The Stableyard, Baronscourt, Newtownstewart, Co Tyrone, BT78 4EZ

The Stableyard at Baronscourt is a substantial stableyard complex arranged around a central courtyard, developed in stages from around 1740 through to 1890. It sits on sloping ground above and to the east of Baronscourt mansion, near Newtownstewart village in County Tyrone. The complex is of considerable importance within the historic demesne, having played a key role in the daily running of the estate, and it still partially serves its original function. It has group value with the other listed structures in the demesne.

The complex comprises four ranges. The south range is the earliest surviving fabric, dating from around 1750, and retains original constructional features including cogged brick eaves. The west and north ranges are also likely 18th-century at their core, though they were stylistically remodelled in 1890. The east range is entirely of 1890 construction. This late 19th-century remodelling was carried out in a picturesque Baronial style — described at the time as "partaking in general features in what is known as the Baronial" — designed to present an impressive grouping when viewed from the mansion and formal garden below, and from the main eastern approach to the demesne. The architect was Joseph Bell; the foundation stone was laid on 18 September 1889 and a datestone on the building records the completion date as 1890.

EAST RANGE

The east range is a rectangular two-storey stone accommodation block of 1890, with a central three-stage clock tower, returning at either side to the west and abutted at the south by a lower two-storey extension. The roofs are pitched natural slate, slightly sprocketed over exposed rafter tails. Chimneystacks are ashlar sandstone and rainwater goods are ogee-profile cast iron. The walls are faced with irregularly cut, uncoursed basalt, battered at ground level with some cement ribbon pointing, and dressed with sandstone including a moulded stringcourse between floors. All gables are crow-stepped.

Ground floor windows are mullioned and transomed timber multi-light casements with plain glazed lower panes, chamfered cills, and stepped stone surrounds. First floor windows are wall-head dormers set in crow-stepped gablets on kneelers, topped with ball finials. Doors are generally timber sheeted or four-panelled, with unusual inset brass swivel handles; the courtyard-facing entrances have large transom lights.

The east elevation is asymmetrical, arranged around a slightly offset clock tower set over an elliptical-headed coach arch. The clock tower is gabled to all faces with a cross-ridge, and has semi-engaged octagonal corner piers rising to tourelles. The Hamilton family crest is carved in deep relief in a central panel between stringcourses, dated 1890, with a clock and carved cipher to the apex. The coach arch has a moulded sandstone archivolt; the stops to both elevations are intricately carved, each depicting various leaves and fruits. The interior of the arch has a cobbled floor and a door to either side. To the left of the tower there are three openings to each floor; to the right, four first floor dormers sit above a series of ten equally spaced ventilation grilles contained in sandstone reveals dropping from the stringcourse.

The south gable is abutted by the two-storey extension, which is detailed to match the main block but without dormers and with a single-storey return to the rear. First floor windows here are mullioned casements. There is a glazed timber entrance door at the right, set within an open porch formed by a lean-to canopy roof supported on a timber framework over a stone-faced plinth wall. The gable is blank and the rear is simply detailed.

The west elevation has returns at either end, abutting the south and north ranges respectively, and is generally detailed as the east elevation. At the second stage of the tower there is a round-headed window, with a circular louvred opening at clock-face level (repeated on all remaining elevations). To the left, two dormers are separated by roundel windows; at ground floor level there is a square-headed coach arch with timber sheeted doors, flanked by a large timber window on each side, with a panelled and glazed timber door with glazed sidelights at the extreme left end. To the right there is a window to each floor and a further roundel. The north gable has a mullioned and transomed window to the ground floor and a roundel to the first floor.

The south return of the tower block is abutted by the earlier south range and is detailed to match the main block. The north return is abutted by the north stable range and contains a coach house accessed through an elliptical-headed arch, with a roundel above at first floor level. The north elevation of this return is detailed in keeping with the north range.

SOUTH RANGE

The south range dates from around 1750 and consists of a two-storey rectangular brick building, a link block, and a square single-storey block forming the south-west corner of the stableyard.

The two-storey block has a steeply hipped pantiled roof with nogged brick eaves to all elevations except the east, which has a stone cavetto-moulded eaves course — indicating that the east elevation is likely to have been the original front face of the complex. Rainwater goods are cast iron. The walling is generally Flemish-bonded brick with a lower section of rubble stone; the east elevation has a cement-rendered stepped plinth with areas of ribbon pointing.

Windows to the courtyard elevation are timber sashes with concrete sills, slightly projecting cement reveals, and flat arches: two 8-over-12 pane sashes to the ground floor and a central 10-over-15 pane half-dormer in a replacement cement-rendered gablet. Other elevations have replacement timber casements.

