Downhill 1906

[Evelina]

Hope someone can solve this mystery.  The picture says on te back Dowhhill, Co. Down 1906 but 2 people have suggested to me its Co. Derry. Possubley the basalt cliffs of Benevenagh.

Does anyone recognise them and do they still exist.

Family story is that they use to holiday there from Glasgow.  The family origins are Northern Ireland so they may have known the area??

Thanks Evelina

[your pete]

Hi Evelina,

I was relating your story to my neighbour who happened to holiday at Downhill when he was young. He has had a look and is "95% sure" its Downhill with the Bishops Road behind. There was a local hotel at his time built of the same grey granite stone.  He was not sure if they were Railway cottages for workers or part of the local landed estate. The Bishops Road is named after the Lord Bishop of Derry ie the Earl of Bristol ie connected to "Bristol Cream" Sherry. His estate including Downhill was taken over by the National Trust . I have pasted some bits below including a web page on Downhill. There is plenty on Google.

Downhill: Downhill in county Londonderry was built from the 1770s onwards by Frederick Augustus Hervey, 4th Earl of Bristol and Bishop of Derry. The estate is on a cliff overlooking the Atlantic Ocean. It was inherited in 1907 by Sir Hervey Juckes Lloyd Bruce, 4th Baronet (1843-1919), who had succeeded to his second cousin's estate at Clifton in 1896. In 1919 Downhill passed to his eldest twin son, Sir Hervey Ronald Bruce, 5th Baronet, while the Clifton lands passed to the younger twin, Percy Robert Bruce, who assumed the surname Clifton.
Downhill was tenanted by members of the Hervey Bruce family until 1950, but is now owned by the National Trust. The mansion is in ruins, but the Mussendon Temple overlooking the sea is open to the public.

Website covering Downhill

http://www.northcoastni.com/explore/castlerock-and-downhill/

I mentioned before that I was up in the area recently and that was in connection with my cousins relatives who lived in Castlerock -nearby- when they were young. I have sent off the photo to them and will let you know what they say in due course. They would know the Downhill area.

Hope this helps, as I explained I have a note of your connections set aside to bring with me on my next GRO outing.

Regards

Peter

[Evelina]

Thanks Peter.  Would you believe my husband and I and 4 friends stayed in a rented bungalow in Castlerock for 10 days in 2000 I had booked it on the internet as we intended to see the famous Motor Bike race but due to Foot and Mouth it was cancelled, however we went anyway and saw the  Giants causeway, the Carrick a rede Bridge, Bushmills etc., but also went round a National Trust Property just outside Castlerock.  We must have been so close to Downhill but I had not started my family tree by then.  Unreal. 

Cheers for your help and I look forward to hearing from you once you have been to the GRO, thanks for that.  Evelyn

[aghadowey]

Evelyn- Hezlett House is the National Trust property you visited.
Have tried to think if there's anything like your photo along Downhill direction but nothing comes to mind that fits.
There is a very similar old photograph of a retaining wall with cottage row in front but it's at Portstewart and not the same cottage (doors, windows, chimneys, size all wrong).

[kintree]

aghadowey

To me, it looks like the start of the Bishop's Road. First-Edition OS 25-inch maps show a row of cottages in that position.

Adrian

[BrnCam]

Evelina,
I'm a native of the area and I have to say that the photo does look like it was taken at the Downhill not far from Castlerock.My parents still live out that way and if I can I will try to get a modern day photo so you can compare for yourself.

Regards,
Brian

[Evelina]

Cheers Brian, It would be good to see the area now to compare it. Thanks.

[BrnCam]

Evelina,
Unfortunately with all the traffic and modern buildings I wasn't able to get the ultimate angle for comparison but I think you'll see the resembalance. If you look to the far left of the building you can just make out the window and top of the door still with the original facing.

Regards,
Brian

[Evelina]

Wow Brian, that's super, thanks very much for this.  Do you know the address at all, I thought maybe I could write to the people in them and see if anyone knows the history of the cottages.

Once again thank you, never thought the buildings would still be standing. Evelina