Ballywalter Park History

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Ballywalter Park has been in the ownership of the Mulholland family for over 150 years, since my great, great, great grandfather, Andrew Mulholland, bought it from the Matthews family in 1846 for the, then, princely sum of £23,000.

At the time, the Estate consisted of a demesne of around 250 acres, with a two-storey over basement Georgian House called Springvale. Andrew and his brothers had made their fortune from owning cotton mills, which, after a major fire in 1830 were rebuilt as linen mills, becoming, as the York Street Flax Spinning Company, the largest linen mills in the world. Andrew found the existing Georgian house too modest for his ambitions, since he had also become Mayor of Belfast at the time of his purchase, and so he commissioned the architect and fellow Belfast City councellor, Charles (later Sir Charles) Lanyon, to build something more in keeping with his perceived status.

The result is the Victorian Italianate Palazzo that you see today, arguably the finest of Lanyon's country houses. Lanyon was responsible for much of Northern Ireland's finest built heritage, including the main buildings of the Queen's University and the Customs House, both in Belfast; Ballyscullion Park, in Co Londonderry, and two other great houses, Drenagh, near Limavady, and Dunderave at Bushmills on the North Antrim Coast. As County Architect, he was also responsible for the magnificent Antrim Coast Road. Construction took about six years, with the works being completed in around 1852. The original Springvale House was not demolished but was included within the structure of the new house. Indeed, some of the original door lintels and arches can still be seen in the basement and cellars of the house.

In brief, Lanyon added two bow wings to north and south of the original house; repositioned the front door from the south front to the east, adding an immense porte cochère, to protect arriving visitors from the winds gusting off the Irish Sea and, finally, adding a third nursery floor to the main existing building.

Intriguingly, the eminent architect, Ptolemy Dean, recently identified some of the doors on the top floor as being of Georgian origin, thus being thriftily re-used in the nursery bedrooms.

Prodigious Planting

At the same time as the building of the house, Andrew also undertook a prodigious planting programme, and in the winter of 1846/7 put in no less 93,500 trees & shrubs. This was shortly followed by further plantings of shelter belts to provide protection from the easterly winds.

The original Springvale Georgian stable block, with its central pigeon house was left untouched by all the renovations and stands to this day. From there, a roadway leads to the walled garden, passing the Albany - a two-storey building, probably built in the 1860s, with carpenter's shop and gamekeeper's quarters on the ground floor, and with bedroom accommodation above for servants of visitors staying at the Big House. Again, and according to Ordnance Survey maps contemporary to the time, the walled garden probably dates from Springvale days, but the two ranges of glass houses are almost certainly Victorian, dating from the late 1850s to early 1860s.

Gentlemen's Wing

Lanyon was recalled to Ballywalter to construct the Gentlemen's Wing, comprising the Billiard Room and Smoking Room, as a single-storey honey coloured stone extension at the north west corner of the main house. The wing culminates in a magnificent Conservatory, complete with central glass dome. Whether Andrew or his eldest son, John was responsible for this wing is unclear for, although some commentators say that it was carried out in around 1863, the initials formed in the fretwork above the windows are JM, those of John, whereas Andrew lived until 1866. Perhaps Andrew had made the house over a few years before his death or maybe he had given John responsibility for building the wing but we shall probably never know, for very few of the early records survive. Certainly, Charles Brett, in his book Buildings of North County Down, states that, in 1879 the rateable value had been increased to £265 "to allow for the new billiard room, kitchens, etc" but he does not give a date for the previous valuation. John rose to political prominence through being elected a Conservative Member of Parliament for Downpatrick in 1874 and was active on many Irish Committees at Westminster. At the same time, he was also much involved in overseeing the family linen business, which continued to prosper, with an unexpected boost in the 1860s when cotton exports from the United States were blockaded during the American Civil War.

Seafarer

His other main interest lay in sailing for, in 1865 he had commissioned the racing schooner Egeria, a vessel of some 153 tons, built by Wanhill in Poole. With a crew of 12, John won over 60 major yachting trophies, including four Queen's Cups, presented by Queen Victoria at Cowes.

John also stamped his mark on Ballywalter by reworking some of the Principal Rooms within the house. He was responsible for the wood panelling in the Outer Hall and he also replaced the original stone-flagged floor with marble. He installed the Library, probably in the late 1860's and almost certainly with the help of Lanyon. As is the case in the Billiard Room, his initials JM can also be found in the Library, in this instance above the fireplace over mantel mirror.

His efforts in the Dining Room were less successful with this room being panelled towards the end of his life in the mid 1890s. The result was very overpowering and was not helped by heavy high-Victorian furniture being commissioned to complete the effect. Fortunately, Henry - the 4th Baron Dunleath - and his wife Dorinda, took the enlightened decision to strip out the later additions in the early 1960s and to return the room to its probable original form, having to acquire a marble fireplace to replace the ponderous timber one that was removed. The only relic of the 1890s reworking is the Dunleath coat of arms, which is now to be found above the chimneypiece in the Outer Hall.

