentilled entablature with a central cartouche surmounted by a ball finial. The gateway is flanked by rock-faced screen walling with saddleback coping and incorporates a Tudor arched pedestrian timber lattice gate to the right.

The south and west ranges of the courtyard have a range of elliptical-arched double coach doors, timber sheeted entrance doors, and unevenly spaced louvred-headed windows to the first floor. An open passage runs to the right side of the south elevation, providing access to the south side of the outbuildings. The west range retains remains of gas lamp holders. The courtyard elevation of the single storey north range features a segmental-arched door to the left and a modern garage door insertion to the right. It extends rightward to form the three storey accommodation block and tower. The west gable of the north range has a single loading door to loft level. The south elevation of the south range displays a series of louvred-headed windows to loft level, whilst the ground floor comprises a coach door and pedestrian door flanked on either side by 2/4 sliding sash windows. This elevation returns southward at its left end, similarly detailed, with a loading door to loft level in the south gable, abutted by modern steel fire stairs. The west elevation of the west range is cement rendered and blank except for a row of deeply recessed segmental openings at high level, corresponding with former internal stalls. The west gable of the north range is constructed in rock faced limestone walling as the main house, with a timber sheeted access door. The north elevation of the north range is of brick construction with a series of segmental-arched openings at high level, again corresponding with internal stalls.

The three storey coachmen's quarters accommodation block is located at the north east corner of the stable yard, abutted to its south-east corner by a four stage tower. Both are rectangular on plan and executed in the Scottish Baronial style. The roofs are pitched natural slate with stone chimneystacks having terracotta pots and corbelled bases. Cast iron gutters are supported on bracketed eaves, brick to the south and stone to the remainder. Walls are rock-faced limestone as the main house, with the exception of the courtyard-facing elevation of the service block, which is detailed in brick with stone quoins and yellow brick dressings as the stable buildings. Windows are 2/4 timber sliding sashes to the brick section and 1/2 timber sliding sashes to the remainder. The courtyard-facing elevation features a timber sheeted door to the right and a window to the left at ground floor, with a single window to each upper floor; the second floor window is diminished in height. A moulded string course separates the ground and first floors, with a decorative brick band between the first and second floors. The west gable abuts the single storey north range, constructed in rock faced masonry without openings and topped by a dentilled corbelled dressed stone chimney. The dormered north elevation has two windows to each upper floor. First floor windows have continuous label moulds set within chamfered ashlar reveals. The second floor is lit by wall-head dormers inset with recessed round-arched 2/4 sliding sash windows with kneelers, saddleback copings and pointed stone finials. The ground floor has deeply recessed two-pane stable windows at high level. The building is abutted to the right of centre by the north courtyard wall. The east elevation has a window detailed as the first floor north type to the upper floors, with an offset window to the left at ground floor, finished by a dentilled corbelled dressed stone chimney to the gable apex.

The tower has a slightly overhanging ashlar limestone parapet on profiled corbel brackets. A bartizan tower with corbelled base projects from the north-east corner. Each stage of the tower is delineated by a string course which rises over window heads to form label moulds. The upper stage is blank with a rectangular stone plaque to each facet. The central window serves three stages at the east elevation and the second and third stages at the south elevation. The west courtyard-facing facet has a timber door and windows to the second and third stages.

To the south-east of the main stable yard is a saw house with a central dividing wall rising above the roof slope and topped with a coping. The roofs are replacement mineral fibre slates with yellow brick chimneystacks to either end. Walling is English garden wall bonded red brick with yellow brick dressings to openings. The north elevation has timber sheeted doors and timber windows. The south elevation is abutted by a full-length canopy of corrugated metal over a saw.

Directly to the right of the saw house is a pair of kennels under a single hipped natural slate roof with leaded hips and a central lead capped louvred lantern. Red brick walling features openings with yellow brick dressings. Each unit has a timber sheeted door flanked on one side by a small 2/4 segmental arched sliding sash. Each is fronted by a small yard separated by a tall brick wall which abuts the building at centre, enclosed to front by cast iron railings with fleur-de-lys finials and a matching gate. All other elevations are blank. The rear yard is accessed by timber gates detailed as the main courtyard, supported on ashlar stone piers with corniced caps.

The stableyard is sheltered by mature trees, with a garden to the west. It is accessed from the road via the main entrance continuing past the main house, and also via a farm lane directly to the east.