Castledillon Stable Block, Drumilly Road, Armagh, BT61 8RG

A rare opportunity in one of Ulster’s great demesnes

Welome to Castledillon Stables which stands on a hill within the Castledillon demesne, between Armagh city and Loughgall in the orchard country of north Armagh. The setting has long views across around fifty acres of water, parkland, mature oaks and wooded shore.

The site extends to approximately 2.5 acres and includes Thomas Cooley’s stable block, dating from around 1782, together with the stone courtyard ranges behind it. One of these ranges has a fine arcade and the buildings are arranged around a lawn.

Cooley, the architect of Dublin’s Royal Exchange, now City Hall, built the stables for Sir Capel Molyneux. They are one of very few surviving Cooley buildings outside Dublin. The main block has a pediment and oculus above a series of open arches, with the arcade running along the full front.

The Molyneux family held Castledillon from 1664 for more than 250 years. In 1782, the year the stables were completed, Sir Capel also raised the sixty foot obelisk which remains a landmark within the park.

The demesne is a registered historic park and the stable block is listed Grade B+.

Belfast International Airport is approximately 45 minutes away and Dublin Airport around an hour and a half.

The Courtyard Ranges

The stone ranges behind the principal block, including the arcaded range, offer a more straightforward opportunity than the main building.

They are understood to be suitable for conversion rather than requiring the same level of restoration as the principal block. They may provide accommodation use while the wider plans for the site are developed.

The ranges are a smaller project with a simpler consent process. Their potential use and any future application would need to be considered in the context of the site as a whole and assessed by a purchaser’s own advisers.

Funding The Restoration

The principal block is the larger restoration project. There are several possible ways in which a building of this importance could be brought back into use.

The route explored by the current owner is enabling development.

Northern Ireland’s enabling development policy, PPS 23, allows development which might not normally be permitted where it is needed to generate the funds required to conserve a heritage asset.

In simple terms, the process looks at the difference between the cost of fully restoring a heritage building and the value of the completed project. Where a conservation deficit can be demonstrated, enabling development can be considered to help meet that shortfall. The amount of development should be limited to what is required to fund the conservation works and is independently assessed.

The policy applies to listed buildings and registered historic parks. Castledillon Stables benefits from both designations.

There are examples of enabling development being approved in Northern Ireland, including the listed William Clark linen mill at Upperlands, County Londonderry, in 2022 and Belvoir Park in Belfast in 2024, where new homes were approved to help fund the restoration of three listed pavilions.

There are a number of possible locations for any enabling development.

The surviving courtyard ranges originally formed part of a larger courtyard. The footprint of the ranges demolished during the last century remains behind the main block. This is previously developed ground within the historic layout rather than open countryside.

A separate parcel elsewhere in the Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon council area may also be available, subject to agreement with its owner.

Dermott Farrall of Farland Legacy Projects has been involved in initial discussions about the site with the current owner and is keen to see the project brought to life.

A fuller explanation of enabling development, including how the policy works, the meaning of a conservation deficit and examples of where the approach has been used, is available at castledillonstables.com.

Castle Dillon House, the mansion beside the stable block, is also for sale by separate negotiation with its owner.

There is therefore an opportunity to consider the house and stables together as part of a single plan for the wider site.

Further Information

The owner has prepared a website covering the history of the site, photographs, the proposed enabling development approach and the full twelve page brochure.

castledillonstables.com

Viewings are strictly by appointment and accompanied. Parts of the buildings are currently unsafe.

These particulars are intended as a general guide and are given in good faith. They do not form part of any contract. Areas and descriptions are approximate. Nothing in these particulars should be taken as a representation or warranty as to the condition of the buildings or as to the planning permission or listed building consent that may be granted. Any reference to enabling development or future use describes a possible route only and remains subject to the decisions of the relevant authorities. Purchasers should rely on their own inspection, enquiries and professional advice.