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Our Story

History

The first house to stand on the richly wooded Ardmore site was built in 1622
and was known as Ballyshaskey.

It was commissioned by an Englishman, Alexander Skipton,  who sadly did not live to enjoy it. The day before his family was due  to move into the mansion Mr. Skipton was shot dead in a land ownership  dispute with a local family.

His son, Captain Thomas Skipton, took up residence there in 1638. But  in a period of rebellion three years later Thomas and his wife Charity  were forced to flee under cover of darkness, narrowly escaping with  their lives. Their home was burned to the ground.

Seemingly undeterred by these disasters, in 1661 Captain Skipton put  up a new house. This he called Skipton Hall. It stood on the opposite  side of the brook to the original building. The family remained there  until the siege of 1688 when a retreating army, and a history repeat,  reduced Skipton Hall to ashes.  Thomas’s son and heir, Captain Alex  Skipton, continued to live on the estate, in an out-house, until his  death in 1704.

Years of Peace and Creativity

Captain Thomas Skipton was the man we have to thank for the present house.

It was he who built it in 1739 and, because of the large number of surrounding trees, gave it the name of Beech Hill.

Two  generations later Thomas Skipton added a wing stretching out towards  the brook and made some significant changes to the gardens. When he died  the estate passed on to his cousin George Crookshanks Kennedy who  immediately changed his name to Skipton. George continued a programme of  improvements. He planted a substantial number of new trees and much  improved the layout and appearance of the grounds which he believed  would give people much pleasure. An impressive porch was added to the  front of the house and also the big room that is situated over it and  which is known as The Library.

A change in ownership came in 1872 when Beech Hill was bought by the  wealthy Nicholsons of Newbuildings. They made a number of internal  changes to the house during their tenancy but in general it remained  their simple family home.

Timeline

Take a walk down memory lane and discover
the interesting history of Beech Hill...

  • 1622

    1622

    Englishman Alexander Skipton built the first house. But he was murdered the day his family was to take up residence.

  • 1638

    1638

    Alexander’s son, Captain Thomas Skipton, took up residence. During a rebellion 3 years later he fled. The house was destroyed.

  • 1661

    1661

    Thomas built ‘Skipton Hall’. His family stayed until 1688 when soldiers leaving the siege of Londonderry burned the house down.

  • 1739

    1739

    Captain Skipton’s son Thomas built the present house, naming it ‘Beech Hill’. He extended it and enlarged the gardens.

  • 1878

    1878

    Advertised for sale as ‘fit for a gentleman of large fortune.’ Beech Hill was bought by the Nicholsons of Newbuildings.

  • 1942

    1942

    On February 5th The United States Marines occupied Beech Hill. They had been sent to protect Londonderry’s WW2 military installations.

  • 1989

    1989

    Beech Hill was bought by present owners, Patsy O’Kane and her brother Seamus Donnelly. They undertook 2-years of refurbishment.

  • 1991

    1991

    April 8, Beech Hill Country House opened for the first time.  Crowds of local people came to take a look.

  • 1998

    1998

    Former US President Bill Clinton arrived. He has been several times since, greeting staff and other guests with smiles and handshakes.

  • 2000

    2000

    Beech Hill had become so popular that 22 bedrooms were inadequate. A new wing created ten more rooms and suites.

  • 2011

    2011

    Restoration work costing almost half-a-million pounds was completed. It included new sash windows, extensive re-roofing and external and interior redecoration.