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 When we first saw Ballinderry it was in a sorry state, used as a store for country furniture, old carts and a variety of other artefacts. In front the roof looked intact, but three large Victorian dormer windows at the rear had collapsed, causing considerable damage to the internal fabric, while vandals had smashed the windows and looted the chimneypieces (which anyway appear
to have been Victorian replacements).
Our first task was to strip the roof which was done by George's brother John, his partner Florian, and their team. They repaired the main timbers, made good wherever possible, and saved enough slates to re-roof the front of the building. We bought reclaimed slates for the rear and return and replaced the dormers with large ‘conservation’ roof lights - which provide much-needed extra light without compromising the outline of the building.
The house is constructed of fieldstone, covered in lime render which had become defective and had to be removed. This revealed stone lintels which showed the original positions of the drawing room and dining room windows, now happily reinstated by local masons. At the rear, several other windows have also been replaced and the elevations to the yard are now broadly symmetrical. The defective render has been replaced with several coats of protective wash in an appropriate ochre shade, which contrasts well with the limestone sills and details.
The windows have been restored to what we believe was their original appearance, with unequal sashes on the ground floor (nine panes over six) using heavy early-Georgian glazing bars in the main house and light, ultra thin Regency glazing bars in the wing, all specially made for the house by Hinches of Tullamore who also made all the decorative mouldings.
Internally, the floors were in an extremely decayed state, though it was possible for John and Florian to save most of the joists. The floorboards have now been replaced with wide pine boards sawn from old beams.
The decorative woodwork was badly attacked by woodworm, but we salvaged all the principal doors and most of the shutters, together with sufficient architrave for us to copy. The skirting was too far gone for repair and the chair-rail had been removed many years ago. In doing this we used a whole series of carpenters, ranging from local men to wandering German carpenters, in their distinctive formal uniform and the house was finally fitted out by a local builder, Thomas Hibbett.
The recently completed work has restored the joinery in the hall. The panelled doors, shutters and reveals have been repaired but most of the architrave and all the dado-rail and skirting have been replaced, while the hall ceiling and cornice have also been retained and repaired.
Apart from the shutters and doors, nothing remained of the original decoration in either the drawing or dining rooms. These rooms have been given new ceilings (with the remains of the damaged Victorian cornices hidden above) while the 18th century window and door cases have been authentically reproduced.
In the drawing room the window to the rear had been blocked, so as to close-off the view of the 1840’s stable from Victorian eyes (or, perhaps, to prevent the grooms from watching the ladies). This window has now been reinstated: the room has been panelled in the mid-18th century style and given a fine early Kilkenny marble chimneypiece from a house in County Waterford. The dining room has received similar treatment with an early 18th century slate chimneypiece.
The second and fifth flights of the staircase had been badly damaged, largely as a result of broken windows on the rear (western) elevation, but also partly by vandals (though luckily enough survived to allow it to be retained and repaired.) The worst effected treads have been replaced, while more than 50 missing banisters were turned by hand, by Mr. Ray Walsh of Newmarket-on-Fergus. As luck would have it the former owner, Mr. Patrick Carty of Kilconnell, had the foresight to remove the newel post, along with the elliptically curved spiral at the foot of the handrail, after a spate of vandalism in the area. Thus these irreplaceable items were saved and were duly returned to the house.
On the first floor the doors and most of the shutters have been retained, as have the door-cases but, unfortunately, nothing else could be salvaged. Once again, there were few remains of the original decoration and the chimneypieces had all been removed. The two first floor bedrooms have been panelled in the 18th c. style and have been given simple chimneypieces, one of finely figured marble and the other of slate.
The decoration on the top floor had always been more basic and largely confined to the landing and stairwell. The chimneypieces were of plaster, with a simple moulded surround, and have been reinstated. Luckily all the seven-panelled doors have been repaired and retained.
During reconstruction a number of interesting details came to light. These include:
- A heavy oak beam which originally supported the dining room floor but had previously been used to support the floor in a very much earlier building. This may have come from an earlier house on the site (of which we have no record), from a tower house, or even from the nearby Friary church.
- Small un-sawn tree trunks (or large branches) were used for timber lintels over all the windows and doors. These had been used while still green, with the bark attached but disintegrated to powder on removal, due to advanced woodworm attack. We have kept a full photographic record.
- What appeared as timber panels below the first floor windows, turned out to be just a timber frame. The panels were actually constructed from a series of turf sods, carefully and regularly cut, and built as if they were bricks, then plastered-over and painted. It appears that the risk of fire had never been considered.
The restoration of Ballinderry – which was featured in a series of programmes by Duncan Stewart and the About the House team - was a labour of love. It cost far more than we had ever intended and we will be paying for it for the rest of our lives - but the result is magical.
The house would never have been finished without grants from the Heritage Council, the Irish Georgian Society, and the tax relief for historic houses granted under Section 482 of the 1997 Taxes Consolidation Act. We are greatly indebted to all the craftsmen who worked here for us; to our architect Jeremy Williams, our conservation engineer, Christopher Southgate, to John Lenahan for his expert advice on 18th century joinery and to Christopher Moore for endless help with paint techniques and colours.
We hope they are all happy with the results too.
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