Kinghill, Kinghill Road, Cabra, Newry, Co Down, BT34 5RB

Kinghill is a derelict mid-19th century country house with associated outbuildings set in a mature demesne between Kinghill Road and Hilltown Road. A return section of the house and various outbuildings date from the 18th century. The complex comprises nine principal elements: the main house served by gates and screen on Kinghill Road; Yard 1 immediately west of the house; Yard 2 south of the house; a large walled garden south of these two yards incorporating a memorial; and Yards 3, 4, and 5 arranged successively east of Yard 2, the first two containing outbuildings. A small covered well stands in the area to the front of the house. Southeast of the walled garden is a lime kiln, and north of the house a small masonry bridge leads across to a corn mill and kiln complex. A second drive runs southeast to the lodge and gates on Hilltown Road.

The House

The house is two-storey and three-bay, with an additional pile at the southeast and returns to the south and southwest. The front and rear piles have hipped natural slate roofs. Two ashlar granite chimneys with moulded bases and copings stand on the front ridge at either side of the central bay, while a plain rendered chimney stands on the shorter rear ridge. The front and side elevations have box section cast iron gutters resting on a substantial moulded granite cornice; the remainder have semicircular gutters on an advanced eaves course. The walls have V-jointed ashlar quoins to the façade and an advanced rendered basecourse.

The north-facing front elevation has been wet dashed in the post-Second World War period. The main entrance is set within an open aedicule porch abutting the central bay. A single bull-nosed granite step rises to the flagged granite porch floor. Four granite columns, paired to either side of the entrance, support the porch roof. These, together with single matching pilasters on the main wall, support a moulded granite entablature. Within the porch the wall of the main block is smooth rendered and unpainted. The door and sidelights are gone, but the door has been used to board up a ground floor window on the left bay; it is four-panelled and bolection moulded with bronze knocker and letterbox. The ground floor left and right bays each have a tall French window with two-paned sidelights and transom light over, all post-war in detail, set in original openings with applied smooth render modern architraves. There is a single window to each first floor bay. Those to left and right match those to the ground floor, and the central window consists of two modern casements with matching opening transoms. All have architraves as those to the ground floor.

The left elevation is lined lime render with quoins to the right. The foundation course of rubble stonework is exposed. At ground floor left is a post-war steel casement window three panes wide with concrete cill. To the right is a 1920s timber window consisting of a pair of casements, each with a two-paned transom over and cement rendered cill. The first floor is blank.

The rear elevation has, at the right, the rear pile of the main block, and an older building at right angles at the left; these two units are joined by a small linking block. The two bays on the pile at right have render quoins to the right corner only and the wall is smooth lime rendered. On the left bay, between ground and first floor, is a tall semicircular headed window with granite cill serving the stairwell, all timber gone. At ground floor right is a pair of 1920s French windows, each with a small two-pane transom over. At first floor is a single six-over-six sliding sash window. To the left of this unit, and slightly inset from it, is the narrow two-storey link block joining the main block with the return at left. It has a flat roof with cast iron rainwater goods and lime rendered granite rubble walls. There is a single window on each floor; both are brick dressed with granite cills; that to the first floor is smaller. Advancing to its left is the perpendicular return.

The rear return has a natural slate roof aligned north-south, gabled to the south and hipped to the north where it abuts the front pile. It has a lean-to extension abutting its west elevation, over which the main roof continues. Its south gable has rendered skews and plain granite kneelers. There is a chimney at each end of its ridge, detailed as those to the façade. The walls are lined lime rendered and have a projecting eaves course. Its right cheek, facing east, has a wide modern top-hung window to ground floor right; the wide granite cill suggests this was its original width. To first floor left is a similar taller window opening containing an inter-war triple casement window, each two-paned, with matching transoms over. The south gable of this return, and that of the abutting lean-to, is blank and abutted to the centre by a coachway which divides the rear of the house into Yards 1 and 2.

Turning the left corner of the return's south gable is the principal elevation of the lean-to which abuts all but the north end of the return's left cheek. Its walls are wet lime dashed with a granite eaves course. There are three small ground floor openings along its west face. That to the left is a boarded-up window with irregularly dressed granite cill. To the left of centre is a smaller shuttered opening with original iron strap hinges and no cill. To the right is a wider window with higher, finely dressed cill, which has three horizontal metal security bars over. At first floor there are two small window openings each containing a pair of timber casements. The left cheek of this lean-to has a broad-boarded door with timber sliding latch at ground floor. To the left of this cheek is the exposed face of the right cheek of the return below the hipped roof. It has a paired casement window to the ground floor and similar above; both have granite cills.

