Historic Building Details

HB Ref No:
HB19/09/023

Address :
The Court 226 Hillhall Road Lisburn County Down BT27 5JQ

Townland:
Hillhall

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Survey 2:
B2

Date of Listing:
06/12/2013 00:00:00

Date of De-listing:

Current Use:
House

Former Use
House

Conservation Area:
No

Industrial Archaeology:
No

Vernacular:
No

Thatched:
No

Monument:
Yes

Derelict:
No

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OS Map No:
165/8

IG Ref:
J3008 6445

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Owner Category

Private

Exterior Description And Setting

A one-and-a-half-storey, three-bay symmetrical farmhouse with outbuildings, built c1790 and located on a large mature site south of the Hillhall Road, Lisburn. Rectangular on plan with one-and-a-half-storey return and single-storey extension to rear. Pitched natural slate roof with raised stone skews, terracotta ridge tiles and rendered chimneystacks to gables. Cast-iron half-round rainwater goods. Walling is pebbledash with smooth rendered plinth and quoins. Windows are 6/6 timber-framed sliding sash with horns, unless otherwise stated, in smooth rendered surrounds with projecting sills. The principal elevation faces north and is symmetrically arranged with two windows to either side of main entrance. Door has thirteen raised-and-fielded panels flanked by fluted pilasters and sidelights and surmounted by decorative fanlight; set into a smooth rendered surround with fluted pilasters and keyblock. Above entrance is a modern dormer window insertion. The east elevation has a timber-framed casement window to centre at attic level. The south elevation is abutted to centre by the one-and-a-half storey return; west elevation has dormer window to right and replacement timber-framed window at ground floor; east elevation has a dormer window to left; diminutive window to ground floor left and bipartite timber mullioned window to ground floor right; gable has two windows to attic and is abutted at ground floor by more modern single-storey extension. The west elevation has a timber-framed casement window to centre at attic level. Setting: Situated on a large, mature and relatively unspoiled, rural site, with a number of mature trees to east of the main house. Large garden to front enclosed by mature hedgerow and accessed via a timber latch-gate with early stone piers, from lane to west. Driveway is acccessed by pair of painted cast iron gates. The back wall of the house to west is adjoined to an early, almost full-height, roughcast rendered crenellated bawn wall (SMR ref: DOW015:001). This continues to form the back wall of a yard-facing single-storey roughcast and slated outbuilding, with adjoining one-and-a-half-storey barn to west. The barn has an early timber-sheeted half-door to centre; outbuilding has a double-leaf timber-sheeted door to centre flanked by two replacement windows. To far west the bawn wall continues, here it is rubble stone and incorporated into an enclosed garden. The original entrance, between the enclosed garden and the outbuilding, was once arched, but this has been removed and now comprises replacement metal gates. Gravelled driveway leads to rear of house with a series of modern agricultural sheds. To south of the house and accessed through a replacement timber farm-gate, is an early roughcast and slated outbuilding with raised skews, having early timber-sheeted door with window above to west elevation. Roof: Natural slate Walling: Pebble-dash Windows: 6/6 timber sliding sash RWG: Cast-iron

