Red Hall, Larne, Co Antrim, BT38 9JL

Red Hall, Larne, County Antrim

Red Hall is a country house of considerable architectural and historical importance, whose recorded history begins in 1609 and whose fabric contains elements spanning more than four centuries. The building as it stands today presents a classical exterior whose Georgian proportions are overlaid with Victorian ornamentation, concealing within it a much older core. It is thought that William Edmonstone, who secured the lease from John Dalway in 1609, repaired and modernised an existing castle or tower house previously owned by the O'Neills, which dated from at least the mid-16th century and possibly earlier — evidence for this survives in the unusual thickness of certain walls and the battered profile at the base of the building. The house is a scheduled monument (ANT 47:4) and remains in use as a country house at the centre of its own unspoiled estate, which has given its name to the surrounding townland. It is an unusually rare instance of an essentially 17th-century house still in occupation, and its original roof structure and staircase are among the very few survivals of their kind from that century in Northern Ireland.

The main block is three storeys tall with three bays to the entrance front, single-storey wings to each side, an attic storey, and a basement that is fully revealed on the sides and rear due to the sloping site. The principal entrance faces west. The exterior walling of the central block is smooth cement render with rusticated quoins, moulded string courses at each floor level, and a moulded cornice to the parapet. Traces of dark red paint remain on parts of the surface — this finish is attributed to W.J. Porrit, who bought the estate in 1902. The string course at second-floor level is chipped in places; the string course at first-floor level is broken at one point, revealing red brick within. The parapet has a lead-covered blocking course. The roof is of mansard form, slated in Bangor blue slates laid in regular courses, with lead covering to the ridges. There is a prominent central chimney, also smooth cement rendered, with a moulded offset, string courses, and a cornice on shaped brackets, finishing in a swept cap.

All windows in the main block are rectangular timber sliding sashes, vertically hung, one-over-one panes, with horns, and exposed sash boxes. Second-floor windows are set in moulded rectangular surrounds with shaped brackets below the string course sill. First-floor windows have similar surrounds but are additionally surmounted by a small semi-circular raised panel in stucco containing a radiating fan-like motif; the central first-floor window has glass obscured by patchy paintwork. Ground-floor windows are set in similar moulded surrounds, which are themselves framed within a cornice and bracket surround with sunken panels to each side; they have a projecting moulded sill on shaped brackets, with a moulded string course immediately below, and a cornice profile that sweeps to correspond with the cap of the chimney.

The entrance porch is stuccoed to match the main block. Its central doorway is recessed between coupled pilasters of unfluted Doric or Tuscan order, with a moulded frieze on shaped brackets returning back along the sides and a finial at each extremity. The double door is of dark-stained, unvarnished oak; each leaf has a tall round-headed glazed panel over a smaller raised and fielded panel, with ornamental bronze handles and escutcheons, all under a plain rectangular fanlight. The present porch was already in position by 1871, when it had a small pediment over it; its builder is not known. On the north side of the porch is a semi-circular headed timber fixed light with a moulded arch and keystone, moulded pier jambs, and a projecting sill on shaped brackets, all set between Tuscan pilasters — coupled to the outer end — with a ball finial over each pilaster. At the base of the north side of the porch, a PVC downpipe emerges, runs below the porch window and returns along the front wall to discharge into the basement lightwell to the left. Sandstone flags cover the area across the front of the porch; beyond, the ground is rough tarmac and stone. No basement is visible to the right-hand side of the porch, but a basement area to the left is bounded by low moulded cement walling and iron railings. The basement walling here has channelled rustication, battered at the base, with one window in line with the ground-floor window above: a timber sliding sash, vertically hung, six-over-six panes, without horns, set in plain jambs with a projecting sill. The other three inner faces of the basement lightwell are faced with glazed white brick; the lightwell is occupied by an iron tank.

