Outbuildings at Rademon House, Ballynahinch Road, Rademan, Crossgar, BT30 9HS

Outbuildings at Rademon House

This is a complex grouping of part single and part two storey outbuildings and dwellings situated on sloping ground roughly a mile west of Crossgar, a short distance to the southeast of Rademon House itself. The complex is of mixed construction, age and appearance, combining structures of varying periods from the early 19th century onwards.

The oldest sections, probably pre-dating 1834, are built mainly in rubble stone. These are interspersed with late 19th and early 20th century additions, typically in coursed rubble stone with brick dressings. A separate block to the east, possibly dating from around 1910 to 1920, contains two large brick houses. The complex is well maintained and has strong character that complements the wider demesne of Rademon House.

The Long West Wing

The main section of the complex features a very long wing running predominantly north to south, with a slated roof that is gabled at the north end (with bellcote) and hipped to the south. The north end splays off in a northeast direction. Much of this long wing is rubble-built and whitewashed, probably pre-1834, though it has been altered in recent years.

The outer, western façade is finished in rough cast render and whitewash. Prominently featured is a segmental coach arch with sandstone dressings and gable above, with a small roundel set within the gable. To the right of this arch is a similar large coach opening with timber sheeted doors. The windows are randomly arranged, giving a vernacular appearance; those on the left retain Georgian-paned sash frames, while many on the right show signs of alteration with patches of render around them. Between 2000 and 2004, the render was removed and stonewoork restored across the buildings.

The inner, eastern façade retains its original random selection of openings, including timber sheeted doors, Georgian-paned sash windows, and a stone external staircase rising to an upper floor doorway. To the far left, a two storey gabled projection abuts this façade. A long single storey flat-roofed extension with modern windows and doors, added possibly in the early 1900s, covers much of this inner façade.

To the south end of this long section is an attached gabled outbuilding in dark stone rubble with brick dressings, featuring large elliptical arched vehicle doorways to both east and west façades. Immediately to the east stands a separate barn with corrugated iron-clad walls and curved roof.

The northeast section comprises a large hipped roof house, likely dating from around 1900, with a roof overhang, decorative barges and yellow brick chimneys. This section is two storey to the northeast end and single storey towards the southwest. A large full height off-centre gabled bay is positioned on its southeast elevation. Throughout this 'house' section, windows are uniform in size and regularly arranged, filled largely with Georgian-paned sash windows. The whole façade is finished in rough cast.

The East Wing

The shorter east wing is wholly post-1858 and probably dates from the early 1900s. To the north end, it consists of a single storey rubble and brick structure with a hipped roof, functioning as a stable or shed, with timber sheeted doors to the inner west façade. The outer east façade is almost entirely in brick and is blank.

South of this section, the wing kinks in a southwest direction. Beyond this point, it consists largely of a two storey section containing two relatively plain red brick dwellings with gabled roofs and gabled porches to the southeast façade. These houses have mainly Georgian-paned sash windows, with some casement windows also evident. These dwellings appear to date from around 1910 to 1920.

The buildings show a clear developmental sequence. Ordnance Survey maps of 1834 and 1858 record much of the long north-south section of the west wing, along with the projection to the east side of it, though the northeast section does not match what is visible today. The greater part of the present complex appears to date from around 1900 or slightly after. The rubble-built outbuilding to the south end may date from around 1890. The projection to the east of the long north-south section was extended in the early 20th century with the addition of its long flat-roofed portion. Much of the complex as it stands today is shown on the Ordnance Survey map of 1921.