Lake View

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

Low, two-storey, formalised rubble-built gentleman-farmer’s residence of c.1794 with large but generally sympathetic rear return of c.1870s. The property is set on the west side of Derryola Bridge Road, 10.4km N of Lurgan town centre and has a garden to the immediate S and a large complex of farm buildings to the immediate N.

The main front section of the house is a gable-ended rectangular block lying roughly on a NE-SW axis, with the return - also gable-ended - set at an angle on an E-W axis. The latter section has a wide full-height gabled bay to its N side, and a lower two-storey projection and single-storey flat-roofed extension to its W end. The walls of the original section are random rubble with brick dressings to the openings, and as walling below the ground floor windows, with various patches of brick to all sides suggesting former openings now blocked up. The return is in a more angular semi-coursed rubble (which may be basalt), with brick dressed opening also, whilst the extension is part rendered with its N side an older part rubble, part brick wall. The roof is covered in what appears to be natural Welsh slate (although it is difficult to be certain of this) and has raised parapets with skews and rebuilt brick chimneystacks. The windows throughout have replacement PVC frames and what seem to be concrete cills.

Front (E) elevation - Formal arrangement with openings aligning. Two windows, doorway, French window. The entrance is surrounded by a large flat-roofed Classic Style portico with Tuscan columns (possibly an addition of c.1820), and has a relatively broad panelled timber door with small overlight. The French window to the left undoubtedly originally a window proper that was lengthened, as it possesses the same width as the other windows.

S elevation (S side of the back extension and the return, and SW-facing gable of the main block) - There is a window and doorway to the extension, whilst the return proper has two windows to each floor of various sizes. The gable has a doorway to left with first floor window directly above.

N elevation (N side of extension, return and NE-facing gable of the main block) - Gable has ground floor window to right. Return has doorway, window, doorway (in small gabled projecting porch) and window on ground floor and four windows to the first floor (the window to far right on the projection to this end.) The north side of the extension could not be seen in its entirety, but appears to be blank.

W elevation - Window to far right on ground floor of main section, two widely-spaced windows to the first floor. The W end of the return and the extensions to this side could not be seen.

Outbuildings - To the N-NE of the house is a large two-storey L-shaped hipped roof outbuilding, whose E-facing façade runs directly along the roadside. This building is much in keeping with the house itself, with rubble walls with brick-dressed openings, and a slate roof. The outer (N and E-facing) walls are blank, whilst the S and W sides have some elliptical-headed carriage archways and small window / loft doorways. To the far right on the W-facing side a large flat-arched vehicle entrance has been inserted. There is a date stone of 1901 on the S-facing side.

Historical information

A building matching the plan of the present main front section of this house is shown – marked ‘Lake View’ - on the first edition OS map of 1832. At this point there was a much smaller return to the rear, set at right-angle, an outbuilding to the immediate rear roughly on the site of the present garage, and an L-shaped outbuilding to the north similar in plan and positioning to that we see today. In the first valuation of 1835 Mr. William Beatty is recorded as the occupant, with the house recorded as a ‘not new’ slated building in good condition (grade 1B+) with the main front block amounting to 48ft x 21½ x 16, and the return measuring 16½ x 12½ x 7½. A thatched ‘gig house’, ‘cart house’ and barn are also recorded, with dimensions of 14 x 12½ x 5, 45 x 19½ x 5½ and 60 x 19½ x 7½ respectively, along with a further mud-walled outbuilding of 37 x 20 x 6, and ‘several old offices, not worth measuring’, with the whole rated at £8.

The plan of the house and the outbuildings are shown unaltered on the revised OS map of 1857. William Beatty (or a relation of the same name) was still there at the time of the c.1860 valuation, with the house recorded as amounting to 17yds x 7 x 2 (storeys) and 5 x 3½ x 1, with the outbuildings, which were still thatched, 14 x 6 x 1, 20 x 7 x 1, 15 x 7 x 1, 2C+ 12 x 7 x 1, and the lot rated at £7-10-0. A note in the margins reads ‘lease 1794’, suggesting that the house may have been built in this year or shortly afterwards, a date which ties-in with it being considered ‘not new’ by the valuers in 1835.

William Beatty MacDonald (presumably a relation of the above) is noted as the occupant in 1867 and Anna McDonald in 1877. A few years earlier, in 1869, the rateable value had increased by 10 shillings to £8, and rose again to £9-10-0 in 1877, suggesting, perhaps, that the present return had been added by the latter year. On the 1900-01 OS map, the return is shown as present, with additional outbuildings to the north, a date stone of 1901 on the large outbuilding to the immediate north of the house suggesting that some work was carried out at this date. Between 1904 and 1918 the valuations indicate that more outbuildings were added, raising the rateable value to £20 by 1920.