The left-hand wing is set back slightly from the main block and is three windows wide, rising to a higher storey level than the ground floor of the main block. Its windows are rectangular timber sliding sashes, one-over-one panes, with horns, set in moulded rectangular surrounds with projecting moulded sills on two shaped brackets. Each window is surmounted by a sunken rectangular panel containing a circular wheel motif and scrolling foliate designs modelled in stucco, incorporating shamrocks, flower heads, and fleur-de-lys. The walling matches the main block, with rusticated quoins to the outer corners. There is a frieze and projecting cornice above the decorative panels, with a ball finial to the outer extremity of the blocking course. The basement storey of this wing sits within a deep lightwell bordered by a low moulded stucco wall, overgrown with ferns, and contains three windows in line with those above: six-over-six sashes, without horns, with projecting sandstone sills matching the basement windows of the main block. The wing's roof is hipped, slated as the main block, with lead-covered ridges, and incorporates new roof vents in lead; it is not visible from the front behind the parapet. The right-hand wing is similar in most respects except that it has no ball finial to the blocking course, no visible basement, and a visible hipped roof of Bangor blue slates with tiled ridges. The sills here are badly damaged, with corners broken off and the stucco upper surface missing in places to reveal the red brick and slates used in their construction. The windows in this wing are rectangular timber fixed lights of two panes each with clear glass, which reveal solid wall immediately behind and are therefore false windows.

Extending to the left of the left-hand wing is a smooth rendered screen wall enclosing the yard beyond. It is attached to the wing by a clasping rusticated pier with a ball finial, and steps down to the left in three lengths: the first partly overgrown with creeper; the second ending in a plain pier with a broken ball finial; the third terminating in a large square pier with a badly damaged cornice and ball finial missing.

The north elevation shows the north side of the main block with a projecting square tower to the left of the two second-floor windows; the lower area of the main block is obscured by the projecting wing and an adjoining block. Walling throughout is smooth cement render as elsewhere, and the main block largely retains its red colouration. Second-floor windows match those on the entrance front. There is a cast iron downpipe to the right-hand side. The roof carries two dormers: the left one is segmental-headed and gives access to a parapet walk; the larger right-hand dormer has a pitched slated roof with white-painted woodwork and a two-light window. The tower is square in plan, with a moulded cornice on shaped brackets at the level of the main cornice, rising above the main block to a further storey with semi-circular headed windows in each face, detailed similarly to those in the entrance porch. Above a frieze and bracketed cornice sits a steeply pitched pyramidal roof, slated as the main block, surmounted by an elaborate ironwork weathervane. Cast iron downpipes are affixed to the north face of the tower. The north face of the north wing is blank, with a broad projecting central chimney detailed as the main block chimney with sunken panels, and a ball finial to each extremity of the parapet. A cast iron downpipe sits alongside an iron ladder to the left of the chimney breast. There is a weathered offset in cement render to the basement area. Set back behind the projecting wing and partly obscuring the lower stages of the tower is a hipped-roof block bearing strong traces of red colouration, with an upper window sashed one-over-one with horns, plain recessed jambs, a projecting sandstone sill, and a projecting string course stepped over it; rusticated quoins to the left-hand extremity; cast iron downpipes. The basement area is obscured by a lean-to projection with a rectangular ledged timber door and a rectangular window sashed six-over-three, without horns; the lean-to roof is of Bangor blue slates in regular courses, with a moulded cast iron gutter on a white timber fascia.

The north elevation overlooks a long yard. On the east side of this yard stands the two-storey brewhouse; on the west side is a succession of lean-to outbuildings of no architectural quality. Between the north wall of the north wing and the screen wall to the yard, a range of yard outbuildings runs from left to right as follows. First, a rectangular single-storey lean-to whose roof is swept down to form a verandah across the front: smooth rendered walls with a brick core; one rectangular ledged timber doorway; one rectangular timber sliding sash window, six-over-three, without horns; lean-to roof of Bangor blue slates carried on two circular cast iron posts, with cast iron gutter and downpipe; the underside of the verandah roof is in poor condition. Next is a lower single-storey lean-to block used as a stable, smooth rendered but with much of the red brick core exposed; two half-doors and two windows sashed six-over-three with horns; cast iron gutter and downpipe; slated roof as previous. Next is a lower single-storey block crudely constructed of brickwork, concrete blockwork, and render, with a half-door and wooden slatted double doors, and a felt-covered roof.

