Springhill House, 20 Springhill Road, Moneymore, Magherafelt, Co Londonderry, BT45 7NQ

Springhill House is a Grade A listed building of significant architectural merit, comprising a symmetrical composition of 2½ storey, 5 bay wide main house with basement, detached wings, and a north-west aspect. The house proper is composed of three parts: the central house and detached wings that form a forecourt in front of the principal entrance.

As approached by the direct avenue, the wings present a duality of Dutch gables that frame the principal façade. The entrance composition is symmetrical with a central doorway approached across the basement area by a broad bridge gained by a flight of four steps, contained by low curved walls on each side. The entrance door has nine moulded panels within its framing, with brass ironmongery, and is set within a square headed opening with a well moulded sandstone architrave rising from blocking pieces. On each side are single narrow eight pane double hung sliding sash windows lighting the hall within. Beyond these, to the left are two twelve pane double hung sliding sash windows with painted cills, and to the right two fifteen pane double hung sliding sash windows with lower cills, lighting the library. Above these at first floor are seven double hung sliding sash windows: those over the hall windows are eight pane, whilst others are twelve pane. At basement level are four twelve pane double hung sliding sash windows with protective iron bars. Beneath the entrance bridge is a sheeted door and small window.

The main house features a steeply pitched roof with natural slates, a central gabled dormer with tripartite double hung sliding sash window, lead ridge, and sturdy red brick gable chimney stacks, with the right hand one composite. To left and right of the central block is a single storey large canted bay, each facet having a twelve pane double hung sliding sash window with window heads slightly higher than the centre block. The eaves line is level with first floor cills, the roof of natural slates is hipped and leaded, and the roof apex joins to the centre block gable by pitched roofs. The walls are harled and painted white with no overhang, but a continuous corbel under half round metal gutters. These drain to a variety of trunkheads and round downpipes.

The rear or south-east elevation is entirely asymmetrical and presents a marvellous Scottish flavour, not unlike a Rennie Mackintosh house. The elevation is dominated by a projecting central three storey gabled main staircase, whose round headed seventeen pane double hung sliding sash landing window gazes up the beech walk toward the tower stump of a former windmill. Below this window is a panel door leading from the main staircase hall. Within the gable, centred, is a twelve pane double hung sliding sash window lighting an attic. To the right of the main stair block is the quadrant curve of the servants' spiral stairs, punctuated with a variety of double hung sliding sash windows. Further to the right is the rear wall of the main block with two twelve pane double hung sliding sash windows directly over each other but of different heights. The impression is of a deep recess, though in reality the back roof slope has a great overhang and appears to span from the spiral stair wall to the wing. This wing changes height from single storey on the main front (though originally it was 1½ storeys with dormer window) to two storeys at the rear with clever roof adjustment. It terminates at the rear with a great semi-circular bay punctuated with two twelve pane double hung sliding sash windows at each floor, though of different heights. Windows at basement level are similar but with segmental heads. To the left of the main stairblock is a similar projection but storey less in height, gabled with two twelve pane double hung sliding sash windows at ground level and a single twelve pane double hung sliding sash centrally at first floor. To the far left is a single storey gabled projection of the 18th century dining room with two twelve pane double hung sliding sash windows and a red brick chimney stack.

The rear wall is mainly rubble stone, whitewashed or painted white, giving a pleasing texture. The north-east wall of the main stair has slate hanging in varying hues. The south-west side, comprising walls of the dining and sitting rooms, has three twelve pane double hung sliding sash windows which light the sitting room, under which are three square blank recesses. Towards the entrance front a screen wall projects and continues to join the south-east detached long wing. Through by a flight of steps is a door leading to the basement area at the front. The north-east side has a blank wall with the exception of a single twelve pane double hung sliding sash window lighting a bedroom to the warden's accommodation. Changes of level occur in the basement area here. On the other side of this basement area are the former slaughter and laundry areas. Roofs are of natural slates with graduated slating over the circular bay.

The two wings on either side of the forecourt are similar in elevation. Each has three nine pane pointed windows with criss-cross astragals and a chimney of Dutch type barges with flat apex for urn and quasi-kneeler with shelf for urn. The wings on the south-west side are two storey on the lower side and were formerly the harness block.

Springhill House is sited in a small estate with woodland and open fields. Originally it extended to the south-east side of Springhill Road and is supposed to be sited on the edge of the former Glenconkyne forest of late medieval and early Plantation times. Ranges of outbuildings extend in parallel lines south-west and north-east, and close by the farmyard is a large walled kitchen garden. To the south-east along the beech walk, forming a deliberate vista from the staircase window, is a ruin of a former windmill. The beech walk, lined each side with trees, was greatly reduced circa 1962 and replanted roughly from the line of the stone-faced ha-ha. There are two avenue approaches from Springhill Road with gate lodges at each. The grounds contain some splendid trees including a yew and cedar of Lebanon. Walled garden areas abound because of the geometric pattern of the outbuildings layout. In one of these enclosures adjacent to the great barn is a rose called the McCartney rose, brought from China by its namesake. The estate wall continues from the first gate lodge to a little beyond the pigeon house.