Another William Beatty McDonald, the son of the above, is listed as the occupant (and freeholder) from 1898. In the 1901 census, William is noted as living here with his widowed mother, Anna, his sister, Elizabeth, and two young servants, Thomas Henry Totton and Eliza McAlinden, with the house itself noted as a ‘1st class’ dwelling with 14 rooms in use by the family. By 1911 William and Anna had been joined Amelia Blair (who is listed as a ‘companion’ to Anna), and two new servants, Annie Green and Robert McDonald, with the A building matching the plan of the present main front section of this house is shown – marked ‘Lake View’ - on the first edition OS map of 1832. At this point there was a much smaller return to the rear, set at right-angle, an outbuilding to the immediate rear roughly on the site of the present garage, and an L-shaped outbuilding to the north similar in plan and positioning to that we see today. In the first valuation of 1835 Mr. William Beatty is recorded as the occupant, with the house recorded as a ‘not new’ slated building in good condition (grade 1B+) with the main front block amounting to 48ft x 21½ x 16, and the return measuring 16½ x 12½ x 7½. A thatched ‘gig house’, ‘cart house’ and barn are also recorded, with dimensions of 14 x 12½ x 5, 45 x 19½ x 5½ and 60 x 19½ x 7½ respectively, along with a further mud-walled outbuilding of 37 x 20 x 6, and ‘several old offices, not worth measuring’, with the whole rated at £8.

The plan of the house and the outbuildings are shown unaltered on the revised OS map of 1857. William Beatty (or a relation of the same name) was still there at the time of the c.1860 valuation, with the house recorded as amounting to 17yds x 7 x 2 (storeys) and 5 x 3½ x 1, with the outbuildings, which were still thatched, 14 x 6 x 1, 20 x 7 x 1, 15 x 7 x 1, 2C+ 12 x 7 x 1, and the lot rated at £7-10-0. A note in the margins reads ‘lease 1794’, suggesting that the house may have been built in this year or shortly afterwards, a date which ties-in with it being considered ‘not new’ by the valuers in 1835.

William Beatty MacDonald (presumably a relation of the above) is noted as the occupant in 1867 and Anna McDonald in 1877. A few years earlier, in 1869, the rateable value had increased by 10 shillings to £8, and rose again to £9-10-0 in 1877, suggesting, perhaps, that the present return had been added by the latter year. On the 1900-01 OS map, the return is shown, but with a large projection stretching northwards from the west end, roughly in-line with the present single-storey extension, whilst the main front block is shown extending slightly further to the southwest; the 1965 map shows a conservatory to this side which would account for this additional length, and also the fact that there is a door to this side.

A date stone of 1901 on the large outbuilding to the immediate north of the house suggests that this particular structure was constructed at this date. Between 1904 and 1918 the valuations indicate that more outbuildings were added to the site, raising the rateable value to £20 by 1920.

Another William Beatty McDonald, the son of the above, is listed as the occupant (and freeholder) from 1898. In the 1901 census, William is noted as living here with his widowed mother, Anna, his sister, Elizabeth, and two young servants, Thomas Henry Totton and Eliza McAlinden, with the house itself noted as a ‘1st class’ dwelling with 14 rooms in use by the family. By 1911 William and Anna had been joined Amelia Blair (who is listed as a ‘companion’ to Anna), and two new servants, Annie Green and Robert McDonald, with the house still a ‘1st class’ dwelling, but with 12 rooms in use.

William Beatty McDonald held the property until at least 1930. It was later acquired by the Mairs family and subsequently by the family of the present owners.

The long projection at the west end of the return is shown on the 1965 OS map, but has since been demolished, with presumably the current flat-roofed extension fashioned out of part of it.

Both the front ant the back walls of the main section of the house display evidence of openings having being blocked, but the appearance of these alterations suggests they were carried out some considerable time ago - possibly in the early to mid 19th century.

References – Primary sources
1 OS Map, Co Antrim sheet 62 (1832)
2 PRONI VAL1B/171 Valuation book (1835)
3 OS Map, Co Antrim sheet 62 (1857)
4 PRONI VAL2B/1/58B Valuation book (c.1860)
5 PRONI VAL12B/9/3A-E Valuation books (1864-1928)
6 OS map, Co. Antrim sheet 62 (1900-01)
7 Census of Ireland, 1901, 1911 [http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie]
8 OS map, Co. Antrim sheet 62 (1920)
9 OS map, sheet 144-11 (1965)

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

Not listed

Criteria for listing: historic interest

Not listed

Evaluation

Low but substantial two-storey famhouse with rubble façade, slate roof and large Classical style 'portico', whose main front block may be of the 1790s, whilst the rear return (which is largely sympathetic to the original) appears to be of 1901. All of the original window frames have all been replaced with uPVC, whilst one of the front openings has been altered to serve as a French window. Due to the loss of the frames and several other recent changes the building is not of listable quality.