Historic Building Details

HB Ref No:
HB21/02/001

Address :
Fisherwick Lodge 5 & 7 Mill Road Doagh, Ballyclare Co Antrim BT39 0PQ

Townland:
Doagh

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Survey 2:
B+

Date of Listing:
26/08/1987 00:00:00

Date of De-listing:

Current Use:
House

Former Use
Lodge

Conservation Area:
No

Industrial Archaeology:
No

Vernacular:
No

Thatched:
No

Monument:
No

Derelict:
No

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OS Map No:
97-6

IG Ref:
J2620 8983

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Owner Category

Private

Exterior Description And Setting

Detached single-storey multi-bay former hunting lodge, built. c.1805 located to the north of Mill Road. House is U-shaped, facing south, around central courtyard with two-storey seven-bay outbuilding enclosing court to north. Outbuilding abutted by further two-storey three-bay wing to north-east. The roofs are slated and pitched with deep overhanging cavetto moulded eaves and multiple rendered chimneys with replacement pots. Gables have timber bargeboards. The walls are ruled-and-lined render over plinth. The windows are square-headed uPVC casements imitating 6/9 sashes with masonry cills and ogee moulded painted timber architraves. Exterior of court Principal elevation is symmetrical and is five bays wide with projecting gabled central and outer bays. Outer bays each contain a single round-arched-headed window (spoked head). Central entrance comprising double-leaf doors with glazed panels above lock-rail, flanked by fluted Corinthian colonnettes with entablature, and surmounted by semi-circular fanlight, over which is a triangular open-bed pediment. This is further flanked by sidelights and fluted pilasters. Three windows to either side of main entrance bay. The west elevation is five bays wide. Left bay has a square-headed modern entrance door at centre and window opening to left and right (mock 6/6 uPVC). Bay two is gabled, with a single two-stage rebated opening containing a round-arched-headed window (original timber head). Bay three contains three window openings. Bay four is gabled and contains a modern entrance door, as before. Right bay is blank. Abutted to the left by rubble walling and a modern farm building. The north elevation consists of an outbuilding range. The east elevation is roughcast. Three square-headed uPVC casement windows to left (left diminished in size); central square-headed timber panelled door with glazed top panels. At right, the wing is used as a farm building, and is in poor repair, although it contains original door and window opening. Abutted at right by north range. Interior of court North facing elevation (south block) abutted by central gabled return and single-storey flat roofed extension to right. Exposed section to left is blank. Return has small window and square-headed timber sheeted entrance door with glazed top panels and transom light; two square-headed replacement timber casement windows to right. Extension to right contains replacement square-headed timber door to the left, central dipartite sliding sash timber window and 3/6 sliding sash timber window to right. East facing elevation (west block) contains to left three square-headed replacement timber 3/6 sliding sash windows with masonry cills. To right, offset replacement square-headed entrance door (segmental-headed fanlight and sidelights) flanked to left and right by replacement timber 3/6 sliding sash windows. Multiple rooflights to the pitched roof. The north elevation consists of an outbuilding range (see later). West facing elevation (east block) has two large square-headed double-leaf timber doors to left. To centre, two original timber sheeted doors. To right, square-headed replacement uPVC 6/6 sliding sash window. Outbuildings The court is enclosed to the north by a two-storey seven-bay outbuilding. Slated and pitched roof, roughcast walls. Windows are pointed-arched-headed to first floor and segmental-headed to ground floor with some square-headed; timber framed with masonry cills. On the north elevation, central elliptical-headed carriage arch; exposed timbers to soffit and timber door beneath to each wing. To left, central entrance with fanlight, with windows to left and right. Each opening surmounted by first floor window. To right, three windows to each floor; square-headed entrance door with rectangular fanlight to left. Blank gable-end of the projection to left. Abutted at right by a modern farm shelter. East elevation of projecting wing has three pointed-arched-headed openings to first floor, larger to centre; large square-headed opening to ground floor. On the south elevation, to left of carriage arch, three segmental-headed timber casement windows to first floor; two windows and square-headed timber panelled door with glazed top panels to ground floor. Abutted on right by single-storey lean-to extension containing original square-headed window and door. To right, three windows to each floor. Abutted on the right by eastern wing of court. Further three-bay rendered outbuilding with pitched roofs to the north of the arrangement with single-storey outer bays and two-storey central bay. Cast iron pump in the courtyard marked ‘Rankin & Co, Ballymena’. Setting Set in mature gardens to south and west; modern farm to the north. Garden is bounded to the entrance drive at north by hedging, access is via modern timber gates. Bounded to Mill Road by rubble stone walling with rubble coping to entrance and dressed stone coping elsewhere. Modern steel entrance gates supported on square rubble pillars with crenulations, in alcoved gateway. Roof Natural Slate Walling Ruled-and-lined render Windows uPVC casement mock 6/9 Rainwater goods Replacement uPVC ogee guttering and round downpipes

