The history of Derrymore House

John Grubb Richardson founds the Bessbrook model village  

The industrialist and philanthropist John Grubb Richardson (1815-1890) was at the heart of a booming mid-19th-century Ulster linen industry, bolstered by the opening in 1852 of the nearby Craigmore Viaduct, which linked Belfast with Dublin. 

Society of Friends

Richardson was a Quaker – a member of the Society of Friends – and in 1845 founded the ‘model village’ at Bessbrook for his employees. Whereas Derrymore House had been designed for the wealthy to play at rustic living, Richardson was concerned to improve the often dire accommodation of ordinary workers.

Run on the principle that a happy, but teetotal, workforce was a productive one, the improved Bessbrook featured purpose-built housing, schools and other facilities for its workers; to this day the town lacks a pub. 

Buying Derrymore

Richardson bought Derrymore in 1859, letting the cottage out and building the Victorian villa known as the Woodhouse for his own family amongst the woods in the northern part of the estate.  

Adding exotic trees and shrubs to these woods, he created informal  woodland walks through Derrymore,  transformed an early medieval settlement enclosure into a Romantic garden, and built the estate’s entrance lodges.

War and peace 

During the Second World War, Bessbrook played host to the armed forces.

In 1940, soldiers of the Fife and Forfar Yeomanry were stationed here to defend against a potential German invasion of Northern Ireland from across the border. In 1943, they were replaced by the US Army Quartermaster Depot Q111-D, which remained in the area until August 1944. 

Gifted to the Trust

After the war, John SW Richardson, a descendant of John Grubb Richardson, gave Derrymore House and some of its land to the National Trust.  

During renovations, the Trust removed the porch and other structures that had been added after Isaac Corry’s time, and re-thatched the cottage, eventually returning it to its original state. 

The house was opened to the public in 1957.

The ‘Troubles’ strike Derrymore 

During the 1970s, Derrymore and Bessbrook once again became home to the forces, as Newry and south Armagh experienced some of the worst violence of the ‘Troubles’.

The linen mill at Bessbrook was turned into a major base for the British Army, for a while the busiest military heliport in Europe. 

Bomb damages the house

Isaac Corry’s historical association with the Acts of Union led to bombs being planted at Derrymore House on several occasions between 1972 and 1979.

One firebomb damaged the house, which survived in large part thanks to the bravery of caretaker Edmund Baillie, who moved some of the bombs away from the building. 

The Trust was forced to close the house and remove the contents for safe keeping. It re-opened in the late 1980s.

Derrymore for everyone, for ever 

In 1985 John SW Richardson bequeathed the rest of the Derrymore estate to the National Trust. 

Since then, maintaining and enhancing Derrymore as a place for everyone to visit and enjoy has been our focus here. 

Together with a number of local and national partners, we have created accessible footpaths, parking and toilets, added a children’s play area and dog-friendly facilities, and worked to ensure that Derrymore is a sanctuary for nature, wildlife and people.