Historic Building Details

HB Ref No:
HB19/21/010

Address :
Fair Acre 134-136 Barnfield Road Lisburn Co Antrim BT28 3TQ

Townland:
Lagmore

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Survey 2:
Record Only

Date of Listing:
29/01/1992 00:00:00

Date of De-listing:
04/05/2012 00:00:00

Current Use:
House

Former Use
House

Conservation Area:
No

Industrial Archaeology:
No

Vernacular:
No

Thatched:
No

Monument:
No

Derelict:
Partially

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OS Map No:
146/14

IG Ref:
J2654 6858

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Owner Category

Private

Exterior Description And Setting

A one-and-a-half-storey, multi-bay Victorian farm house, dating partially from c.1850. Irregular in plan form the building can be identified as being two clear rectangular plans offset against each other with the later house built c.1900. The house is located on the Barnfield Road at the junction of Mount Eagles Mews. The roofing is multiple pitched natural slate with clay ridge tiles and decorative finials. The roof rafters are exposed at the eaves and the gable ends are finished with barge boards. The RWG are cast-iron with a mixture of ogee moulded gutters to the rear and semi circular to the front. The downpipes are circular cast-iron. The walling is ruled-and-lined smooth render. Some decorative moulded string courses exist to the rear, located between ground and first floor, with plain banding around the front canted bay. The principal elevation faces east and is asymmetrical in arrangement. The front door is located off centre to the left with a large two-storey canted bay to the left hand side with a finial. A single storey canted bay of much smaller proportion is located to the right side of the front door. Further to the right there is a large horizontal window opening. The front door is a UPVC replacement as are the ground floor windows to the two canted bays. At first floor three uniformly positioned gable end dormer windows with uPVC window frames are arranged to the right hand side of the façade. The first floor windows to the canted bay are original Edwardian sliding sash windows with small panes to the top sash. The roofs of the dormers are crowned with finials with smooth render banding to their gable ends. The north elevation comprises two gable ends, the left one projecting forward by about 10m. The left gable has a single window opening to the ground floor and the first floor and is modestly detailed with plain barge boards and no decorative mouldings. The left hand gable has a modestly proportioned two-storey canted bay and is of earlier construction. The barge boards are highly decorative and the purlin ends are exposed. The roof finish to the bay has been removed exposing the sarking boards. A moulded string course runs between the ground and first floor across the three side of the bay only. The west elevation is asymmetrically arranged with a slated porch located off centre to the left. Two single windows are located to the right hand side of the porch at ground floor with one single window opening to the left. At first floor three uniformly arranged dormer windows are positioned across the first floor. Each dormer is crowned with a segmental pediment. A moulded string course runs the length of the façade between ground and first floor and supports a cast-iron gutter which collects the run off from the roof. The north facing elevation is multin gabled and has an adjoining single storey curved roof barn projecting from it. In addition to this a small single storey lean-to shed extends from the façade. The building is set within a rural landscape, with neighbouring outbuildings belonging to an adjoining owner. The farm houses secluded
setting is being impinged by modern housing developments. Roofing Slate Walling Smooth Render Windows uPV and some painted timber sliding sash RWG Cast iron

Architects

Not Known

Historical Information

The first OS maps from 1833 show a large rectangular plan form building on the site of the existing farm, with a small adjacent outbuilding on the site The Townland Valuations 1828-40 make no reference to it as a dwelling. The OS maps of 1853 shows two buildings on the site, one with the foot print matching part of the present day building, the other a smaller building adjacent to the east. It is likely that the earlier of the two parts of the farm was erected during this period c.1850. The Griffiths Valuation 1861 indicates that the two buildings were occupied by James Watson and Hugh Russell, both of which were lessor to James Tate who occupied a large house north of the site and owned the surrounding estate. Both tenants remained in the premises, valued at £0.10, until 1889, when the Annual Revisions 1862-33 record that John Sloan Larmor, the founder of the Ulster Weaving Co. took over the estate. In 1905 the Larmor family moved into the larger of the two dwellings on the site and it was around this time that they began to develop the site with extensive additions to the south and east, as can be identified on the OS map 1904. These additions are likely to be the canted bay building gthat we see today. In 1912 both the dwellings had been incorporated into one and were valued at £14. (Annual Revisions) John Sloan Larmor died in 1917 leaving the princely sum of £37,426 5s 3d. to his wife and son, a linen merchant by the name of Hugh G M Larmor. (PRONI) The Annual Revisions show that the Larmor family remained in the dwelling until taken over by Clarke in 1923 with the house being value at £20. The 1938 OS Map now captions the building as ‘Fair Acre’ and indicates the full extent of the extensions and development of the site with extensive outbuildings. The building continued to operate as a dwelling and was purchased by the present owner's family in 1965. Since C.2000 both buildings have become vacant and have suffered from vandalism. References – Primary sources 1. PRONI VAL/1/B/125 - Townland Valuations 1828-1840 2. PRONI VAL/2/B/1/19A – Griffiths Valuation 1856-1864 3. PRONI VAL/12/B/8/2A - Annual Revisions 1862-65 4. PRONI VAL/12/B/8/2B - Annual Revisions 1866-1879 5. PRONI VAL/12/B/8/2C - Annual Revisions 1879-1889 6. PRONI VAL/12/B/8/2D - Annual Revisions 1889-1900 7. PRONI VAL/12/B/8/2E - Annual Revisions 1900-1912 8. PRONI OS/6/1/64/1 – OS Map 1833 9. PRONI OS/6/1/64/2b – OS Map1859 References – Secondary sources 10. PRONI www.proni.gov.uk

Criteria for Listing

Architectural Interest

Not listed

Historic Interest

Not listed

Evaluation

A 1 ½ storey Victorian farmhouse comprising two joined oblong dwellings built during different periods. The earlier building dates from c.1850 and displays some interesting detailing at the pedimented dormer windows. The later building dates from c.1900 and is relatively plain with inappropriate replacement windows and front door. The interior of the older section has been lost and the interior of the more recent addition is not of special interest. It sits in a relatively inspoiled rural setting and has some adjacent outbuildings that are of little interest.

General Comments

Date of Survey

18 May 2010