Architects

Not Known

Historical Information

This single-storey farmhouse can first be seen on the 1834 Ordnance Survey map of the parish of Drumbeg where it is depicted as an oblong building with a small rear return, situated in the Townland of Hillhall. The map also shows four outbuildings located to the south-west of the house and also a ‘tower’ to the south-east which was originally part of Hillhall Castle, an early residence of the Hill family (the landowning family whose members became Viscounts of Hillsborough and later Marquis of Downshire). In 1834 only the tower was recorded, however there was also an extensive Bawn wall surrounding the site which still survives and is scheduled as a Historic Monument; the ‘tower’ recorded on the 1834 map does not appear on the later editions and could not be identified during field research as it appears to have been replaced by an outbuilding. A large out office was later added to the south-west side of the house, visible on the second edition of the Ordnance Survey which first recorded the site as ‘The Court’ in 1859. A gate lodge (now demolished) also first appeared on this edition situated at the end of the entrance path to the site. In 1861 ‘The Court’ was occupied by a Mr. Henry Mussen who let the property from the Marquis of Downshire; at that time the house, offices and gate lodge were valued at £14. The third edition of the Ordnance Survey maps (c. 1901) could not be examined making it difficult to ascertain how the site was developed between 1859 and 1920, however by 1920 the fourth edition of the maps show that three additional farm buildings had been constructed at the site located to the rear of the farmhouse. The current Ordnance Survey map (dated 1969) showed no change to the layout as it was in 1920; significantly the farm’s gate lodge was still standing at this time. ‘The Court’ is of local and national historical significance as one of the earliest residences of the influential Hill family who became the Marquis’ of Downshire, major landowners in Co. Down and other parts of Ireland. The founder of the Hill Dynasty in Ireland was Sir Moyses Hill who arrived in the country in 1573 as a soldier, having enlisted in Elizabeth I’s army to suppress the rebellion of the Gaelic Chieftain Brian O’Neill (who was later defeated and executed in 1874). Moyses Hill remained in Ireland and was later made Governor of Olderfleet Castle in Larne, later campaigning against Hugh O’Neill during the Nine-years war (1594-1603); in recognition of his many years service Moyses Hill was knighted in 1603 and was granted 2,000 acres in Co. Antrim and 40,000 acres in Co. Down as part of the Ulster Plantation. In 1617 he was appointed Provost Marshall of Ulster for life, a position which placed him in charge of Ulster’s domestic security in the wake of the recent rebellion. Moyses Hill had previously lived at Carrickfergus and then for a time had settled in the Upper Malone area in his Co. Antrim holdings; however he constructed a permanent fortified Bawn residence on the site of the current dwelling at ‘The Court’ sometime before his death in 1630 (Barry, p. 5; McAteer). The house Hill constructed was originally called ‘Hill Court;’ on his death, his son Peter Hill inherited the estate and constructed a fortified mansion along the plan of the earlier house. McAteer tells us that the new dwelling possessed ‘turrets, loopholes [while] the surrounding countryside was overlooked by a large number of cannons.’ This fortress dwelling was renamed the Hall of the Hills, leading to the renaming of the surrounding area as Hillhall (McAteer). In records from the period Peter Hill was referred to as ‘Peter of Hill Hall’ and it was he who began construction of the Fort at Cromlyn around which grew the current town of Hillsborough. In 1690 during the Williamite War in Ireland (1689-91) ‘the Court’ was reportedly visited by King William III on his journey between Carrickfergus and Hillsborough as his army made its way south to face the Jacobite army (Wallace). Members of the Hill family continued to reside at Hill Hall until the early 18th century when Hillsborough Castle became the new permanent residence (Barry, p. 8). Hill Hall fell into a state of disrepair over the following decades and at some point prior to 1834 the current single-storey dwelling was constructed at the site; the house was built adjoining the ruined site of the former fortified mansion and incorporated the northern part of the early bawn wall into its masonry (an arched entryway originally existed along the north portion however this has been taken down and replaced with a modern iron gateway). Dean tells us that the Court was constructed as a ‘gentleman farmers villa’ which was occupied by a Mr. John Harrison in 1856; the gate lodge of the property was constructed c. 1840 which Dean described as ‘ a single-storey square two-roofed building with a pyramidal roof and clipped eaves’ (Dean, p. 70). Field Research would suggest a build date of c. 1790 for the cottage. The surviving portion of the 17th century bawn wall is in a relatively intact condition particularly on the north-west and north-east side of the farmyard making the Court one of the most significant sites in the local area as the ancestral home of Hill family, a landowning dynasty who dominated the history of the surrounding countryside. References Primary Sources 1. PRONI OS/6/3/15/1 – First Edition Ordnance Survey Map 1834 2. PRONI OS/6/3/15/2 – First Edition Ordnance Survey Map 1859 3. PRONI OS/6/3/15/4 – First Edition Ordnance Survey Map 1919-20 4. PRONI VAL/2/B/3/25C – Griffiths Valuation 1861 5. Census of Ireland 1901 / 1911 6. Ordnance Survey Map - 165-8 (1969) Secondary Sources 1. Barry, J., ‘Hillsborough: A parish in the Ulster plantation’ (3rd ed.), Belfast, Universities Press., 1982. 2. McAteer, J. ‘Hillhall primary school: 1893-2007’ Pamphlet: 2007. 3. Wallace, J. B. ‘Drumbo Presbyterian Church: A short history 1655-1956’ Church Pamphlet: 1956.

Criteria for Listing

Architectural Interest

A. Style B. Proportion C. Ornamentation D. Plan Form H-. Alterations detracting from building I. Quality and survival of Interior J. Setting

Historic Interest

W. Northern Ireland/International Interest R. Age S. Authenticity T. Historic Importance

Evaluation

The Court is a distinctive one-and-a-half-storey, three-bay, symmetrical Georgian farmhouse with outbuildings, on the site of a former bawn; built c1790 and located in an unspoiled rural setting on a large site south of the Hillhall Road, Lisburn. Of significant historical interest, the house and outbuildings incorporate an earlier 17th century bawn which is a scheduled monument. Displaying symmetry and proportions typical of the period, architectural detailing is largely intact and the internal layout largely unchanged. The Court is a robust example of the types of modest but elegant farmhouses that grew up in the countryside from the early eighteenth-century and its interest is enhanced by the outbuildings to the west and the fine cast iron entrance gates. The site is of historical significance as one of the earliest residences of the influential Hill family who became the Marquis’ of Downshire, major landowners in Co. Down and other parts of Ireland.

General Comments

This record was completed without access to original source material held by the Public Record Office of Northern Ireland.

Date of Survey

19 January 2011