Arms and The Man

A Dunleath coat of arms, because, in 1892, John Mulholland was raised to the Peerage as the first Baron Dunleath, for his services as a Member of Parliament, on the recommendation of the outgoing Conservative Prime Minister, Lord Salisbury. With that, it could be said that the Mulholland dynasty had finally 'arrived'. Joe Mordaunt Crook, in his book The Rise of the Nouveaux Riches puts it thus: "When he bought the (Ballywalter) estate for £23,000 (Andrew) Mulholland was already Mayor of Belfast; by rebuilding the house he turned himself into an Irish country-gentleman. His son, a Tory MP and celebrated yachtsman, predictably becomes a nobleman - 1st Baron Dunleath - in 1892".

The family's involvement at the cutting edge of industrial technology was also reflected within the house. The house had initially been lit by acetylene, provided by the estate's own gas works. This was abandoned in the mid 1890's, when Ballywalter became one of the first houses in Ireland to have electricity, supplied by a steam powered generator. The steam engine, in turn, was replaced in 1920 by a Crossley gas engine, with a capacity not only to supply the house but also the sawmill, a water pump and its own compressed air unit for the purpose of re-starting itself. John died in 1895 and was succeeded by his second son, Henry, the eldest, Andrew, having died on his honeymoon in Paris.

Henry had followed his father into politics, having been elected Conservative MP for Londonderry North in 1885. However, he seems to have been a quieter individual, perhaps overshadowed by his wife Norah - known universally as Gogo - daughter of John's land agent, Captain Somerset Ward, and granddaughter of Viscount Bangor of Castle Ward. Henry and Gogo were responsible for the creation of the rockery and water gardens and Gogo maintained a considerable aviary around the stream, with many exotic birds, including flamingos and black swans.

They had five children, four sons and one daughter. The boys all became accomplished sportsmen and excelled particularly at cricket. As a result, Ballywalter formed its own cricket XI, democratically captained by the butler, and entertained visiting cricket teams from England such as Free Foresters, I Zingari and MCC and also a team called Na Shuler made up of players living in country houses throughout Ireland.

Pleurisy Passage

It seemed only natural to build a wing to house these visiting teams and the Architect, W J Fennell was brought in to design a Bachelors' or Cricket Wing, situated on the north east corner of the main house. It was built in two stages between 1903 and 1908 but was not a success, being apparently so impossible to heat that it was known as 'pleurisy passage'. In any event, it turned out to be a white elephant since, only a few years on, the Great War broke out and visiting cricket teams were never to return to Ballywalter. The later part of this wing was demolished in the late 1960s with the intention to remove the remainder in due course, to return the house to the condition in which Lanyon left it.

Ballywalter thrived as a centre of entertainment whilst Gogo was chatelaine with grand house parties, shooting weekends and dances as well as cricket weeks featuring on the social calendar. Unlike many Irish country houses, the social round was resumed after the Great War, in spite of Henry and Gogo's eldest son Edward (Teddy) being killed at Ypres in the opening months of the War, whilst serving with the Irish Guards. In July 1924, Ballywalter was visited by the Duke and Duchess of York (later King George VI and Queen Elizabeth), who played tennis on the grass court - now long gone - to the front of the house. The only other Royal Visit recorded was that of the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester, who stayed in December 1935, and took part in the then renowned wild duck shoot on the family's lands at Downpatrick. Gogo was remembered with affection by her grandchildren, who stayed in the nursery bedrooms on the top floor. To them, it must have seemed that these golden days would last forever but, with Henry's death in 1931, followed by that of Gogo in 1935, it was the end of an era and, all too soon, her grandchildren went off to fight in the 2nd World War.

A New Incumbent

Their second son Charles succeeded to the title and then to Ballywalter. In 1920, he had married Sylvia Brooke, following in the footsteps of his younger brother, Harry, who had married Sylvia's sister Sheelah, both daughters of Sir Arthur Brooke of Colebrooke and sisters of Basil, later 1st Viscount Brookeborough. Sadly, a little over a year after they were married, Sylvia died and Charles did not remarry until 1932 when he wed Grace, the daughter of Charles D'Arcy, Archbishop of Armagh and Church of Ireland Primate of all Ireland. They had one child, Henry, born the following year.

Military Action

During the 2nd World War, the demesne at Ballywalter was used by the Royal Air Force as a bomber repair base, with aircraft being landed on the sand field adjacent to the shore and then towed across the coast road into the former golf course field at the front of the house. The house itself was not requisitioned this time around, as had been the case in the 1914-1918 war when it was used as a Military Hospital. However, various military units were stationed in the stable block and outbuildings where regimental graffiti from the Staffordshire Regiment and the Royal Ulster Rifles can still be seen on the walls. The Billiard Room score book records matches which Charles played with various officers who must have been billeted nearby, most of which he seemed to manage to win.

