Historic Building Details

HB Ref No:
HB21/07/011

Address :
Abbey House Whiteabbey Hospital Station Road Newtownabbey Co Antrim BT37 9RH

Townland:
Rushpark

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Survey 2:
B+

Date of Listing:
14/03/1989 00:00:00

Date of De-listing:

Current Use:
Office

Former Use
House

Conservation Area:
No

Industrial Archaeology:
No

Vernacular:
No

Thatched:
No

Monument:
No

Derelict:
No

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OS Map No:
114-10NW

IG Ref:
J3500 8240

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Owner Category

Central Govt Health Board

Exterior Description And Setting

A multi-bay, two-storey over partially concealed basement Italianate stucco house, built c. 1855 to designs by Sir Charles Lanyon, located within the grounds of Whiteabbey Hospital Complex; now vacant. Square on plan with porch, facing south; rectangular wing to west with single bay return to rear, fronted by an additional lower L shaped block with bowed projection. There is a long two storey range (c.1880) extending to north. Hipped natural slate roofs, leaded hips and valleys; stepped chimneystacks with corbelled caps and decorative terracotta pots; deep overhanging eaves on heavy Italianate cornice with coin frieze, dentil course and modillioned brackets; ogee cast-iron rainwater goods. Walling is painted smooth rendered with stucco detailing. Heavy rusticated quoins to ground floor, feather edged quoins to first floor; moulded string course between floors. Windows are boarded-over timber sashes (1/1 to ground floor, 6/6 to first floor); those to ground floor have moulded architraves and dripstones on scrolled console brackets; those to first floor are segmental headed (unless otherwise stated) with lugged keyblocked architraves. Sill course and panelled aprons to principal elevations. Principal (south) elevation is symmetrical (with exception of later window insertion) and arranged about a central projecting balconied porch. Porch has Corinthian columns in antis with banded rusticated antae; columns and antae are each supported on a pedestal; plain entablature with decorative punctured stone parapet to balcony. There is a window to either side at ground floor. First floor has a central triple round-headed arcaded window opening with French door to centre. There is a window to either side, with smaller segmental headed insertion to left. West elevation is abutted by west wing. North and south elevations are identical, each consisting of five equally spaced openings to each floor. Exposed basement, enclosed by a steep bank, has plain reveals to openings. West wing is asymmetrical and consists of a three storey block fronted by a slightly lower two bay block. Detailing is more restrained, with simple moulded cornice and sill course to each floor. The front block south elevation has a bowed left bay with three windows at each floor; right bay is fronted by a heavy porch canopy with curved corners and decorative parapet, supported by Corinthian columns on pedestals which are linked by a decorative painted sandstone balustrade. The central section is open and gives access to three square-headed windows separated by pilasters and with apron mouldings as others; a bell push to right of the central window suggests that this was formerly a door opening. The balcony is accessed by a pair of round-headed openings. The right cheek of the front block has a door opening and plainly detailed segmental headed window opening to ground floor; window with moulded architrave to first floor. The main section of the west wing has a curved corbelled-out southwest corner. Partial dentil cornice and plainly detailed windows to each floor at each elevation with painted projecting sills. The rear north range has a pitched slate roof, red clay roll-top ridge tiles; painted rendered walling; windows are uPVC replacements. Setting Set in the grounds of Whiteabbey Hospital, the original layout of the grounds has mostly been lost and the house is now surrounded by car parks and hospital buildings of various dates and styles. Although the grounds are now occupied by a large hospital complex, vestiges of the landscaped
setting remain to east, and a former coach house to west (now offices) retains a suggestion of the original detailing. A former multi-bay outbuilding range lies parallel to the north extension. It is similarly detailed, with extended raking cornice forming broken bed pediment to gable ends. Modern door opening is contained in a double elliptical-headed carriage arch with painted rendered blocked surround. uPVC windows throughout. Roof: natural slate Walling: smooth rendered with stucco detailing Windows: Timber sliding sash (boarded over) RWG: cast-iron

