Conservation Outreach
Camellia House, Shane's Castle, Co. Antrim (Highly Commended)
Architectural Conservation Award 2011 (Highly commended)
Camellia House, Shanes Castle, Co. Antrim
Owner: Shane’s Castle Estate
Architect: Alastair Coey Architects Ltd.
Brief history of the Camellia House
Shane’s Castle was first depicted with a loughside conservatory in 1793, in an illustration published by the renowned printmaker and topographical draughtsman, Thomas Milton.
The present Camellia House was built between 1812 and 1816. It is generally believed to have been conceived by John Nash (1752-1835), the eminent English architect responsible for much of the layout of regency London, including Regent Street and Trafalgar Square. As well as the design of Buckingham Palace (1820-1830). The Camellia House bears a striking resemblance to the ‘Long Conservatory’ Nash had already built for himself a number of years earlier at his home, East Cowes Castle, on the Isle of Wight. Evidence suggests that following the death of the first Viscount O’Neill at the Battle of Antrim in 1798, his heir, who had been raised to an Earldom on the Act of Union in 1800, sought out Nash, who was them working at Killymoon, Co. Tyrone (1801-03) to design a completely new house for him. The new house was far from complete however when most of the old house, along with its contents and the family records, was destroyed by an accidental fire in 1816. Although only two drawings survive, they illustrate that such work on the house as did proceed was inconsistent with the visions of Nash. Successive lowering of the lough have also deprived the finished work of the effect Nash had intended, especially it is was to include a dock for the paddle steamer yacht spectacularly shown on Felix Kelly’s painstaking of 1988. Other relevant estate papers were destroyed along with a number of buildings on 25th May 1922 when a, politically motivated, malicious fire was started in the Victorian Castle.
b. Brief description of Structure:
The Camellia House is a long rectangular building set over an extensive vaulted undercroft which projects southwards to form a gravel-paved forecourt. The forecourt is bounded on its south, east and west sides by a crenellated parapet with, at its south east corner, a two tier circular crenellated telescopic tower. The south elevation of the main glass house, facing Lough Neagh, has thirteen semi-circular arched openings, carried on triple clustered sandstone colonnettes each of which has a moulded base and small scalloped capital. The colonnettes stand on a deep sill which projects above a low plinth at ground level. The arches are surmounted by a continuous drip moulding. The spandrels are polished ashlar limestone with exceptionally fine joints. Each of the painted timber arched windows consist of twin casements, centrally pivoting, surmounted by a bottom-hung inward-opening radial fanlight, all housed in rebated frame.
a. Details of conservation/restoration works to date:
The works involved restoration of the glazed roof and supporting timber structure including vent openings to the pitched slopes; restoration of the cast-iron columns including re-instatement of opening mechanisms to the vent openings; removal of cement plaster and re-instating lime plaster; stonework repairs; repointing; replacement to lead flatroofs; replace single membrane roof with lead flat roof; refurbish and restore rainwater goods; replace concrete to internal paving with stone; protective render over decayed brick walling; installation of lead DPC below parapet level; discovery of steps between Camellia House and undercroft; re-instatement of original window details to south elevation.
b. Method Statement of the conservation works.
Throughout the project the minimum of original material was removed. A petrographic analysis was carried out to provide information to allow an accurate sourcing of replacement stone. Cast iron gutters were refurbished where possible, any replacements were detailed to match existing profiles. Pointing and renders were lime based with NHL strength characteristics to suit the background surrounding stone. Original details discovered during the restoration work such as the steps from the Camellia House to undercroft and vertically pivoting windows to the south elevation were reinstated. Scalloped glazing details to the windows on the south elevation were also reinstated. Previous concrete repairs to the internal path were carefully removed and replaced with stone paving to match the original details. Path repairs uncovered evidence that the stone paving formed the top surface of a hypercourse. As part of the contract large sections of the battered ramparts to the platform and stone burial vault were repointed with lime based mortar.
Make a Donation