Grey Skies + Grey Abbey House + Grey Abbey Greyabbey Down

Not Grey Gardens

Under a slate grey sky through the foliage can be glimpsed one of the great houses of County Down, the central ground floor room of its garden front lit by Gothick arched windows set in a chamfered bay. The entrance front is completely neoclassical so not quite the extreme contrasting elevations of Castle Ward on the opposite shore of Strangford Lough. A charming idiosyncrasy, nonetheless.

The entrance front is again not without its quirks, being six bays wide (odd numbers are more common in neoclassical language) and the main access into the house being through one of the single storey flanking wings. Two storey wings between the three storey main block and aforementioned single storey wings form an attractive wedding cake tiered silhouette. The central two windows of the ground floor have been lowered by a pane like The Argory in County Armagh. Nothing has changed since the entrance front was photographed 30 years ago. The house’s dove grey walls are timeless.

The Grey Abbey Estate has belonged to the Montgomery family since 1607. Diarist James Boswell visited it in 1769 and recorded “the excellent house of Mr Montgomery’s own planning”. Who needs an architect when you’re a well educated and creative gentleman with oodles of grey matter? The Gothick connection between the two houses isn’t coincidental: the reception room windows on the garden front were added in 1773 when Hugh Montgomery married Emilia Ward whose father had built Castle Ward.

Grey Abbey House has been restored and maintained by Bill and Daphne Montgomery, reviving its charm following occupation after World War II by the Electricity Board. Their youngest daughter is the acclaimed actress Flora Montgomery. In 2014, there was lots of excitement locally when Flora married Danish banker turned restaurateur Soren Jessen in Grey Abbey. Guests included the actor Orlando Bloom as well as Prince Frederik and Princess Mary, now King and Queen of Denmark.

The bride was surrounded by stone plaques dedicated to previous generations of her family. One reads: “In memory of Arabella Catherine wife of Colonel Francis Octavius Montgomery daughter of Captain Kean Osborn 5th Dragoon Guards and the Honourable Theodosia Ward his wife. Born at High Wycombe Bucks 7 May 1808. Died at Nice 18 March 1879 and is buried in the Caucade cemetery. This tablet is dedicated to her by her husband AD 1879.” Another reads: “Hugh Montgomery Clerk in Holy Orders born 24 June 1754 died 30 March 1815. The Honourable Georgina Charlotte Emilia Hannah his wife. Youngest daughter of Bernard 1st Viscount Bangor born 6 July 1762 died 16 November 1843. Both lie buried in this abbey. This tablet is dedicated to their memory by their son Colonel Francis Octavius Montgomery AD 1879.”

The ruins of the Cistercian Priory of Grey Abbey, founded in 1193, are an historic tourist attraction. Next door, Grey Abbey House and garden are open for group tours and filming. Flora isn’t the only television star: the house has featured in The Frankenstein Chronicles headlining Sean Bean on ITV Encore and Channel 5’s Agatha and the Truth of Murder about the leading crime novelist. The neoclassical North Gatelodge has been sensitively rebuilt to the design of Belfast architects Consarc. Planning permission has been granted to restore and extend the Gothick West Gatelodge, also to the design of Consarc, converting it into a dower house. Greyabbey village is especially picturesque and is good for antiques and food. The Wildfowler Inn is an essential pitstop for scampi and a Grey Goose cocktail when touring the Strangford Lough area.