Summer House, Hillsborough Castle, The Square, Hillsborough, County Down, BT26 6AG

Summer House, Hillsborough Castle

A free-standing stone temple erected around 1850 as a garden summer house, the Summer House dates from alterations made to Hillsborough Castle between 1833 and 1858, likely designed by William and James Sands. It represents a refined exercise in Neo-classical academic design, complementing the portico on the castle's garden front.

The structure is rectangular in plan, oriented facing west and positioned at the easternmost end of the south garden elevation, where it terminates the elevated terrace. It is constructed in Greek Doric style from stone ashlar with a pedimented tetrastyle front (four columns across) and a pair of screen walls flanking either side.

The front features four fluted Greek Doric columns with entasis, resting on plain stone bases and supporting a plain architrave. These columns carry a full Doric entablature with triglyphs and metopes decorated with guttae. The cornice base to the pediment incorporates mutules with guttae and anthemia at the corners. The pediment itself is lead-lined with stone roof covering the full pediment.

Internally, the structure contains a mosaic tiled floor in Roman style, visible stone flagged roof, and four timber beams with brick to the rear pediment. The Greek Doric frieze and pediment are repeated to the rear elevation, which features plain ashlar stonework walling with capital moulding to unfinished corner piers. The south screen wall displays a blind square-headed panel below architrave level with shallow Doric pilasters and a blind niche to its south elevation.

The Summer House terminates the south-facing garden terrace with a flight of stone steps abutting its south screen wall, positioned behind the boundary wall at the south end of The Square. The structure sits at the location where the main road to Moira once ran across the south front of Hillsborough Castle. This road was diverted around 1825, and the Summer House was built between 1833 and 1858, effectively blocking the old route.

The Summer House first appears on the second edition Ordnance Survey map of 1858. A perspective drawing of Hillsborough Castle by William Sands dating to around 1840 depicts the building, suggesting Sands may have been its architect. Sands and his relative James worked on the castle during the 1840s and were responsible for designing the entrance portico on the castle's south front. The quality of stone masonry demonstrates the high standards of the period.

The Summer House has group value with other listed structures at Hillsborough Castle and enhances the wealth of garden features that comprise the castle complex. It is located within a conservation area.