PLANTATION 1600 - 1714

Classical

As time passed and the Williamite wars ended, Ulster began to see the emergence of a country house built to a more classically inspired architectural design. By the end of the seventeenth century, dwellings were being built with steeper roofs, window openings were taller and wider and the whole emphasis seemed to be on classical proportion rather than defence. This style developed into the more familiar ‘Georgian’ architecture with its embodiment of fine proportions and simple detailing.

This building erected c.1670 ‘was among the first houses to be designed without regard for defence. Its plan with wings placed somewhat like flankers looks back to the medieval tradition, but the rigid symmetry of the façade and the tentative use of classical details on the doorway and Dutch gables give the house a new Renaissance aspect.’ Dixon H. An Introduction to Ulster Architecture.