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Springhill, County LondonderryThe library on the opposite side of the hall houses an outstanding collection of books, most of which were acquired by Colonel William Conyngham (1723-84). Opposite the fireplace is a fine library cabinet whose double-arched top dates from the late seventeenth century, while a fascinating medicine chest full of drawers and bottles stands beside the drawing-room door; originally belonging to the Duke of Marlborough, he gave it to his aide-de-camp, the third viscount Molesworth, after he saved his life during the Battle of Ramillies in 1706. The set of heavy chairs in the room are early nineteenth-century copies of Jacobean originals; according to family history, the original chairs were destroyed by Olivia, second wife of George Lennox-Conyngham (1752-1816). One chair was spared, however, and Maxwell, the estate carpenter, remade the lot.The large and lofty drawing-room, added by Colonel William Conyngham sometime after he in herited the property in 1765, creates a striking contrast to the small rooms of the original house. French Empire sofas, Louis XV tables and an armchair, a Dutch rosewood cabinet and a circular mahogany inlaid regency table grace the scene, while family portraits by Hugh Douglas Hamilton, William Hoare and Pompeo Batoni hang on the walls. There is also a pretty portrait of Harriet Molesworth by Sir Francis Cotes. The unfortunate Harriet lost her leg while trying to escape a fire at her London home, and an ivory walking stick presented to her by King George III is displayed on a small Chinese cupboard beneath her portrait. Next to the drawing-room and overlooking the park is the dining-room, added by William, 'Wims', Lenox Conyngham (1792-1858) shortly after his marriage in 1819. It has red flock wallpaper, a set of marquetry walnut fiddle-back chairs of the William and Mary period (circa 1700) and a chimney-piece of yellow marble brought from Herculaneum by the eccentric Earl Bishop of Derry and presented by him to the family in the early 1780s. Over the chimney-piece hangs a still life of birds in the manner of Hondecoeter and on the opposite wall is the celebrated picture known as 'The Grand Tour Group', painted in Rome between 1772 and 1773 by Philip Wickstead. lt depicts John Staples with Thomas Orde, Richard Neville, Sir William Young and James Byres admiring an antique sculpture. The picture is appropriately flanked by portraits of John Staples's daughter Charlotte and her husband Wims Lenox-Conyngham. Elsewhere in Springhill are many small rooms, old powder closets and even a secret staircase now permanently concealed. There are curious sloping alcoves for beds in the attics and below, on the first floor, a charming day nursery. One of the two bedrooms open to the public is the blue room where George Lenox Conyngham shot himself in 1816 after spending many months 'in a melancholy state of mind'. His wife, Olivia, haunts the scene; her ghost is one of the most widely authenticated phantoms in Ulster. Outside, in the old laundry yard, lies an important costume collection begun in 1964 with a loan from the Pack-Beresford family and subsequently expanded by the National Trust. It now contains over 2,300 items, including a Court Mantua made in England in 1759 and featuring brocaded Spitalfields silk. The collection is displayed in rotation each year. Springhill was given as a gift to the National Trust in 1957 by Captain William Lenox-Conyngham shortly before his death. Included in the transfer was the magnificent 300-year-old beech avenue which sadly had to be replanted in 1984 after the trees developed beech bark disease. Located near Moneymore on the Coagh Road (B18). NGR: H 869828. Open April - September. Gift shop and tea room open as house. Wheelchair access to all ground-floor rooms. Toilet facilities. Admission charged. From the Appletree Press title: Irish Country Houses.
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