The right elevation of the main block is blank and lined rendered. It is abutted to the ground floor by a single-storey, two-bay outbuilding; an internal door into the house suggests it was once internally linked to the house. This outbuilding has a pitched natural slate roof aligned west-east with a cement rendered red brick chimney on its west gable. The walls are lime dashed granite rubble. Its front, north wall has a modern shed door set to the left and is blank to the right. Its gable to the west is blank but for a boarded-up window at ground floor left and is abutted by the wall of Yard 1. Its yard-facing wall to the south has a window opening to the left and a door to the centre.

Gates and Screen

On Kinghill Road is a pair of carriage gates serving the now overgrown drive. The remains of a small planted demesne survive, and a well stands in the front lawn. The gateway consists of a concave sweep of screen walling of smooth rendered random rubble with saddle backed overhanging granite copings. A pedestrian gate breaks its right side and there are two slender one-piece granite posts, gates gone. The main gates are carried on stout square one-piece finely dressed granite pillars resting on chamfered plinths. Each pillar has an incised panel to each face and a moulded frieze and cornice supporting a pyramidal coping. The gates are wrought iron with cast iron details; diagonal crosses form the dog bars and a similar band frames the top. Each vertical bar has a foliated spearhead and an applied moulding.

Yard 1

To the southwest of the house is a small yard enclosed to the northeast by the single-storey outbuilding abutting the west gable of the house and to the south by a high one-storey building. There are also several smaller buildings, all very ruinous, and all conjoined by a rubble stone wall approximately 2.5 metres high.

The outbuilding at the south is a long one-bay, two-storey structure. The roof is hipped natural slate with terracotta ridge tiles. Rainwater goods are cast iron and missing in part. All walls are of lime rendered random rubble. The main elevation faces north into the yard and has two entrances. The first is to the extreme left of the façade and has granite stools to its timber frame, door gone. The second is to the right of centre and has a lean-to rubble stone porch which rises three-quarters the height of the building. The roof is monopitched and natural slated with one-piece granite skews on moulded kneelers. The cheeks of this porch are blank and taper in from bottom to top. There are fourteen narrow window openings to this elevation, arranged over three rooms; each opening is secured with three vertical wrought-iron bars. A ruinous one-storey, one-bay outbuilding abuts at the right.

The left, east gable has one small window at the top over the trace of the monopitched roof of a one-storey, one-bay shed at the left, of which only the ruinous walls survive. The south elevation faces into the walled garden. It too has fourteen openings similar to the north façade and also arranged over three rows. The wall of the walled garden abuts at the left, blocking two of the windows. There is also a larger infilled opening to this elevation at the extreme left. The right, west gable has a finely dressed segmental-headed coach arch with dressed granite jambs and voussoirs.

The interior of this building is a single space. The roof is carried on A-framed trusses and common rafters. Over the entrance at the northeast is a granite platform. The coachway with Yard 2 is of rubble granite with one-piece granite jambs and roughly dressed voussoirs forming its semi-elliptical head. The keystone is dropped slightly to prevent doors or gates swinging both ways and the jambs are recessed to accommodate the gates being inset. The wall built up over the archway is partially collapsed. It abuts the gable of the house return at the north, and a small ruinous two-storey, two-bay rubble stone building at the south.

Yard 2

This yard is immediately south of the house, between Yards 1 and 3; the walled garden is to its south. It contains the remains of a raised flowerbed along the boundary with the walled garden, with granite steps up to a brick-headed gateway with flat iron gate into the walled garden.

Walled Garden

The large walled garden is roughly square in plan and enclosed on all sides by 2.5-metre coursed granite rubble walls. It is accessed from Yard 2 through the aforementioned brick-headed gateway. It has a vehicle entrance at the east end of its north boundary wall. In the northeast corner is a roofless single-storey single-bay building with brick chimney. Its south boundary wall has a brick dressed doorway and its west wall is abutted internally at its north end by an early 19th century memorial. There are no features now visible within the actual garden.

