Tamnaharry House, Derryleckagh Road, Mayobridge, Newry, Co Down, BT34 2EY

Overview

Tamnaharry House is a mid-19th century two-storey, three-bay picturesque house set in mature grounds on the east side of Derryleckagh Road. A recent extension to the right gable has added a fourth bay. To the rear of the house is a house yard, farmyard and walled garden. Also in the grounds are the west lodge and gates and east lodge. The front elevation faces southwest.

Architectural Description

The left bay is narrower than the central bay, and the right bay is set slightly back from and is wider than the central one. The pitched natural slate roof has each bay crowned by a large picturesque gable. There are five pairs of chimneys aligned asymmetrically along the main ridge and a sixth on the rear return roof. Each pair of plain coped sandstone chimney stacks is angled on a coped granite plinth. All are rebuilds of the originals. On the main ridge, the second and fourth chimneys are aligned parallel to the façade and the others are aligned perpendicular to it.

The three front gables and the gable to the right end of the main block all have overhanging eaves and delicate fretted and cusped timber bargeboards. Metal rainwater downpipes serve the building. Walls are constructed in snecked squared granite blockwork with a chamfered granite base course. There are finely dressed stepped ashlar quoins to the left corner of the left bay and the right corner of the central and right bays. Walls were previously rendered with hood moulds to openings.

Principal Entrance

The right bay contains the main entrance, which is set within a single-storey veranda constructed in ashlar granite. It has a granite threshold and its roof is supported on four pillars on chamfered bases with plain Classical capitals supporting a simple entablature with a quadrant curve to each end, with a low balustrade over. The balustrade has a fretted lattice design and curves with the entablature. Above each pillar the balustrade is supported on a panelled block. The veranda soffit is plainly plastered but the ceiling is slightly lower over the main entrance to centre. To either end, where the veranda curves and meets the main wall, is a pilaster which matches the veranda pillars. The wall at ground floor (within the veranda) is built in modern red brickwork.

The main entrance is to centre. A modern uPVC door is set within an original finely dressed granite doorcase. Its architrave is plain with panelled block capitals and the plain lintel has attractive moulded ends. Originally there was a porch abutting here. To either side of the main entrance is a pair of 2-by-4 paned painted timber casement windows (in a common opening) with dressed granite cills. All windows are similar painted timber casements with chamfered red brick reveals, unless otherwise stated.

At first floor centre is a pair of French windows opening onto the veranda roof. Each door is 2-by-5 paned painted timber, with a pair of transoms over each. To its right is a 2-by-4 window, which is probably later as its brick reveal is different from the rest of the openings on the front elevation.

Front Elevation Bays

The central bay of the front elevation steps out from the right bay and its narrow exposed right cheek is blank. The central bay is abutted at ground floor centre by a dressed granite bay window that has three full-height windows to the front and a single one on each side. All are 6-over-9 sliding sashes without horns except for the central one at front which contains a 2-by-4 paned glazed timber door with a single transom over. The bay window has a plain entablature (as one to veranda). Above to first floor is a pair of 2-by-4 windows each with a two-paned transom, all in a common opening.

The left gable of the front elevation has a pair of 2-by-4 paned French windows with two-paned transoms over each. To first floor is a window identical to that on the first floor of the central bay.

Left (Northwest) Elevation

Turning the left corner of the main block to the left (northwest) elevation, this elevation is two gables wide. The left gable is the rear return, and its left roof pitch cat-slides to accommodate more of the rear return and is thus wider than the other bay. Both bays have fretted bargeboards, which are of a different (plainer) design to those on the front elevation.

There is a shallow single-storey bay window to centre of the right bay. Its pitched natural slate roof rises to first floor level and has a fretted bargeboard (detailed as others). Its front wall has a pair of 2-by-3 windows each with two-paned transoms over (in common opening). At first floor, set to left is a 6-over-6 sliding sash window with horns.

The left bay has a similar but smaller bay window aligned with its gable apex and containing a pair of 4-over-4 sliding sashes. Set above to first floor is a pair of 2-by-4 casements. To ground floor of the left bay (under the catslide roof) is a modern double-glazed 3-over-6 top-hung unit set in a horizontal opening with a concrete cill. Above it is a 3-over-6 sash window.

Rear (Northeast) Elevation of Main Block

The left bay has a modern top-hung timber casement with granite cill set to ground floor left. Set at a lower level at ground floor centre is a small modern top-hung casement window. To right between ground and first floor is a tall spoke-headed 6-over-6 margin-paned sash window with coloured margins. To first floor left is a pair of 2-by-4 windows in a common opening.

The centre bay advances forward slightly (its left cheek is blank) and is partially abutted to the right side by the catslide roof of the rear return. To the exposed portion at ground floor left is a pair of 4-over-4 sliding sash windows in a common opening and to its right is a modern uPVC window. At first floor is a pair of 2-by-4 windows in a common opening.

