Outbuildings, Stuart Hall Demense, Mountjoy Road, Stewartstown, Co Tyrone, BT71 5AE

Outbuildings, Stuart Hall Demesne

An irregular mixture of single-storey and two-storey rubble-stone buildings forming the estate structures of Stuart Hall. Dating from around 1760 onwards, these outbuildings constitute an eclectic and unusual collection of structures. They are constructed from rubble stone with brick dressings to most openings, arranged in an open-ended courtyard at the north end and in linear formation to the south, all facing the rear of the central courtyard block. Pitched and hipped roofs with natural slate cover the buildings, some incorporating rooflights.

The buildings show evidence of significant alteration and degradation. Many original openings have been modified, and several now feature modern sliding doors. External steps have been formed in concrete, and walls present a mix of rubble stone and brick infill. The structures are positioned to the west of the main courtyard, between it and the walled enclosure before the garden towers.

Historical records from the 1835 valuation describe the buildings by individual dimensions, recording structures measuring 87 feet by 17½ feet by 11 feet, 44 by 21 by 16, 80 by 17 by 11, and many others, with several noted as 'newer' than the primary group. These same records graded most of the complex as 'old' even at that early date. The distinctive quarter-circle plan form appears on the Ordnance Survey map of 1833-34, indicating the buildings were largely contemporary with Stuart Hall itself, which was built around 1760 by Andrew Thomas Stewart (later Viscount and then Earl Castle Stewart).

The complex originally included a private Presbyterian meeting house or chapel, not marked on Ordnance Survey maps until 1906 but appearing in valuations of 1923 as 'chapel and farm offices'. This structure was likely constructed in the later 19th century by either the 4th or 5th Earl of Castle Stewart. The walled garden shown on the 1833-34 map bears a date stone of 1832, and the decorative folly towers visible on the 1853 map complement the baronial additions made to the main house by the 4th Earl in 1860.

Access to the outbuildings originally proceeded from Mountjoy Road to the north via a long circular drive sweeping around the western side of the walled garden, entering the courtyard at the south between it and the outbuildings. A more recent cut-off from the entrance drive near a new house creates a forecourt to the north, providing direct access to the outbuildings. A grander entrance from Castlefarm Road to the west, now locked, originally linked to the circular drive and must have served as the principal entrance. The demesne remains well-wooded with surviving original landscape features.