Looking forward to European Heritage Open Days this weekend. I will be giving a tour of Newtownstewart Co Tyrone on Sunday. It is a fascinating place with the remains of four castles. Clearly, it was a strategic place in medieval times.
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Looking forward to European Heritage Open Days this weekend. I will be giving a tour of Newtownstewart Co Tyrone on Sunday. It is a fascinating place with the remains of four castles. Clearly, it was a strategic place in medieval times.
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 39. Scottish Baronial Revival- Baronscourt Stables- 1890
Given the strong links between Ulster and Scotland, it is perhaps not surprising that the Scottish Baronial style became popular towards the end of the century when Home Rule was a topic of debate. As a defensive style it was popular for insurance offices (Belfast), Police Stations (Dungannon) as well as houses. Joseph Bell of Belfast was employed to extend and remodel the stables of Baronscourt in the style in 1890. The building was designed to be seen as a romantic outline from the main house.  27. Arcadian living –Baronscourt House Baronscourt House, begun in c.1780 is one of the largest and most significant country houses in Ireland. It reflects the power and influence of the Abercorn family and is a private ideal world set within a carefully landscaped estate. Initial designs were by George Stewart. John Soane (architect of the Bank of England) carried out modifications in the 1790’s. Further work was by William ‘Vitruvius’ Morrison and his son in the 1830’s. These were the best architects of their time and they created something very special. However, this work was part of a trend across Ireland and Britain. Everywhere landlords were improving and adapting their estates to reflect classical ideals of living with an elegant proportioned house located within a carefully designed ‘natural’ landscape.  14. Scottish plantation castles in the Strabane Area The Plantation occurred because, frustrated by incremental changes, O’Neill and O’Donnell left for Spain in 1607 in the ‘Flight of the Earls.’ Their land was declared the property of the King and a grand plan developed to bring settlers of the new religion and British customs into the area. The Barony of Strabane was allocated to Scottish ‘Undertakers’ who were granted most of the land on strict conditions including settling Scots and the construction of a strong bawn or courtyard. Castles, with a strongly Scottish flavour,were subsequently built at Strabane, Baronscourt, Mountcastle and Newtonstewart.  11. Fifteenth Century Tower Houses- Island McHugh
By the fifteenth century stone fortifications were becoming much more common. The preferred form was the regular stone tower house with thick stone walls often with a vaulted stone ground floor (resistant to fire) a main hall at first floor level and the lord’s rooms above. The only surviving example in the Strabane area was built by the O’Neill’s on Island Mc Hugh in the Baronscourt Estate, but there was also a tower built in Strabane in 1573, one in Dunnalong (1568) and one built by the O’Donnell’s in Lifford in 1527. The O’Neills also captured one from the O’Donnells at Castlederg in 1497.  9. Medieval Gothic- Corrick Abbey
Corrick Abbey between Newtonstewart and Gortin demonstrates that the Gothic style of architecture introduced to the island with the Normans was known in the Strabane area. Tradition asserts that Enri Aimhreidh O’ Neill (d1392) gave both cattle and land free of tithe for the foundation of this abbey. The remaining structure has a window dating from the fifteenth century with the remains of two quatrefoil windows (four curves forming a cross) within the tracery at the top. These would have originally been set within a pointed arch.  8. Invaders - Pigeon Hill Motte, Newtonstewart
The way of life of the Strabane area was dealt a major blow by the coming of the Anglo-Normans to Ulster in 1177. This region was never settled by them but they attacked Ardstraw in 1197 and raided through the area again in 1199. One of the innovations they introduced to the island was the construction of mottes – timber palisade forts on top of a steep man made hill. This structure in Newtonstewart was constructed in the same fashion at a strategic bend in the River Strule. It appears to have been constructed much later, however, and was occupied up to the end of the Sixteenth century. The foundations of a rectangular stone castle have been recorded on top of the mound, though these can’t be seen today.  4. Pre- Christian era- crannog, Island McHugh, Baronscourt
This island provides a link between pre-history and the late medieval history of the area with finds from the Neolithic (flint and pottery), Bronze Age (artificial extension of the island), Early Christian (main Crannog building) & Medieval periods (tower house). Crannogs are artificial islands built up in a series of stones and timber frameworks to provide a secure base for habitation. Often the home or retreat of a lord or king there are 1200 examples throughout Ireland and 347 in Scotland. This one, along with a nearby rath (circular earthwork) is associated with the king of the Ui Fiachragh people who occupied an area south of the River Mourne in the Early Christian period.  2. 6000-4000 years ago- Ballyrenan Chambered Grave.
We start at one of the earliest built features in the area - Ballyrenan Chambered Grave, part of a series of such features near Baronscourt. Tucked away in remote places, this, and similar monuments, are a strong reminder that there has been human activity in this area for a very, very, long time. This structure could be 6000 years old. When excavated in 1907, a flint arrowhead & stone beads were found at the site. Further excavations in 1936 uncovered sherds of at least 4 Neolithic pots, worked flints & beads.  The Old Bridge in Newtownstewart of 1727 is beside the Motte and thought to be a rebuilding of an earlier bridge on the site. Like Moyle Bridge it has unusual triangular cutwaters but this bridge is much bigger and taller with six arches rather than three.
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