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| Garden Front in 2013 |
ISLE O'VALLA HOUSE is located to the south of the village of Strangford, County Down.
It lies within the townland of Cloghy, on the coastal Ardglass Road.
This is a tall, austere Georgian house with three bays, three storeys, quoins and a large fanlight above the front door.
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| Southern elevation in 2013 |
This property was originally built as a Charter School ca 1817.
Irish Charter Schools were operated by The Incorporated Society in Dublin for Promoting Protestant Schools in Ireland. The Charter Schools admitted only Roman Catholics, under the condition that they be educated as Protestants.
The first Charter School in Strangford was established some time after 1746, with a grant of £500 (about £86,000 in value today) from the Earl of Kildare (either the 1st Duke of Leinster or his father).The Dowager Countess of Kildare later donated 22 acres of land for the School.
The Charter School was rebuilt in 1817 at a reputed cost of £4,000, the equivalent of £267,000 in 2010.
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| Eastern elevation in 2013 |
When the Charter was rescinded in 1832, the property was most likely given back to the Kildare estate.
It was leased to the Rev Samuel Livingstone, who began his own school for local children.
When the School closed, Isle O'Valla House became the residence of Captain the Hon Somerset Ward JP, fifth son of the 3rd Viscount Bangor.
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| Isle O'Valla (historic OS map, 1830) |
In 1910, Isle O'Valla was acquired by the family of McCausland, of Downpatrick, hoteliers.
Frank McCausland lived and farmed at Isle O'Valla House.
Following Mr McCausland's death, the property was bought by a family called Lowe.
Isle O'Valla House has been derelict and virtually ruinous for many years and, to my knowledge, has remained uninhabited for several decades.
Its future remains uncertain.
First published in July, 2011.
14 comments :
Tim,
very interesting post - I have often admired this house and assumed it was unoccupied, though the farm behind it seems to be a working one. The question is - why are the historic houses of NI allowed to go to rack and ruin? Is there no (enforcable) mechanism to ensure their protection and upkeep?
Cheers,
J
when was it last lived in do you know tim. I know that someone from the ards area owns it now and that a local farmer rents the land and yard
The question is - why are the historic houses of NI allowed to go to rack and ruin?
Why indeed, particularly given the connection with Jane Austen (Somerset Ward was married to Norah Hill, a great-niece of hers)!
I was just about to mention the Jane Austen connection as well. Sophia Hillan's 2011 book (May, Lou & Cass: Jane Austen's Nieces in Ireland) is a great read and mentions Isle O'Valla. It also includes a photograph of it in its current state.
Fascinating. I have seen this house on several occasions but didn't know about the Jane Austen connections. Given the frenzy her name seems to inspire, anyone local interested in securing the building's future should get on to some of the seemingly-innumerable JA websites and plead its cause.
My grandfather Godfrey John Mulholland was born at Isle O Valla in 1892, even though his mother Norah (née Ward) lived at Ballywater with her husband Henry Mulholland. Captain Somerset Ward and his wife Norah (née Hill) lived there at the time and were presumably her parents. Since Norah Hill was Jane Austen's great niece, I have now discovered I am related to Jane Austen - wow! Such a shame it is a ruin, looks like a beautiful house.
The Sandys Ombersley archive includes an unpublished journal by Norah's brother, ABGS Hill, 1875-89. Though it is no great work of literature, Hill lived at the beginning of this period near to Norah, and so it does contain many references to Isle O'Valla, as well as to his father, Lord George Hill, the husband of both Cassandra and (later) Louisa Knight, Jane's nieces. See generally www.thesandysstory.uk
We visited this house today. It is in a ruinous state but we didn't stay long as access from a busy road is awkward and we don't like blocking an active farmer's lane. It is sad to see such a historic building in this state. We are especially interested in the Jane Austen connection in this part of the country. Geraldine and Jim McAdam, visiting from our home on the Ards Peninsula.
Thank you for your blog post. Frank McCausland was my Great-great-uncle and it is very interesting to see how the house is doing — I had previously only seen photographs of when the family occupied it and those pictures are around a hundred years old now.
I am visiting Strangford from Australia in May, as part of a research trip I am undertaking. I have an interest in the history of this house, and I would like to know if it is still uninhabited, and regardless,
whether it is possible to visit. I would also be particularly interested to see the photographs amaryp mentioned in her post of 17 September 2021.
I cycle past this ruin and sadly it is in ruins. Apparently Patricia Craig (authior&essayist) was offered it for £50k in the 1980s but even then it was in a very poor state. Fascinated to think £4k was spent building it as a Charter School in the 1800s?!
I cycle past this ruin and sadly it is a ruin and ever more so with the passing years. There is a sign now on the roadside Isle o'valla Farm.
Thank you very much for letting me know that although it is a ruin, it is still possible to see Isle O'Valla House. I will certainly 'visit' when I am in the area in early June. Any other photos of the house, especially earlier ones, or further information about the house or its current owner would also be so very helpful.
I've been through the house recently,it's a shame it's been left to decay,it's an impressive building but I think it's beyond redemption as it sits and ivy will tear it apart no doubt within the next few years,sad really.
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