Context
Tullymurry House is an example of a grand Georgian country house belonging to the landowning classes.
A home has existed on this site since the early 17th century, originally known as Tullymurry Cottage. The cottage was the centre of a working farm with extensive grounds and has remained this way throughout its history. Tullymurry cottage was extended in 1700 and again in 1780. The 1780 extension by the Weir family turned the small cottage into the Georgian style country house that can be seen today.
The house was bought from the Weir family by John Marshall in 1828. Marshall was a wealthy landowner who owned much of Tullymurry townland. He focused on developing the grounds in the style of parkland, with fruit trees and orchard. This was the height of fashion during the Georgian period.
Joseph McMinn bought the house in 1895. His family were frugal, hardworking and continued to work the land surrounding the property. Tullymurry House is now owned by the fourth generation of the McMinn family.
The house is accessed from the road by a long driveway, through landscaped gardens. The front of the house follows a symmetrical Georgian style, behind which are the living and dining areas, overlooking the beautiful gardens. The back of the house overlooks a stable yard which is enclosed by storage buildings and stable blocks. This is the working side of the house and connects to the kitchen and scullery.
Sustainability
Rather than building a new house when the original Tullymurry Cottage became too small the owners extended, preserving the original while accommodating the extra space they needed. This stops large amounts of carbon dioxide emissions created by rebuilding and the damaging effects of disposing of waste materials.
John Weir not only created a beautiful garden when he developed the land around Tullymurry House, he also created a source of fresh produce for the family to eat, much more sustainable than going to the supermarket!