Rear Return

The rear return is below the cat-slide roof of the left gable of the left (northwest) elevation. Walls are as main block. It is plain and its yard-facing (southeast) cheek contains a modern timber and glass door where it meets the main block. The remainder of this cheek steps in slightly and is blank under a mono-pitched slate roof which slopes to northwest. Its southeast face is abutted to ground floor by a lean-to with advancing gabled porch.

The lean-to has a mono-pitched natural slate roof with plain modern eaves. Its central porch advances and has a gabled bargeboard with modern door to front and modern 2-by-3 windows to each cheek. On the wall to left of the porch is a modern 2-by-4 window and on the wall right of the porch is a pair of 2-by-4 windows. The end (northeast) wall of the return abuts an outbuilding that encloses the rear yard of the house.

Its right (northwest) elevation advances beyond the rest of the northwest elevation. Its main (northwest) wall has two window openings: the right is a 6-over-3 sash and the left is a similar opening containing a nine-paned uPVC window. The ground falls away below the windows and the wall has a door at basement right and the rest of the wall is abutted by a boiler house. Its exposed right (southwest) cheek has a door at ground floor level and its gable has a decorative bargeboard (as rest to northwest elevation).

Right (Southeast) Gable and Modern Extension

Back to the main block, the right (southeast) gable of the main block is slate-hung and abutted by a lower modern one-and-a-half storey red brick extension (replacing an earlier structure). All windows are modern-style timber casements unless otherwise stated. It has a pitched natural slate roof with two traditional-style dormers to each pitch (bargeboards similar to those on main house). Its end (southeast) gable has bargeboards as main block. Walls are modern red brick laid in stretcher bond with a soldier course at window head level. All windows have granite cills. Its yard-facing windows and door are uPVC.

House Yard and Outbuildings

The house yard is enclosed to northwest by the return and is open to southeast (wall removed). A large single-storey outbuilding running parallel to the main block encloses its northeast side. It has a pitched natural slate roof with overhanging eaves and concrete skew with moulded kneelers to right gable (as viewed from yard) and a rendered chimney to left gable. Walls are constructed of an irregular mixture of rubble stone and red brick which are lime rendered but have been exposed in places.

The yard-facing (southwest) elevation is five bays wide. The first three bays are separated by single three-staged rendered buttresses and each bay has a spoke-headed metal-framed 20th-century window. The fourth bay has a tongue-and-groove sheeted door set in a lean-to porch with a pitched concrete roof and the fifth bay is stripped of render and has an infilled doorway. The right gable of the outbuilding is blank and has had its render stripped at the lower level. Its rear (northeast) elevation faces the farmyard and is in the process of being refaced in rubble stone. It has a large modern brick-dressed coachway and two windows (as those to front). The northwest gable of the outbuilding is abutted by a much modernised two-storey L-planned farm outbuilding.

Farmyard Outbuilding

This outbuilding is L-shaped in plan and of similar height to the houseyard building described above with pitched natural slate roof. Although much altered with uPVC and metal-framed windows, it still retains much of its original character and has a coachway from farmyard to field on the northwest. Its southwest-facing wall advances beyond the line of the main house and is abutted by the boiler house. It has a hipped natural slate roof and a massive masonry chimney which abuts the outbuilding and rises to above its eaves level. It has a small 2-over-2 sash window and a door on its southwest wall and a window on its northwest cheek. Its southeast wall abuts the rear return of the house and its northeast wall abuts the houseyard outbuilding.

Return Block

The farmyard outbuilding is also abutted on its northwest by a single-storey return block which has a pitched natural slate roof (hipped where it abuts) with louvred lantern to ridge and cement-rendered chimney to end (northwest) gable. The right end of its northeast pitch cat-slides over a lean-to which advances out beyond its end (northwest) elevation. Walls as other buildings.

The southwest wall of the return block has a large sheeted timber carriage door at left, a door at centre and a modern door set higher (ground rises) at right. Over the central door is a small 6-over-6 window. Its end (northwest) wall is blank and abutted by its lean-to. Its northeast wall has a modern oil tank abutting. The lean-to has a small 2-over-2 window on its northwest (end) wall, and a similar window on its northeast elevation. Its southwest elevation is filled by a semi-elliptical headed coachway with tongue-and-groove sheeted door.

Farmyard and Grounds

Back to the farmyard. It is enclosed to southeast by a high rubble stone wall with tall cylindrical dressed granite gate piers at its northeast end. The main drive of the house runs from the gates and lodge on Derryleckagh Road in a northeast direction and runs along the southeast side of the house, past the house yard and along the southeast edge of the farmyard. It once continued east towards the east lodge.

The walled garden is set across the driveway from the main house to the southeast. The wall is in granite random rubble brought to courses and lined in red brick. Its southwest-facing boundary has a dwarf wall carrying tall wrought-iron railing with plain spiked finials. A rubble stone grotto to northwest of the house contains statues of Mary and St Bernadette.