Springhill House facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Springhill House
General information
Type	House
Location	Moneymore, County Londonderry, Northern Ireland
Coordinates	54°41′10″N 6°39′22″W / 54.686°N 6.656°W / 54.686; -6.656
Construction started	c.1680–1689 with notable extensions c.1765 and c.1820
Governing body	National Trust

Springhill is a very old house in Northern Ireland. It was built in the 1600s near Moneymore, in County Londonderry. Since 1957, the house has been looked after by the National Trust. This is a charity that protects special places.

At Springhill, you can explore the house, its beautiful gardens, and a large park. There's also a cool collection of old clothes and even a story about a ghost! You can visit Springhill at certain times of the year. It's open on weekends from March to June and in September. During July and August, it's open every day.

Exploring Springhill House

This amazing house was built between 1680 and 1695. It was not a fort, but it used to have a strong wall around it for protection. Around 1765, two new parts were added to the sides of the house. The front of the house was also changed to have seven windows across.

The Story of Springhill

Springhill has a long and interesting history. It was home to the Conyngham family for many years.

The Conyngham Family Arrives

The Conyngham family came from Scotland around 1609. They were given land in County Armagh and County Londonderry by King James I. This was part of a plan called the Plantation of Ulster. It helped to settle new people in Ulster.

It's a bit of a mystery exactly when the Conynghams got the land for Springhill. Some old records suggest they owned the land as early as 1609. It's thought that a farm building was on the land in the early 1600s. But this building was destroyed during a big uprising in 1641.

William Conyngham I

William Conyngham I was an important person in the family. He was a colonel during the Irish Rebellion of 1641. He also helped Cromwell's government in County Armagh. William was given new land deeds in 1652 because the old ones were lost in the wars. He passed away in 1666.

William Conyngham II Builds the House

William Conyngham II, also known as "Good Will," planned to build the house we see today. In 1680, he agreed to build "a convenient house of lime and stone, two stories high." This was for his future wife, Ann Upton.

Experts have studied the wood in the roof of the house. They believe the main part of the house was built after 1690. Many of the other buildings and the special Dutch-style gardens were also created around this time.

George Butle Conyngham Takes Over

In 1721, the estate went to George Butle. He was the son of William Conyngham II's sister, Anne. George then took on the name Butle-Conyngham. He helped rebuild the nearby village of Coagh around 1755. He named the main square Hanover Square to honor King George II.

Colonel William Conyngham's Changes

George Butle Conyngham's oldest son, Colonel William Conyngham, inherited Springhill in 1765. He was a soldier in the "Black Horse" regiment. Colonel William added the two wings to the house. One was a nursery for children, and the other was a ballroom for parties.

George Lenox-Conyngham and the Ghost Story

Colonel William Conyngham had no children, so the estate went to his brother David. David also had no children. So, in 1788, Springhill went to their nephew, George Lenox. George's mother was their sister Ann.

George Lenox then changed his name to Lenox-Conyngham. His family lived in Springhill until 1961. George was a leader in the Irish Volunteers. He passed away in 1816. His second wife, Olivia, is said to haunt the house even today. Many people believe she is one of Ireland's most famous ghosts!

William Lenox-Conyngham Improves the Estate

George's oldest son, William Lenox-Conyngham, inherited the house in 1816. He had been a talented lawyer but left his job to manage Springhill. In 1818, he married Charlotte Staples from Lissan House.

William worked hard to improve the estate. He added a large dining room to the back of the house. This room has a beautiful old fireplace from the 1600s. It came from another grand house that was torn down.

Sir William Fitzwilliam Lenox-Conyngham

When William Lenox-Conyngham died in 1858, his oldest son, Sir William Fitzwilliam Lenox-Conyngham, took over. Sir William was a military man. Queen Victoria made him a knight in 1881.

During his time, much of the land around Springhill was sold off. This was due to new laws about land in Ireland. The estate became much smaller, and money became a big worry for the family.

The Estate's Later Years

By 1906, not much land was left. Sir William's son, William Arbuthnot Lenox-Conyngham, faced many money problems. He fought in the Boer and First World Wars. His younger brother, John, was killed in a famous battle in France in 1916. His grave markers are now in a cathedral in Armagh.

William Arbuthnot's wife, Mina, was the last family member to live at Springhill. She stayed there even after the National Trust took over in 1957. She passed away in 1961.

Springhill Joins the National Trust

William Arbuthnot Lenox-Conyngham died in 1938. His oldest son, William Lowry Lenox-Conyngham, inherited Springhill. William Lowry led the local Home Guard during the Second World War.

He knew the family's money problems were too big. He also had no children to pass the house on to. So, in 1956, he started talking to the National Trust. He decided to give Springhill to them. He signed his will, giving the house to the National Trust, just three days before he died in 1957.

After the National Trust took over, they did a lot of work to fix up Springhill. They wanted to make it look like it did when it was first built.

Springhill Today

Today, Springhill is like a time capsule. It holds almost everything from one family's life over 300 years.

In the Gun Room, you can see some of the oldest wallpaper in the UK. It's Chinese wallpaper from the 1720s! There's also an old gun from the 1680s. The Library has a huge collection of old books, about 3000 of them. The oldest book is a Latin psalter from 1541.

In the old laundry building, you'll find the biggest collection of old clothes in Northern Ireland. A different selection from this collection is shown each year in the costume museum.

The house was also used as a filming location for a TV show called Death and Nightingales in 2018.

Wellbrook Beetling Mill

The National Trust also owns the Wellbrook Beetling Mill. It's another interesting historical site near Springhill.

Images for kids

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  Springhill House, a historic home in Northern Ireland.

More to Read

• Mina Lenox-Conyngham, An Old Ulster House; Springhill and the people who lived in it 1946 and 2005 ISBN: 1-903688-38-8