Farm buildings at Montalto House, Dromore Road, Ballymaglave north, Ballynahinch, Co Down, BT24 8PX

Farm Buildings at Montalto House, Dromore Road, Ballynahinch, Co. Down

This is a single and two-storey estate farm complex, probably dating mainly from around 1837, built in coursed dark fieldstone and arranged around a central courtyard. It sits within the Montalto House demesne, a short distance to the south-west of the house itself. The complex was largely restored in the late 1990s.

Historical background

A building corresponding to the entrance wing of this complex appears on the Ordnance Survey map of 1834, suggesting that part of the complex may pre-date the main construction phase. The complete grouping as it exists today is shown on the revised map of 1858. Originally, the estate farm buildings stood closer to Montalto House itself, but when the house was remodelled in 1837, the then owner David Stewart Ker had them demolished and replaced with this new grouping, positioned a greater distance to the east of the house.

Overall layout

The complex is made up of roughly five main sections. Four of these are arranged around the courtyard: a north wing, a south wing, an entrance wing to the east, and a large two-storey building to the west. The fifth element — a large barn — stands apart to the east side of the main grouping.

Entrance wing (east side of courtyard)

The entrance wing is a slightly grander one-and-a-half-storey building with single-storey lean-to projections to both front and rear, and may partly pre-date 1834. It is physically connected to both the north and south wings.

The front (east-facing) elevation is symmetrical. To the left and right are large single-storey projections, with a recessed space between them containing the main entrance: a relatively low elliptical-headed carriage arch flanked by semicircular-headed window-like arches. Above these are much squatter arched windows of corresponding shape, all filled with modern timber frames. The front face of each projection has three large arches — the central one fitted with timber-sheeted double doors, and the remaining two with modern windows with timber-sheeted aprons. The short inner faces of the projections (facing into the recessed entrance area) each have a large arch with door, as on the front elevation, and a squat semicircular louvred opening set at a higher level.

The inner (west-facing) elevation of the entrance wing has a central recessed portion with a similar arrangement to the front. The flanking single-storey projections each have two relatively large semicircular arches, all filled with windows and aprons as on the front. The inner face of each projection has a similar arch with a timber-sheeted door. The left-hand projection is abutted by the north wing, and the right-hand projection by the south wing.

The south gable of the entrance wing is rendered and has a projection to the right side. To the left there is a small window with a modern frame at both levels; to the right of this is a timber-sheeted door at ground level and a similar loft door at upper level. The north gable has a projection to the left; to the right of this there is a modern garage door with a small modern-framed window to its left, and two smaller modern-framed windows at upper level. The entrance wing has a gabled slated roof.

North wing

The north wing is single-storey, rectangular, and contains stables. It is narrower than the south wing and has a mono-pitched roof.

The inner (south-facing) façade has five large elliptical arches, all filled with timber stable doors with sidelights and brick aprons, except for the far left arch which is filled with a window with a rendered apron. The outer façade of this wing presents as a high rendered wall. The short west façade has a semicircular arch with timber-sheeted double doors and a squat semicircular louvred opening set at a high level. At the left-hand edge of this façade, a tall gate screen — built in similar rubble stonework to the farm buildings — spans between the north wing and the west wing, incorporating a large flat arch and squat piers.

South wing

The south wing mirrors the north wing in its inner (north-facing) façade, which is as described for the north wing but handed. The outer south-facing façade is rendered and has a more utilitarian appearance, with several flat-arched doorways of various sizes and some small modern-framed windows. The short west façade is gabled and has openings as those on the west façade of the north wing, but doubled in number. A gate screen identical to that on the north side abuts the centre of this façade and stretches to the west wing. The short east façade has a large flat-arched opening with timber-sheeted double doors and a small high-level modern-framed window to the right. This wing has a slated gabled roof with what appear to be small skylights to the south side.

West wing (two-storey)

The large two-storey west wing now contains offices. Its inner (east-facing) façade has five large arched openings: the three central ones are larger with elliptical heads, and the two outer ones have semicircular heads. All are filled with timber-sheeted double doors with fanlights. At first-floor level there are five relatively small elliptical-headed windows with modern four-pane frames, resting on a sill course.

The north and south gables and the rear façade are all finished in plain render. The south gable has a plain double fire escape door at upper level with a fire escape stair. The north gable has a small modern-framed window to the right on the ground floor. On the rear (west-facing) façade, a small single-storey lean-to with small modern windows sits to the left; to the right of this are four modern windows and two timber-sheeted doors. The west wing has a slated gabled roof with Velux windows to the rear (west) slope and rendered parapets.

Courtyard

The courtyard has a paved perimeter with gravel to the centre. Positioned roughly at the centre of the courtyard is a late Victorian-looking cast iron pump. A stone trough formerly stood next to it.

Barn (detached, to the east)

A short distance to the east of the main complex stands the large barn. Although single-storey in appearance from most elevations, it contains a tall basement level that is only visible from the south gable. The building is finished in the same manner as the rest of the complex — coursed dark fieldstone with a slated gabled roof.

The west façade has five large elliptical arches, all now filled with door-like timber sheeting; only the centre opening, which is slightly broader than the rest, contains actual working doors with a wicket gate. The north gable has three tall arches, all timber-sheeted: the outer two have semicircular heads and the central one has an elliptical head. Above these is a small louvred roundel.

The ground level around the south gable is considerably lower than elsewhere, revealing the basement storey. The basement level is broader than the upper portion of the gable, as it extends beyond the main footprint of the barn. It has three arches to the centre, similar in shape to those on the north gable, with two outer arch recesses beyond them. The floor above has three arches and a roundel, all matching the north gable.

The east façade has a large central elliptical-headed opening, now completely glazed, flanked by narrow semicircular-headed arched openings also completely glazed. Beyond these are matching shallow arched recesses, which may originally have been openings.