Lisdrum House

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

Two storey house on an exposed hillside on the west side of Armagh Road.

Pitched natural slate roof has modern timber fascia, modern hips and ridges and modern vents set into slating. Front central bay has a raised pyramidal roof. Rainwater goods are semicircular painted metal. Gables have no bargeboards and are treated in a modern dry verge detail. There are three smooth cement render chimneys with cream coloured decorative octagonal yellow terracotta pots. There is one to each gable and one on party wall between the left and central bays.

Wall to east elevation (façade) is unpainted wet dashed cement with a raised chamfered base course and smooth render dressings. The central bay advances slightly and is higher than those to left and right. Main entrance is in a porch which abuts right cheek of central bay and left side of right bay. Porch has a flat leaded roof. A modern ramp and steps lead to door on right cheek; it is four panelled timber with beaded muntin and metal kick plate. On facade of porch is a nine paned fixed timber window. All other windows have unpainted granite cills and horns unless otherwise stated.

On remaining wall to right of porch are two1/1 sliding sashes. Two steps on central bay lead to a pair of modern French windows with sidelights and transoms. To ground floor left bay is a tripartite window consisting of a 2/2 sliding sash flanked by 1/1 sashes. Equally spaced to first floor right bay are two 1/1 sliding sashes. Centred to first floor of central bay is a tall 6/6 sliding sash window with radial semicircular head to top sash and no horns. To left bay at first floor is a 2/1 (glazing bar to bottom sash gone) sliding sash window.

South elevation is detailed as facade with no openings to ground floor and two windows 1/1 sliding sash windows. Right elevation wall is detailed as facade and abutted to right by a single storey annex. Remaining wall is blank at ground floor and to both corners at first floor are two 2/2 sliding sashes.

West elevation (rear) is abutted to left and centre by a single storey lean-to extension. Remaining wall is wet dashed cement render, and raised forward slightly to left and right bay. Modern timber and glass door to right side of left bay. To first floor left bay are two 1/1 sliding sash windows, with one similar to centre (with a small 1/1 to its immediate right) and one to right bay.

Extension has a pitched natural slate roof and wet dashed cement render walls with smooth basecourse. Its front wall has three three-paned metal framed windows with concrete cills, two to left bay and one to right of central bay. To left of central bay is a modern timber and glass door and a two paned casement. Its left gable abuts the annex building and its right gable is dashed.

Annex to right gable has a pitched natural slate roof with ridge running west to east. Walls are lined cement render but for right elevation which is uncoursed random rubble. East gable is set back from facade of main block and contains a pair of modern timber French windows. Left elevation abuts main block and extension, with exposed wall wet dashed. Right elevation forms part of boundary wall, and is three openings wide to ground floor. Those to left and right are 1/1sliding sashes with horns, and central opening is the ghost of a blocked up doorway (infilled with random rubble). To first floor, in line with ground floor windows are margin paned 2/2 sliding sashes with no horns. West gable is abutted by a single storey outhouse in rear yard; exposed section is wet dashed.

Setting: front garden is enclosed to left and right by old high random granite rubble walls with canted top. Right wall (as viewed from front garden has a pair of tall crenellated rubble stone piers (wet dashed to street, with mock arrow-loops), set between is a wall with a single modern four panelled door. From street and ramp sweeps up grass bank to meet this door. Front of garden is enclosed by a lower, modern random granite rubble wall with flat top which has been inserted to create a separate site in front portion of original, larger garden. The original site must have been the entire rectangle enclosed by Chequer Hill Road. The North boundary wall to rear shares signs of once being part of a larger return. Vehicle access from rear (west) gates are modern.

Historical information

Building shown on 1835 OS town map and described in 1839 valuation as comprising three units (22.5 x 26 x 17ft, 19 x 19 x 20,5ft, and 14 x 8 x 17ft). Occupied at that time by David Heron. Captioned as Chequerhill House on 1861 map. Dimensions given in 1863 valuation suggest that the premises were enlarged in the meanwhile.

Sources:

1. OS 6" map (1834) Co Armagh Sheet 26 (PRONI - OS 6/3/26/1);
2. PRONI –VAL 1B/246A, p.111 (1839 valuation);
3. PRONI –VAL 12E/125/1/2 (1861 map);
4. PRONI –VAL 2B/2/39B, p.45 (1863 valuation). .

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

Not listed

Criteria for listing: historic interest

Not listed

Evaluation

At one time this was a modest mansion sitting in its own grounds. Alterations and extensions have gradually eroded its qualities while its setting has been totally altered.