Historic Building Details

HB Ref No:
HB19/01/037

Address :
Ballinderry House 23 Lower Ballinderry Road Lisburn County Antrim BT28 2JH

Townland:
Ballinderry

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Survey 2:
B1

Date of Listing:
10/12/1991 00:00:00

Date of De-listing:

Current Use:
House

Former Use
House

Conservation Area:
No

Industrial Archaeology:
No

Vernacular:
No

Thatched:
No

Monument:
No

Derelict:
No

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OS Map No:
145/13

IG Ref:
J1303 6747

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Owner Category

Private

Exterior Description And Setting

Detached multi-bay two-storey rendered house, built c.1740. Rectangular on plan facing north with front entrance porch, single-storey accretion to the west gable, pair rear returns and extensive range of two-storey outbuildings forming a large enclosed yard to the rear. Set on a mature elevated site to the south of Ballinderry Road Lower with an enclosed front garden and winding avenue to the west. Pitched natural slate roof with black clay ridge tiles and four rendered chimneystacks with terracotta pots. Ogee-moulded cast-iron guttering on iron brackets and cast-iron downpipes with decorative hoppers. Painted rendered walling with render plinth course and rusticated render quoins. Square-headed window openings with painted stone sills, original timber sash windows with exposed sash boxes and historic glass. Front elevation is six windows wide, the easternmost bay built c.1930 and an off-centre single-storey gable-fronted entrance porch. Both ends of this elevation are surmounted by a masonry ball finial. Fenestration comprises; 6/3 timber sash windows to the first floor, 6/6 to the ground floor, horizontally-glazed 2/2 to the easternmost bay and steel casement windows to the entrance porch and to the single-storey west accretion. Attached to the front elevation is a marble plaque stating: 'John Wesley / Preached / From This House / 5th July 1771'. To the west cheek of the entrance porch is a square-headed door opening with an early twentieth-century flat-panelled timber door with decorative door furniture. East gable, dating from c.1930 has steel casement windows to both floors and is abutted by a single-storey entrance porch having a square-headed door opening with flat-panelled and glazed timber door. Rear elevation has rough-cast lime rendered walling with replacement plastic rainwater goods and abutted to the east by a single-storey return built c.1930, attached to the east range of outbuildings. The west end of the rear is abutted by a two-storey redbrick return built c.1880 having a lean-to rear entrance porch to the re-entrant angle. A tall rendered wall spans the space between both returns forming a small enclosed yard with an outshot to the rear elevation covered in natural slate. Timber sash windows to the rear elevation, as per front elevation with horizontally-glazed timber sash windows to the west return. To the east cheek of the rear porch is a squat door opening with plain timber door having brass door furniture and metal canopy. The rear gable to the redbrick return is surmounted by a redbrick chimneystack having some rubblestone walling to the ground floor only. Setting: Set on a mature elevated site to the south of Ballinderry Road Lower with an enclosed front garden and accessed via winding gravel avenue to the west. The avenue opens into the large rear yard via replacement salvaged cast-iron gates. The outbuildings are largely lime-washed rubblestone buildings laid out on a U-plan, two-storey to the east and south, single-storey to the east. Largely pitched natural slate roofs with vents to the apex, cast-iron rainwater goods and original timber sheeted doors and shutters. The yard is concrete paved with a central mature lime tree. The front garden is enclosed to the road by a low rendered wall with iron railing and two sets of decorative wrought-iron gates. Roof Natural slate RWG Cast-iron / plastic Walling Render / lime render Windows Original timber sash / steel casement