Architects

Lanyon, Charles

Historical Information

The building first appears on the OS map of 1857, ‘L’ shaped in plan, with an additional rectangular building located to the north west. The first edition of 1832 shows that the site was previously occupied by a smaller, although apparently substantial, dwelling recorded in the Townland Valuation as a house occupied by Mrs Matthews and valued at £35. The property description details a ballroom, stable, scullery and dairy and a square tower. Griffith’s Valuation records a house, offices, gate lodge and land, named ‘The Abbey', held in fee by Richard Davison and valued at £122, later revised to £190. It is described as '…a very superior first class house built 12 years ago… Cemented and stone finished with stone quoins and dressings…very [finely] situated and close to Whiteabbey Station’. The Gate lodge is detailed as being '…very neat & well finished’. Also listed in the entry for ‘the Abbey’ property is a cow house, stables with a bell [tower attraction], and a green house. The Valuation Revisions of 1862-64 lists the occupier as Charles Lanyon (valuation unchanged). Following Lanyon’s death, the house was empty for a period: a note in the 1898 Revision states ‘vacant for six years’, and records that the leasehold has transferred to Granville Hotels Co. Ltd, although the freehold is still owned by the Lanyon family. By the third edition OS map of 1902 the property has several more additions. Subsequently, the house is listed under exemptions in 1906, and is described as ‘auxiliary workhouses, gate lodges and land’. The ownership is revised from Guardians of Belfast Union to Belfast Corporation in 1916, and the property is described as ‘ auxiliary workhouse, gate lodges, office, hospital for consumptives [partitive?] and land’. In 1913 this entry is crossed out with the exception of the gate lodges, and ‘electric power house’ is inserted, suggesting a change of use. In the 1930-35 Valuation Revision Fieldbook the property is entered as a municipal sanatorium, gate lodges, electric power, house, office and land’, with the occupier listed as ‘Belfast Corporation’. According to Brett, The Abbey was built by Charles Lanyon for Richard Davison on the site of a gentleman’s cottage called ‘Demyat’, that was owned by Davison’s predecessor, the MP Samuel Getty. (Brett, p.111). Sir Charles Lanyon was originally born in Eastbourne, moving to Dublin in order to take up a civil engineering post for the Irish Board of Works. He moved to County Antrim to serve as County Surveyor, during which time he engineered the Larne-Portrush coast road and the Belfast Ballymena railway line. He was responsible for many of Belfast’s most celebrated buildings and structures, including Queen’s College at Queen’s University, Crumlin Road Courthouse and Gaol, the Custom House and the Palm House. While resident at The Abbey, Lanyon served as local MP and later as Mayor of Belfast; he died at the house in 1889 and is buried at Knockbreda Cemetery, Belfast. References Primary Sources: 1. PRONI OS/6/1/57/1 -First Edition OS Map (1833) 2. PRONI OS/6/1/57/2 - Second Edition OS Map (1857) 3. PRONI OS/6/1/57/3 –Third Edition OS Map (1902) 4. PRONI VAL/1/A/1/57-Townland Valuation Map (1834) 5. PRONI VAL/1/B/1/115A+B -Townland Valuation Fieldbook (1836) 6. PRONI VAL/2/A/1/57 -Griffiths Valuation Map (1859) 7. PRONI VAL/2/B/1/13A+B-Griffiths Valuation Fieldbook (1859) 8. PRONI VAL/12/D/1/57 - Valuation Revision Map (1859-1876) 9. PRONI VAL/12/B/5/11A -Valuation Revisions (c.1913) 10. PRONI VAL/12/F/1/9/3 Valuation Revisions (1930-35) Secondary Sources 1. Brett, Charles. Buildings of County Antrim. UAHS, 1996.

Criteria for Listing

Architectural Interest

A. Style B. Proportion C. Ornamentation D. Plan Form I. Quality and survival of Interior

Historic Interest

V. Authorship W. Northern Ireland/International Interest

Evaluation

An impressive two-storey multi-bay Italianate stucco house built c.1855 to designs by celebrated Ulster architect, Sir Charles Lanyon, as a private residence for a client, but soon after becoming his own home and reflecting his personal taste. Despite the degradation of its setting and years of neglect, the house remains a handsome edifice, with ornate stucco detailing and the Italianate styling typical of Lanyon’s work. Internally, while the house has undergone some remodelling for use as an administrative block, its plan from and detailing survive, although suffering serious decay. Overall, Abbey House is an important structure, historically and architecturally, of robust character and connection to Lanyon, on of the foremost architects of the period in Ulster.

General Comments

Date of Survey

21 October 2008