Tynan Abbey, Tynan, County Armagh 

Mark Bence-Jones. A Guide to Irish Country Houses (originally published as Burke’s Guide to Country Houses volume 1 Ireland by Burke’s Peerage Ltd. 1978); Revised edition 1988 Constable and Company Ltd, London. 

p. 279. “(Stronge, Bt/PB) A house built 1750 by Rev James Stronge; remodelled and enlarged in Tudor-Gothic ca 1820-30 by Sir James Stronge, 2^nd Bt. Imposing two storey entrance front, battlemented and pinnacle; battlemented central tower with entrance doorway below corbelled oriel. Pointed Gothic windows; end of front canted, with very Gothic tracery windows of Perpendicular style rising through both storeys in the end and angle walls. Long side elevation; range with many steep dormer-gables recessed between the end of the entrance front, and a balancing, but not similar, projection; which ends with a church-like tower and spire. The two projections are joined at ground level by a cloister of segmental-pointed arches, interrupted in the centre by a three sided battlmented and gabled bow. Some alterations and extensions were carried out later in C19 to the design of William J. Barre. The seat of Sir Norman Stronge, 8^th Bt, former Speaker of the Northern Ireland House of Commons.” 

http://www.nihgt.org/resources/pdf/Register_of_Parks_Gardens_Demesnes-NOV20.pdf

TYNAN ABBEY, County Armagh (AP ARMAGH, BANBRIDGE and CRAIGAVON 03) A/035 
REGISTERED GRADE A* 
Outstanding demesne parkland of 585 acres (237ha), noted for its fine trees. Its house is now 
gone, having been gutted by fire in 1981 and subsequently demolished in 1988. The demesne lies 
over a mile (2km) south Caledon Village on the east bank of the River Blackwater, contagious to 
the south-east side of Caledon demesne and south of the Cortynan Road and the former railway 
line (Portadown and Cavan Branch Line, GNR). There are at least two crannogs in the lake 
(formerly 16 acres/6.6ha extent) at Tynan suggesting an importance in medieval times, but there 
was no abbey here, the name being an early 19th century romantic invention. The first recorded 
house here, which belonged to a Captain Manson, dates to the 1680s and was known as 
‘Fairview’; it was described by Ashe in 1703 as a modest two-storey “very pritty house, well 
tymber’d and regularly built”. The property passed through marriage into the Stronge family in 
1747 and is believed on the basis of a datestone to have been re-modelled in 1750. No relics of 
this house or of an associated early formal landscape have been identified. Some of the present 
naturalised landscape park may belong to the later 18th century, but for the most part it evidently 
belongs to the late Regency, 1810-22, when the house was remodelled for Sir James Stronge, 2nd 
Bt. (1786-1864) in a Tudor-Gothic style, almost certainly by English architect, John Nash, (1752- 
1835) who was also involved at Caledon at this time. That house faced east, while on the north 
side it looked out onto a shrubbery laid out in geometric patterns, removed by the 1850s; a 
ballaun stone of possible Early Christian date (ARM 015:045) may have originally been moved 
here to form a focal point of this garden. The south or garden front of the house, which boasted a 
conservatory and an open loggia of the kind often favoured by Nash, looked down upon a series 
of grass terraces with the parkland and its lake beyond. These terraces were later planted 
(probably in the 1840s) with box edged beds, planted annually for colour (geraniums and 
begonias), and clipped yews (in domes) running the whole terrace length with fastigiate Irish yews 
at each end; these yews still remain. At the west end of these terraces an Early Christian High 
Cross, c.700-900 AD was moved here in 1844 from Tynan Churchyard (scheduled ARM 015:001); it 
originally came from the nearby Glenarb monastic site. In the mid-1860s the Newry architect 
W.J. Barre (1830-67) undertook further ‘extensive alterations and additions’ to Tynan Abbey for 
Sir James Stronge, 3rd Bt. (1811-85), notably removing Nash’s orangery and raising that section on 
the south elevation with gables; in 1877 W.H. Lynn did some further work to the house. The 
stable yard (Listed HB 15/11/001), which lies detached from the house, 100m (330ft) north-west, 
is a collection of four, largely stone-built early 19th century ranges, possibly by Nash, mostly with 
slated hipped roofs, linked to form an attractive quadrangle. Since the 1981 loss of the main 
house this yard has served as the residence, the latter being focussed in the south range where it 
incorporates the former head gardener’s house, a tall cube-like three-storey dwelling house with 
an almost pyramidal oversailing roof rising to a central brick chimneystack. This building was 
flanked by glasshouses; to its east a lean-to conservatory and to its west a vinery, 82 ft/25m long 
which contained hot wall flues, demolished in the 1990s. This area is now occupied by a modern 
house conservatory and a storage building. These face south onto the original 18th century walled 
garden (not listed), a short-rectangular area (1acre/0.4ha) with enclosing stone walls, stepped to 
accommodate the slope on the south side, with internal brick lining (garden Flemish Bond) with 
ashlar block coping on the west side only. This enclosure, which in the late 19th century/early 
20th century appears to have contained an ornamental garden, is now covered by a mowed lawn, 
save for a gravel terrace in front of the residence. To the west lies a second adjoining walled 
garden, rectangular in shape (0.9 acres/0.35ha) added in the 1840s (replacing an orchard) and this 

