Seaforde manse restored to its former glory

Seaforde manse restored to its former glory

22 June 2016

WHEN David Campbell was asked by his wife Wendy to visit the derelict Naghan Lodge in Seaforde on April Fool’s Day 2014, he thought she was joking when she suggested they should buy the property. She wasn’t.

On Christmas Eve last year, the couple finally completed a major restoration programme on one of the area’s most beautiful homes and the 200 year-old building is now a resplendent family home and a base for their business — Co Down Stoves and Flues.

The exterior of the former Seaforde rectory at the Newcastle Road has been restored to virtually its original condition, while the interior is a comfortable family property.

David and Wendy had previously lived in Dundrum and for around six years were looking for a property where they could live and work on the same site. While offers were placed on a number of properties, the couple were not successful.

“While renting premises in Dundrum, we had two warehouses in Newcastle and things were very fragmented. We needed a place where everything could be together,” explained Wendy. “We needed to move and when I brought David to this building which was derelict and had been ravaged by thieves and vandals, he thought I was joking.

“I wasn’t, as I could see its potential right away. The property was exactly what we needed and there was scope for what we wanted to do. The place was completely derelict and there wasn’t a single pane of glass in the building.”

Wendy explained the property had been purchased 10 years earlier by a property developer who planned to demolish it and build 15 homes. It was a plan some in the picturesque rural village were not happy about.

The former rectory does not enjoy protected status and when planning approval for the 15 homes lapsed, the property was handed back to the bank and subsequently sold to David and Wendy.

“As the property had been earmarked for demolition the vandals moved in. All the windows were smashed, wooden floors ripped up and any metal or lead work stolen,” recalled Wendy. “We bought the place on December 10, 2014, and moved into rented accommodation, starting restoration work on our new home the day after Boxing Day that same year.

“When we moved in, only the upstairs and kitchen were habitable and we converted a bedroom into a living room. We lived like that for around six months until we finished the work downstairs last Christmas.”

Admitting the project was a labour of love for her, Wendy joked that it was more like a labour of hate for her husband.

“I have always loved this property and from the moment I saw it I knew it was right for us. During the renovation, David took a step back from the business and was here very single day. We thought it would take us six to eight months, but the entire project took a year to complete. But it has been worth it.”

Wendy said when the renovation work began, “water was pouring in everywhere” and daylight streamed through the porch roof as all the lead had been stolen.

“The old bay windows were leaded and they were also gone while lead in two extensions which had been added at the rear of the property by the previous owners was also taken. Thankfully, the main roof of the house was intact, with just a few cracked slates,” she said.

Wendy explained the reason the 200 year-old property was not listed was because it was destroyed by fire in 1922, with only the walls left standing. 

When the restoration project was finally completed, Wendy admitted it was an emotional moment and there were a few tears.

She continued: “When I look back at photos of the building before we bought it, a part of me now asks, ‘What where we thinking?’ I don’t know if it was blind stupidity or what. However, now that we are here, there is no doubt it was the right decision, even though David and I questioned are sanity several times.

“Our neighbours have been really positive about what we have done and when we attended a meeting of the local community association and introduced ourselves, people said they had old photos of the property and told us stories about the place. Everyone was really supportive and when we said we wanted to move the business here they said that was great as the previous owners carried on their business from the property,” said Wendy.

She added: “The project has been fun and character building and we dragged our kids into it and they have learned new skills. David project managed the scheme and while we would have loved to have brought in a contractor, it just wasn’t in our budget.

“We were very much hands on and pulled in favours from family and friends and took on some sub-contractors to do the things we could not. This property has so much character. The first day I walked around the place I could see potential everywhere. Now we have finished the project, I have not been disappointed.”