Architects

Not Known

Historical Information

Although the present house is likely to date from the early years of the nineteenth century, its origins are in an eighteenth-century hunting lodge for the Donegall estate. The current lodge was built by the 2nd Marquis of Donegall, with the name derived from the Marquis’s title of Baron Fisherwick, after the place of that name in Staffordshire. It was built in the midst of an extensive deer park, which covered “nearly all of six townlands” (Brett, p161); Kilbride, Ballywee, Holestone Douglasland, Ballyhamage and part of the parish of Donegore and the Grange of Doagh. The Marquis, who had a reputation for extravagance, also laid out an artificial lake in front of the house. Brett dates the building to 1805, as found in the Ordnance Survey Memoirs. Deer were hunted by hounds in the Doagh district and the improvements by the Marquis included the establishment of a large kennel and extensive stabling. In 1899, the kennel was associated with the establishment of a racecourse at Lisnalinchy (Cox 83); they continued to exist in part up until the late 1950s, retaining the name East Antrim Hounds, but have since been relocated to the Parkgate district. The estate is described in an 1812 statistical survey by the Rev. John Dubourdieu: “Close to [Doagh] is Fisherwick Lodge.... the building itself, which is very handsome, and the plantations, have much improved and enlivened the look of this well placed hamlet, which has, in addition, a good inn [Doagh or Farrell’s Inn—owned in 1959 by Senator A. McConnell].” Lewis’ Topographical Dictionary (1837) and the Parliamentary Gazetteer of Ireland (1844) also contain
references to the building. The OS Memoir (1838) dates the lodge to 1805, describing it as “an elegant and uniform structure in the Cottage style, forming with the offices a spacious quadrangular enclosure. It contains a regular suite of handsome apartments, and is constructed and finished in the most modern style”. Between 1760 and 1848 the “Earl of Belfast and his father, the Marquis of Donegal, disentailed their estates, with the exception of Islandmagee....” (Cox 85) It is recorded that the Donegall’s took refuge at Fisherwick following the seizing of the contents of their Belfast residence by creditors (Brett, 181). The house was finally sold in 1847, since which time it has been owned by Mr. John Molyneaux, J. P., (who gave the land 2 acres and 32 perches, for the Rectory and Parish Hall in October 1893.), by Messrs. John and Thomas Hagan, and the Paton and Law families. In 1800, the twenty-two-year-old American Methodist evangelist Lorenzo Dow arrived in the town and preached to soldiers of the guard stationed at Doagh, possibly in outhouses at Fisherwick. (Cox 84) Tribute the 2nd Marquis is paid in a poem, “The Antrim Hunt,” written by William Peroy in 1826. See Doagh throng’d with grandeur See Farrell’s great Inn, Where our fine Antrim hunters festivity win Where a pattern’s afforded, admired by all. Of the generous landlord in good Donegal. Har away’ Hark away’ while we fervently pray That our kindest of landlords may still beer the sway The Earl of Belfast I shall now compliment May he learn from his father in levying his rent; May he ne’er with malefactions his mind e’er embroil- But be brave in the Army, like great Arthur Mayle. In 1894, Mr. John Molyneaux drained the artificial lake in front of the house. “It is said that the youths of Doagh had a great time gathering the many fish which floated down the Ballyclare Road, when the sluice gates were opened.” (Cox 90) The gate lodge (HB21/02/027) was demolished c.2000 and replaced with a modern house. References: Primary Sources 1. PRONI OS/6/1/17/1 -First edition OS map (1832) 2. PRONI OS/6/1/17/2 -Second edition OS map (1857) 3. PRONI VAL/1/A/1/51 -Townland Valuation Map (1836) 4. PRONI VAL/1/B/17A -Townland Valuation Fieldbook (1836) 3. PRONI VAL/2/A/1/51A -Griffiths Valuation Map (1859) 4. PRONI VAL/2/B/1/7A -Griffiths Valuation Fieldbook (1859) Secondary Sources 1. Brett, Sir Charles. Buildings of County Antrim, UAHS, Belfast, 1998 2. Cox, Robert Roland. History of the Parish of Kilbride (Doagh, Co. Antrim: Self-published, 1959)

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 K. Group value

Historic Interest

V. Authorship W. Northern Ireland/International Interest Z. Rarity

Evaluation

A substantial single-storey villa composed on a symmetrical plan around a central courtyard in a rural location on the edge of Doagh village. The house was constructed as a hunting lodge by the Marquis of Donegal. Although the house has been renovated and partially altered to form two dwellings, much of the original character and detailing, internally and externally, is retained. The most significant change is the modern uPVC windows, which seriously detract from its appearance. With the outbuildings, the layout of the complex remains intact, adding to its interest. It is an unusual building type of an early date where the original form and purpose are still discernable and its historic associations are also of some significance.

General Comments

The house has been divided into two properties.

Date of Survey

14 October 2008