The yard is entered from the north through a screen wall returning from the west and connecting with the brewhouse at the eastern extremity. This screen wall is of single-storey height and comprises a pair of large rendered piers with moulded bases, cornices, and ball finials marking a vehicular entrance from which the gates are now missing. A pedestrian archway connects this gateway with the brewhouse to the left: a segmental arch with plain moulded surround and projecting keystone, all in smooth render bearing traces of red paint. A short length of similar screen wall to the right of the gateway terminates in a square pier with a damaged cap and missing ball finial. The inner faces of the gate screen and walling are smooth rendered and bear traces of red paint.

The east elevation is the rear facade of the main block, presenting four storeys to this side as a result of the lower ground level compared with the entrance front. The two-storey rear facade of the south wing is well set back behind to the left, and a three-storey wall of projecting block sits slightly set back to the right. The east facade of the south wing is similar to the entrance front except that the sills to the main windows are formed by a continuous moulded string course. The basement walling is of channelled rustication with three windows in line with the main windows: semi-circular headed timber sliding sashes, two-over-two panes, with horns, within a continuous plain arched surround set within the rustications, with an elongated keystone and radiating channels to the rustication around the arch, and projecting stuccoed sills.

The main block on this facade has walling similar to the entrance front except for channelled rustication to the basement. Windows correspond to those on the entrance front on each floor, except that the sills to the ground-floor windows are formed by a continuous string course without brackets. The left-hand ground-floor window has a projecting sandstone balcony: arcaded with diminutive square piers carrying semi-circular arches, with decorative sunken circular holes in each spandrel; the end piers show some spalling; the balcony is carried on a pair of large shaped sandstone brackets with carved acanthus scrolls on each face. The basement storey of the main block has a battered profile, and the walling is channelled rustication in smooth render. Three windows in line with those above are rectangular timber sliding sashes, vertically hung, six-over-three panes, without horns, set in plain recessed surrounds with projecting sills, surmounted by elongated pseudo-voussoirs in rusticated stucco. The roof matches the entrance front and includes the central chimney and a small modern flush rooflight, though the central windows of this facade do not align with the chimney. Window spacing is wider here due to the incorporation of the corner tower within the rustications of the basement. The ground floor and first floor of the tower are marked off by rusticated quoins to each side, linked by a semi-circular arch at first-floor level. The ground floor of the tower is blank; there is one small square timber top-hung window at first-floor level, possibly a later insertion. The second floor is blank. The third floor, which projects above the parapet of the main block, has a semi-circular headed window as described previously. The south face of this topmost storey has a doorway opening onto the parapet walk.

The three-storey projecting block to the right, which obscures the rear facade of the north wing, has channelled rustication to the basement storey and smooth stucco to the upper floors. There are two rectangular timber sliding sash windows, six-over-three panes, without horns, with flat-arch rusticated voussoirs and projecting sandstone sills to the basement, and one window to each of the two floors above, of similar character to the top floor of the main block. Cast iron downpipes on this block have an unpainted, rusted surface. Extending to the right and stepped forward is the two-storey brewhouse range.