When the war ended, it was a case of retrenchment and consolidation, with the day-to-day running of the house becoming well- nigh impossible due to the reluctance of people to enter into domestic service. As my predecessor, Henry, wrote in the UAHS guide "...we were down to only a butler and two footmen, a cook, two scullery maids, and two housemaids. The pressures placed upon them were well-nigh intolerable with one footman having to double up as a valet, another as a hall boy, while one of the housemaids had to take on the duties of lady's maid in addition to her normal function". No wonder Charles felt that the end of the road for Ballywalter Park was approaching. He considered abandoning the house altogether, and building a new house in the demesne and he subsequently commissioned the architect Sir Albert Richardson to draw up plans to remove the top floor. He made a start on dismantling the conservatory but got no further than removing the heating pipes.

Green Shoots

Whilst he may not have added to the house, his contribution to the gardens was considerable. He established a notable collection of rhododendrons, shrubs and conifers which remain and give pleasure to this day. He did much experimentation in the crossing of rhododendrons and perhaps his most successful hybrid was Rh Lady Dunleath, a winter hardy cross between Arboreum var. Kermesinum and Elliottii which carries striking deep red flowers from late February through to the end of May and beyond.

Charles died in 1956 and left Henry with a rather uncertain inheritance. Henry had been led to believe that Ballywalter was a Victorian monstrosity and shared his father's view that the house should either be abandoned or else much reduced in size. In 1959, he married Dorinda, daughter of General Arthur Perceval and, whilst they were pondering what to do with the house, fate, in the shape of John Betjeman, came to tea in around 1961. He was enchanted with the house and said that the conservatory was an essential element in Lanyon's original concept for the rear elevation and should be preserved at all costs. If only the whole house, as originally designed, he went on, could be preserved for another 25 years, it would become a mecca for architectural historians and enthusiasts. Betjeman was so far ahead of his time that it was hard to know if he was being serious. Time, of course, proved that he was, and it was fortunate indeed that Henry took him at his word and accepted his invaluable advice about the house.

The long-awaited repairs commenced with work to the conservatory and the porte cochère. This was followed up by a long programme of generally making the house weather-tight, with major works to the roof - reslating parts of it and replacing the lead, rebuilding chimneys, replastering and eventually redecoration. In this they were hampered by seemingly endless outbreaks of dry rot and a near disastrous fire in 1974, caused by a faulty gas cylinder in the kitchens. However, progress continued with all the major Principal Rooms being renovated, the last being the Drawing Room in 1991. Meanwhile, following the fire, the opportunity was taken to greatly enhance the external appearance of the house, when the windows all had their glazing bars reinstated - they having been taken out and plate glass put in at the end of the 19th Century.

Henry and Dorinda were also active in the gardens. More shelter belts were planted, overgrown areas were cleared, vistas opened up, rhododendrons and shrubs propagated and the open areas of the pleasure grounds mowed on a regular basis.

Present Times

Following Henry's death in 1993, there was a temporary lull in the restoration works, although major upheaval was caused when the insurers insisted on the house being completely rewired. The title had passed to my father, Michael, Henry's first cousin, but, at nearly 80, it was impracticable for him to take up the mantle of living in and running Ballywalter Park.

In the interim, I had commissioned the conservation architect, Alastair Coey, to carry out a condition survey and compile a Report identifying priorities for the restoration programme. My father, in turn, died in 1997 and I moved into Ballywalter Park shortly after. The Report highlighted a number of areas that gave cause for concern. In particular, these involved the exterior of the building, where the plasterwork was in poor shape and had to be replaced. The outer slopes of the roof were in need of reslating, the windows and rainwater goods needed overhauling and the working chimneys had to have their flues lined. When this was complete, the whole of the exterior needed redecorating.

At the same time, I identified the need for additional bedrooms and, in particular, more bathrooms within the house. The kitchens, which had been partly modernised following the fire, were also in need of upgrading and the decision was taken to install an Aga, which would also provide much needed warmth in that area!

In order to increase the bedroom capacity, the decision was taken to bring the top, former nursery floor, unused since the 1930s, back into operation. This would provide five much needed bedrooms, each with its own bathroom, together with a further single bedroom and shower room. A completely independent central heating and hot water system was provided for this floor. The main contractors, McGimpsey & Kane started work in May 2000, and this major programme of restoration was very successfully finished on schedule some 60 weeks later in July 2001.

Outside, I have tried to continue the programme of maintenance and improvement to the gardens. We have almost completed the restoration of the glasshouses in the walled garden; The rose garden has been totally redesigned and replanted; 24 defective brick pillars in the rose pergola have been taken out and rebuilt; paths have been regravelled and overgrown shrub borders cleared and replanted.

Future Plans

There still remains work to be done. Lanyon's Gentlemen's wing requires complete internal restoration, with the first phase being to install central heating. Thereafter, we need to look to the possible demolition of the remainder of the ill-fated Cricket Wing, subject to the necessary permissions. A constant programme of maintenance is also required, to prevent costly major repairs in the future. Already, the Conservatory, the subject of the first stage of restoration all those years ago, is in need of attention.

Overall though, Ballywalter Park is looking good for its 150 years. Perhaps this can be summed up best in Charles Brett's words in his book Buildings of North County Down; "At the date of writing (2001), the house has just come through a 57 week programme of refurbishment and renewal in which everything that needs repainting has been painted; everything is delightfully fresh, sparkling and new." ©