Ardress House was originally built sometime before 1705 for Thomas Clarke. It was enlarged and remodelled in the 1780s by the architect George Ensor who acquired the house through his marriage to the heiress Sarah Clarke. Ensor embellished the plain, five-bay planter’s homestead with a modest portico and added a beautiful Adamesque drawing room with plasterwork by Michael Stapleton, Ireland’s leading stuccadore in this style. Ensor’s son, George Ensor II, remodelled Ardress again in the early 19th century, adding a dining room and library to the west, and lengthening the east front by 4 bays. Close to the house is the charming farmyard, with its many small houses, each with their different agricultural function. It was given to the Trust by the Ulster Land Fund in 1959.