The south elevation shows the south side of the main block, with part of the lower storeys obscured by the projecting south wing. Walling matches the other facades. The roof carries two dormer windows with pitched slated roofs and glazing as described elsewhere, and two chimneys appear beyond. Two windows to the second floor of the main block are symmetrically arranged, but the left-hand window is blank, blocked in stucco; the right-hand window has an iron-framed balcony giving access to an iron escape ladder descending from the parapet above onto the roof of the lower wing. A cast iron downpipe and hopper sit to the left of the ladder. One window to each of the lower floors of the main block, on the right-hand side, is sashed as on the entrance front but without the elaborate cornice and bracket surrounds at ground-floor level. At basement level there is a rectangular two-leaf French window with plain glazed panels, surmounted by rusticated stucco voussoirs. The south facade of the south wing is symmetrical and contains a canted bay on a high base, with terraced grass sloping down from left to right. There are rusticated quoins to the outer corners of the wall and a projecting cornice above, with shaped brackets to the cornice of the bay. The canted sides of the bay have rectangular timber fixed lights of two panes; the central face of the bay has a broader two-leaf French window under a two-light fanlight. A projecting sandstone sill runs continuously around the bay, giving access at the centre to timber steps on an iron frame descending into the garden.

Internally, dating from the 17th-century remodelling of the building are an oak staircase of the Jacobean period, the roof timbers, and a panelled room in late 17th-century style. The staircase is considered to display an innovatory quality in the context of domestic design in Northern Ireland at that period, and the roof timbers represent a structural system of considerable interest. Panelled ceilings on the first floor have been attributed to around 1730 on the basis of the style of dress shown in the plaster figure panels. The internal plasterwork ceilings in the entrance hall and morning room, and plasterwork details in the dining room and drawing room, are attributed to John McAuley's ownership following his purchase of the estate in 1869.

The building has been altered and added to in several distinct campaigns. Richard Gervase Ker, who bought the estate in 1784, added the wings to each side in 1793 to create drawing and dining rooms with a kitchen in the basement; he also probably remodelled the main block at this time, building a parapet around it and adding a four-columned porch in front of a newly positioned central entrance. His nephew David S. Kerr, who succeeded him in 1822, built a nearby threshing mill to the west of the house in 1835. In 1830, the house was described as "very plain in its architecture, stone finished on the outside without anything ornamental in its structure or appearance ... The garden is small but the demesne ornamental and pleasure grounds are very extensive, and the plantings of firs, larch and beech very tastefully varied and laid out." John McAuley, who purchased the estate in 1869, is credited with the present rendered exterior finish incorporating quoins, rustications, string courses, and window surrounds; the small balcony on the east elevation; the canted bay added to the south wing; the square turret added at the north-east corner; the replacement of small-paned windows with plate glass; and the banks, terraces, and stone steps around the house, all apparently carried out between 1871 and 1875. McAuley also added a large central chimney to the south parapet of the main block, which was subsequently removed. W.J. Porrit, who bought the estate in 1902, applied the red painted finish to the exterior of which only traces now remain. George Reade, who purchased the house in 1918, inserted dormers into three of the attics and probably removed McAuley's south chimney. In 1927, after lying empty for some years, the house was bought by Vice-Admiral J.W.L. McClintock; between 1939 and 1945 it was requisitioned for military use.

The house stands on a sloping site at the centre of its own extensive estate, with a driveway passing across the entrance front and grassy lawns to the rear, all surrounded by mature trees. Farm buildings lie to the north within sight of the house. The main driveway runs east–west to the east and is lined with mature trees. Iron gates with scrolling finials and fluted cast iron posts give access to fields on the south side, with a similar gateway at an intermediate position on the north side; similar gates, some derelict, are set in two pairs of short stone pillars on the south side. The avenue of trees running eastward to the front gate lodge, which has served that function since the late 19th century, already appears on the Ordnance Survey map of 1831; though it does not appear to have led anywhere in particular at that date, before the main coast road between Carrickfergus and Larne was built, it ran on a direct line towards a causeway connecting with Islandmagee. A continuation of the avenue to the west of the house, now disconnected and isolated, also appears on the 1831 map. It is suggested that these avenues formed the most northerly direct overland route between Islandmagee and the original road from Carrickfergus to Larne in earlier centuries, running directly past the north face of a predecessor of the present Red Hall.