Springhill

Over het museum

Springhill is a rare surviving plantation-era house in Ulster. It was built for the Conyngham family, Scottish settlers who held the Ballindrum lands in the mid-seventeenth century. William 'Good Will' Conyngham announced his plan for a two-storey house of lime and stone around 1680, and tree-ring dating of the roof timbers places its construction in the 1690s.

For over 250 years the house belonged to ten generations of the Conyngham and Lenox-Conyngham family, who extended it with a drawing room, dovecote, dining room and service buildings and laid out tree-lined avenues. At its peak the estate covered more than 900 acres. During the Second World War the US Army took over the house and grounds, with Nissen huts on Tower Hill, and Mina Lenox-Conyngham set up a lending library for the troops.

Mina, a writer and historian, wrote the book Springhill: An Old Ulster House. In 1957 her son Captain William Lowry Lenox-Conyngham gave Springhill to the National Trust, and Mina lived there until her death in 1961. Today visitors can see portraits and furniture in the house, a costume collection of eighteenth- to twentieth-century fashion in the old laundry, walled gardens and waymarked walks. The house is also known for its ghost story linked to its portraits and furniture.

Hoogtepunten

• Plantation-era house regarded as one of the prettiest in Ulster
• Costume Collection with an eighteenth-century court mantua
• Walled garden and Juniper Walk
• Beech Walk to an eighteenth-century tower
• Views of Slieve Gallion on Sawpit Hill Walk

Vaste collectie

• Springhill House – A plantation-era house with family portraits and furniture, home to ten generations of the Lenox-Conyngham family.
• Costume Collection – Eighteenth- to twentieth-century fashion in the old laundry, including a court mantua made in the 1740s.

Opgericht

1957

Beheerder

National Trust

Toegangsprijzen & kortingen

Prices are without Gift Aid; with Gift Aid the tickets cost £10.50 (adult), £5.30 (child) and £26.20 (family). Entry is free for National Trust members and no pre-booking is required.

Toegankelijkheid

• Deels rolstoeltoegankelijk
• Lift: geen informatie
• Aangepast toilet
• Gehandicaptenparkeerplaats
• Hulphonden welkom
• Tastmodellen / voelbare objecten: geen informatie
• Rondleidingen in gebarentaal: geen informatie
• Informatie in eenvoudige taal: geen informatie
• Audiodescriptie: geen informatie

The main route around the house is accessible, but the main house entrance has four steps plus one into the Entrance Hall; step-free access is at the back of the house, where staff will help. There are two accessible toilets with emergency pull cords, accessible parking in the main car park, and a powered mobility vehicle at visitor reception, which has ramped access. Most woodland paths suit mobility scooters, the outer paths do not. A house tour is available in Braille. Only assistance dogs are allowed in the house and costume museum.

Kinderen & gezin

Erg geschikt voor kinderen & gezinnen

• Gezinsrondleidingen & workshops
• Verschoonruimte
• Speeltuin / speelhoek

There is a natural play area, and balance bikes can be borrowed free of charge from visitor reception in the summer months. Baby changing is in the accessible toilets near visitor reception and the courtyard. Picnic benches and borrowable picnic blankets are available. Children must be supervised because of water features and uneven surfaces.

Bereikbaarheid & parkeren

It is about 1 mile on foot from Moneymore village. For cyclists, National Cycle Network routes 94 and 95 pass about 5 miles away.

Service & horeca

• Café
• Museumwinkel

The cafe is temporarily closed (notice checked on 12 October 2026). The Well-Read Bookshop, through the arched gate beside the house, sells new and second-hand books. Toilets are in the main car park and near the Costume Museum. Dogs on short leads are welcome in the garden, woodland and visitor reception, but not on the farmland.

Evenementen & zaalverhuur

Het museum heeft hierover geen informatie gepubliceerd.

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