Architects

Not Known

Historical Information

Ballinderry House appears on the first Ordnance Survey map for the Ballinderry area in 1832 as an extensive farmstead with the house situated along the modern Lower Ballinderry Road and three large outbuildings to the south. The Townland Valuation of c.1833 describes the house as a two-storey 2b- class building (‘deteriorated by age, not in perfect repair’) measuring 52 by 21 ft and 17 ft high and occupied by William James Ravenscroft who was then replaced by a Mr Edward Nelson. The large number of out offices returned for the site included a scullery, writing office, cart house, a barn and stable houses as well as a number of unspecified office buildings; the house was valued at £6 11s. 8d. and the entire site at £20 5s. 3d. Griffiths Valuation (1859) valued the property at £17; the conversion of the two south-eastern out offices to form one larger building by the second edition of the Ordnance Survey map (1858) may have contributed towards this drop in value. The fragmentary 1851 Census for Ballinderry records that Edward Nelson (50) was a local farmer who lived in Ballinderry house with his wife Elizabeth (52), his daughter and employed a small number of servants. Edward Nelson occupied Ballinderry House until 1871 when a Richard R. Nelson, presumably his son, took possession over the house. In 1894 Richard Nelson purchased the house outright from the Marquis of Hertford, but by 1900 a Miss Charlotte Nelson took over ownership. The 1901 Census records that Charlotte Nelson, a 70 year old widow, lived in Ballinderry house with her niece Charlotte Javiers (27). The census described the house as a 2nd class dwelling which consisted of nine rooms; the out offices, housed in the rear farm buildings, included a stable, coach house, three cow houses, a piggery, and a barn. In 1906 the house passed into the possession of a Thomas McKeown who carried out restoration work on the farm increasing its value to £24; between the third and fourth editions of the Ordnance Survey maps (1901–1920) an additional out office was constructed to the south of the house by McKeown. The 1911 Census tells us that McKeown lived in Ballinderry House with his wife Matilda (55) and their daughter; the Census Building Return records that McKeown added an extra stable and two additional calf houses to the farm and described Ballinderry House as a 1st class dwelling. McKeown lived at the property until 1922 when a Mr. James J. Gracey briefly came into possession, departing himself in 1928 when Mr Philip Higginson became the last owner to be recorded in the Annual Revisions. Brett states that a datestone of 1827 which exists at Ballinderry house describes an ‘enlargement or modernisation’ date rather than a construction date (Brett, p. 147). Clarke records that John Wesley, the effective founder of the Methodist Church, paid a visit to Ballinderry and dined at Ballinderry House on 5th July 1771 with around 50 members of the Methodist society in Ballinderry (this event is marked by a plaque at Ballinderry House). During his stay, Wesley is said to have preached to a large number of local people from a window of the house (Clarke). Brett is not certain whether the house from which Wesley preached is the same as the current building, however, he states that the house is certainly Georgian and cites many features to support this date. Field inspection readily supports Brett’s assertion that Ballinderry House was constructed in the mid-18th century. Brett tells us that in 1771 the house belonged to a Captain Nelson, before it was then occupied by William Ravenscroft. Since 1928 the house has been occupied by a member of the Higginson family and although in its past there are indications that Ballinderry House was neglected, and fell into a state of disrepair, by 1996 Brett describes it as ‘exceptionally well-loved and cared-for’ (Brett, p. 147). Ballinderry House was listed in 1991 and continues to be owned by the Higginson family although the property has recently come on the market. References: Primary Sources 1. PRONI VAL/1/A/1/62 – Field Map c.1830 2. PRONI VAL/1/B/167 – Townland Valuation c. 1830 3. PRONI OS/6/1/62/1 – First Edition OS Map 1832 4. PRONI OS/6/1/62/2 – Second Edition OS Map 1858 5. PRONI OS/6/1/62/3 – Third Edition OS Map 1900-1901 6. PRONI OS/6/1/62/4 – Fourth Edition OS Map 1920-1921 7. PRONI VAL/2/B/1/58 – Griffith’s Valuation 1859 8. PRONI VAL/12/B/9/3 A – Annual Revisions 1867-1879 9. PRONI VAL/12/B/9/3 B – Annual Revisions 1880-1894 10. PRONI VAL/12/B/9/3 C – Annual Revisions 1894-1905 11. PRONI VAL/12/B/9/3 D – Annual Revisions 1906-19112 12. PRONI VAL/12/B/9/3 E – Annual Revisions 1913-1928 13. Census of Ireland (1851; 1901; 1911) Secondary Sources 1. Brett, C. E. B., ‘Buildings of County Antrim’ Ulster Architectural Heritage Society, 1996. 2. Clarke, R., ‘Craigmore Methodist Church 1845-1995’ Pamphlet, 1995.

Criteria for Listing

Architectural Interest

A. Style B. Proportion C. Ornamentation D. Plan Form H+. Alterations enhancing the building I. Quality and survival of Interior J. Setting

Historic Interest

X. Local Interest Z. Rarity

Evaluation

Detached multi-bay two-storey rendered house, built c.1740 on a mature elevated site to the south of Ballinderry Road Lower. Retaining its original external detailing and impressive rear yard the integrity of the house is matched by a remarkably intact interior. Exhibiting formal Georgian details in combination with vernacular elements, Ballinderry House is a rare surviving example of a gentleman's farmhouse. With its interesting historical associations with John Wesley, commemorated on an engraved plaque on the main eleavtion, it makes an important contribution to the heritage of the area.

General Comments

Included in Ballinderry Area of Village Character Criteria R, S, & U also apply.

Date of Survey

10 November 2010