The single-storey corner block and link block abut the two-storey block to the west and extend to the south-west corner. Both are square on plan with natural slate hipped roofs and Flemish-bonded brick walls, with rubble stone eaves to the rear (south). The courtyard-facing elevations of the corner block are of rubble stone with dressed tooled quoins; the link block is stretcher-bonded brick. The corner block has a single 10-over-15 pane sash window to the east and north faces, each with a concrete sill; to the extreme right is a modern double door with matching side panels, contained within a pent-roofed canopy. The link block has two 9-light timber windows and a cast-iron tap niche with the maker's mark of Musgrave and Co. Rear and side elevations are blank. This block is now used as a conference room.

WEST RANGE

The west range is a former stone stable range, originally built around 1750 and remodelled in 1890. It is set on steeply sloping ground: the courtyard-facing elevation and south end are single storey, rising to triple height at the north-west corner, with a large semi-circular tapered projection to the left end of the west elevation. The roof is pitched pantile. Walling is rubble stone with dressed quoins to the west; the courtyard-facing elevation is lined with tongue-and-groove sheeting. The south gable is crow-stepped, there are two stone chimneystacks, and there is a corbelled tourelle to the south-west corner.

The courtyard-facing elevation has large replacement timber windows and original four-panelled doors. The west elevation is abutted to the left by a semi-circular outshot which carries modern timber-framed glazing over a moulded stone corbel and has a modern canted roof; it contains a round-headed timber sheeted door, deeply set and accessed by two stone steps. The remainder of the west elevation has three large multi-pane casements with brick dressings, divided by tapered stone buttresses. The east wall is lined with tongue-and-groove sheeting, suggesting it may originally have been open, functioning as a coach house — a use supported by an 1889 plan of the stableyard held in the Public Record Office of Northern Ireland.

NORTH RANGE

The north range is an intact stone stable range of 1890, set on sloping ground as the west range. The roof is pitched pantile. The north elevation is detailed to match the east range and has a recessed round-headed entrance door flanked by lower semi-engaged octagonal piers to the left end (the north-west return, accessing the coach house). The remainder of the north elevation is blank except for a continuous series of ventilation grilles as on the east range. The courtyard-facing south elevation has timber casement windows and tongue-and-groove sheeted stable doors, with reveals filleted to three-quarter height and chamfered above. The north range remains in use as stables.

HISTORICAL BACKGROUND

The earliest records of stables at Baronscourt date to 1749, built shortly after the original residence — now the Agent's House — which was designed by James Martin. The builder, James Miller, and the stables are mentioned in a letter from John Colhoun to the Earl of Abercorn dated 3 September 1749: "The building at Baron's court goes on very well now: James Miller continued sick two weeks, which delayed a little: the roof timber is set up on the stables." The south range displays similar constructional features to the Agent's House, including the same brick and cogged brick eaves course.

Parts of the stableyard are first recorded on a map of Baronscourt Park dated 1777, which appears to show the west and south ranges to the north of the Agent's House. The Ordnance Survey maps of 1833 and 1854 show five buildings approximately arranged in a square around a courtyard. By the 1907 Ordnance Survey map the stableyard appears as it does today.

The Townland Valuation of 1828 to 1840 records a "House, offices, gate house etc" — referring to Baronscourt House and its associated offices — valued at £150. Griffith's Valuation of 1856 to 1864 records the "Castle, offices, steward and game-keeper's houses and gate lodges" valued at £220. Valuation revision records note that the south-east building of the group, shown on the 1777 map, was leased to Henry Wilson at a value of £5, and the south-west building was leased to John Robson at a value of £4.

The 1890 remodelling and new construction was carried out by architect Joseph Bell. Plans of the stableyard from 1889 are held in the Abercorn papers at the Public Record Office of Northern Ireland. Of the existing ranges, the west and possibly the north pre-existed the 1890 works and were remodelled in the Baronial style to form a picturesque grouping when seen from the mansion below.

LATER ALTERATIONS AND CURRENT USE

The east range was refurbished around 1985 to provide tourist and staff accommodation, with stores to the north. The south-west block now serves as a conference centre. Only the north range remains in use as stables.

SETTING

The stableyard sits on high ground to the east of and above Baronscourt mansion. The steep banks dropping down towards the mansion are planted with a variety of mature trees. Directly to the south is the Agent's House, the lawn of which bounds the south range. The main road access to the estate is now from the east, and the east side of the complex has a gravel forecourt and grass lawn with parkland rising further to the east. The courtyard is gravelled, though there is evidence of an earlier cobbled surface beneath.