Register of Parks, Gardens and Demesnes of Special Historic Interest (NI) – November 2020 
garden was originally devoted entirely to fruit, flowers and vegetable produce. It has uncoursed 
stone walls with no internal brick lining and is now entirely under grass; a few apple, pear and 
plum trees remain. The north facing wall of this enclosure boasted a lean-to orchard house 
(100ft/32m long), now demolished, close to which, an attractive horse-shoe shaped entrance with 
cut-stone surround, leads to the former frame yard to the north. To the north-west of the main 
house site in the woods is an ice house, probably of early 19th century date (not listed). The 
walled garden and yards appear to have been designed as an integral part of the parkland design, 
and it is this parkland rather than any buildings that makes Tynan Abbey of outstanding heritage 
value. The parkland was professionally designed, possibly by the landscape gardener John 
Sutherland, who was responsible for the adjoining park at Caledon. No doubt the trees were 
supplied by a large nursery on the south side of the demesne in Coolkill; covering 17 acres (7ha) 
this was operated from at least 1806 by one Robert Neilson, but by 1844 had been taken over by 
George Clarke, a Drogheda nurseryman, but must have closed within ten years for by 1858 the 
area was integrated into the parkland. This parkland comprises thick woodland belts enclosing 
expansive open meadows dotted with clumps and isolated trees in the fashion of the Reptonian 
Picturesque. The ground undulates and there are excellent views to the lake in the centre of the 
park and beyond to distant woodland. To provide enjoyment of these views, the park was 
traversed by circuit drives and aside from a separate entrance to the stable yard, it was also 
crossed by three entrance carriage drives, one from the north; one from the south (disused) and 
one from the south-east off the Coolkill Road. The latter entrance ensemble (Listed HB 
15/11/002), known as the Ballindarrang or Castle Lodge, is one of the most dramatic demesne 
entrance gates in Ulster. Probably designed by John Nash, c.1810, it comprises a large 
battlemented structure incorporating a square turret, polygonal tower and a double ‘portcullis’ 
gate in Tudor archway, The Lemnagore Lodge on the north (Listed HB 15/11/030) is a gabled one- 
and-half-storey ‘stockbroker Tudor’ lodge in the Picturesque manner, rebuilt c.1850 with adjacent 
limestone piers, the latter probably designed by Lynn in 1877 (Listed HB 15/11/031). The south 
lodge (Abbey Lodge), which lies close to the former nursery, is a two-storey gabled limestone 
building, probably designed by Barre in the 1860s (not listed). The park contains an unusually 
large number of mature deciduous trees both in the woodlands, screens and open parkscape. 
These include many oaks, mostly Quercus robur, some of which are of very considerable size; one 
of these in the park is currently designated the Irish height champion (77m x 5.90m girth); some 
others measure 26.5m x 7.25m and 24m x 8m girth. The park also boasts some large ash trees 
(Fraxinus excelsior) including the largest in Ireland (27.8m x 7.20m girth); another very close to the 
latter measures 17m x 6.03m. There are also some very large European larch (Larix decidua), one 
measuring 28.5m x 4.52m girth. Other large trees in the park include a Morinda Spruce (Picea 
smithiana) 30.5m x 3.55m; a Sitka Spruce (Picea sitchensis) 44.3m x 4.72m; a Giant Sequoia 
(Sequoiadendron giganteum) 42m x 7.92m; an Indian Bean Tree (Catalpa bignonioides) 8.2m x 
1.62m and the largest Phellodendron in Ireland (Phellodendron amurense var. sachalinense), 13m 
x 1.64m girth. There is also an enormous Portugal Laurel (Prunus lusitanica) 13m x 2.67m, 
reckoned the Irish girth champion and second tallest in Ireland. In the early 1840s the Ulster 
Canal was built through the western fringe of the demesne and a decade later the Portadown and 
Cavan Branch Railway (later part of Great Northern Railway) was built through the north part of 
the demesne (closed 1953). Along the bank of the disused canal is a row of twelve very 
impressive Sweet Chestnut trees (Castanea sativa), one of which 18m high with girth of 6.66m; no 
doubt these were planted shortly after the canal was dug. The building of the canal may have 
been the stimulus to undertake further improvements in the park, for around this time an 
additional network of demesne paths was laid out, notably in the area south and south-west of 
the walled garden; one of these, immediately south of the walled garden, known as the ‘Abbot’s 
Walk’ is lined on one side with Irish fastigiate yews which have grown to enormous sizes. On the 
south side is beech backed by laurel and along the western wall of the garden is a row of large 
lime trees. The Early Christian High Crosses were also brought into the park at this time; one of 

Register of Parks, Gardens and Demesnes of Special Historic Interest (NI) – November 2020 
these from the ecclesiastical site of Glenarb, Co. Tyrone, was placed on the main avenue north of 
the house known as the ‘Well Cross’ as it is set on a vault over a spring (scheduled ARM 11:013). 
Another stone cross, also from Glenarb, known as the ‘Island Cross’ (scheduled ARM 15: 002), is 
placed on what was an island in the lake, but due to the lowering of the water level is no long an 
island. There was a boat house on the south shore of this lake in late Victorian times, but 
generally from the mid-19th century onwards, the park remained remarkably unaltered. Like 
many demesnes it was occupied by troops during World War Two and several structures from this 
period have survived, including a small Nissen hut just north of the stable yard, and several larger 
Nissen type buildings east of the drive, possibly used for vehicles. Tynan Abbey itself was gutted 
by fire in January 1981 in the wake of a terrorist attack which witnessed the murder of its owner, 
Sir Norman Stronge, and his son, James. Its ruined shell stood until November 1998, when, for 
reasons of public safety, it was demolished. The foundations of the house remain, along with a 
small section of the south side wall, a courtyard gateway to the north, and the (partially 
reconstructed) main entrance. 
Designated an ASSI in March 2010 with Caledon. SMR ARM 11:13 cross (not in situ), 11:15 
Platform rath; 15:1 cross; 15:2 cross; 15:33 ?crannog and 15:47 crannog. Private.