The memorial consists of a slate memorial slab set into the wall and below which is a granite bench. The cheeks are of lime-dashed rubble and terminate in finely dressed granite pillars which support an open gabled natural slate roof with similar dressing. The actual memorial tablet has been deliberately vandalised, and only its bottom panel remains. This reads "I SUBMIT AND LOOK FORWARD WITH FAITH M. A. Newell, 1817".

Yard 3

A high rubble stone wall and three outbuildings enclose the third yard which is immediately east of Yard 2. The principal outbuilding is at the north. This is two-storey, single-bay and aligned west-east. It has a pitched natural slate roof laid in diminishing courses and with two raised pyramidal louvred vents. Granite skews to the left gable with kneeler stones. The walls are rendered random rubble with brick eaves course. All openings except the doorway have red brick dressings.

The principal elevation faces south into the yard and has five ground floor openings. The main entrance is fourth from the left and has a projecting porch with three granite steps forming its roof. The walls are squared and coursed granite blocks. To the left of the door are three Gothic windows, that immediately left of the door partly collapsed; to the right is a single similar window. All have roughly dressed granite cills. There are three first floor openings all with stepped brick dressings and granite cills. The middle one is aligned over the porch and served as a loading door; the others are louvred timber vents. The yard wall abuts at the extreme left and extreme right of this elevation. Both walls have archways through. That in the left wall is of segmental profile and dressed with brick. That in the right wall is segmental and made up of granite voussoirs.

The left gable of this building is blank except for a window opening up at first floor centre. The rear elevation to the north has, to the ground floor, three infilled Gothic openings with brick dressings partly visible with a small rectangular ventilation hole to each. To first floor right is a larger opening. Many slates are missing at the left side of this roof pitch. A random rubble stone wall continues left of this elevation. To its middle is a large coach arch with segmental head of granite voussoirs and stepped granite surround. To the right of the coach arch is a flat-headed pedestrian entrance with stepped granite surrounds. No gates remain to either opening. The right gable of this building to the east is unrendered and blank. There are, however, traces of at least one infilled opening.

South of this building are two nondescript single-storey, single-bay buildings with ruinous pitched natural slate roofs and random rubble walls.

Yard 4

This is formed between Yards 3 and 5 and enables access from the front lawns of the house to the walled garden and field with lime kiln to the southeast. It is enclosed by a high rubble wall which has a large segmental headed coachway and pedestrian gateway on the front wall and with access openings on the remaining three sides.

Yard 5

This has two long two-storey outbuildings, one to the north and the other to the south. Between the two is a small depression with masonry edging, possibly once a pond. There is also a small ruinous shed at the northwest. This yard is enclosed by rubble stone walls and is accessed by a gateway on the west boundary with Yard 4.

The north building has a hipped natural slate roof, random rubble granite walls and brick eaves. The roof to the right gable is partially collapsed. The principal elevation faces south into the yard. At the middle is a segmental headed archway that rises almost to eaves level with dressed granite voussoirs. To the extreme left and right are single doorways and to the immediate left of the coachway is a third doorway, now collapsed. Between the coachway and door at right are five small vent openings at ground level. At first floor, to left and to right of the coachway, are four rectangular openings, some containing the remains of louvred timber vents, and each with granite lintels and cills. The left gable to the west is blank. The rear elevation to the north is wet lime dashed and divided into two by a yard wall. The left half has three doors and assorted vents. The right half has two central doors, left one infilled. Each half has four first floor louvred timber vents as those to the façade. Rubble walls in a state of collapse enclose rear yards. The right, east gable is blank.

The outbuilding to the south has a pitched natural slate roof with coursed granite rubble walls and brick eaves. Its front, north-facing elevation is symmetrical. There are three semi-elliptical headed coachways at ground floor, all with dressed granite voussoirs, left one infilled with concrete blockwork. To left and right of the central coachway are smaller doorways and between all openings are small vents. At first floor there are six equally spaced rectangular openings with granite cills and timber louvres. The left, east gable has been rebuilt in concrete blockwork and has had a modern vehicle entrance inserted. The rear, south elevation has seven arrow loop style vents at ground floor and five first floor openings as those to the façade with timber louvres. The right, west gable is blank.

The single-storey, single-bay outbuilding at the northwest has a pitched natural slate roof and rubble walls. There is a shallow segmental headed opening to the east elevation. The remaining walls are blank.

Well

In the grounds to the front of the house is a covered well approached down a short flight of stone steps and, edged with rounded fieldstones, the remains of a decorative planted surround.