Beech Hall

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

A two-storey four-bay Victorian house built c.1885; rectangular plan form with rear return and glazed entrance porch. Located directly on the Aughnaskeagh Road immediately east of the cross roads with Katesbridge Road.

Pitched natural slate roof with clay ridge tiles; poly chromatic brick chimneys with modillion cornice course; ogee moulded cast-iron rainwater goods over masonry profiled eaves brackets; decorative timber barge boards. Cement rendered ruled-and-lined walling with projected long-and-short quoins; smooth rendered plinth. 2/2 double-glazed sliding sash with horizontal glazing bars and horns; segmental-arched heads to first floor; concrete cills. Ornate gabled glazed timber-framed entrance porch with chamfered timbers; margin paned coloured and rolled glazing surmounted by leaded decorative top panes; louver panelled aprons; decorative barge boards; finial and cresting. Four panelled timber door with round-headed glazed upper panels, divided by horizontal glazing bar; bolection moulded raised and fielded lower panels; brass ironmongery.

The principal elevation faces south and is asymmetrically arranged. The porch is located left of centre with a single window to the left and two to the right. Four first floor windows directly over.

The left gable is asymmetrically arranged; single ground and first floor window right of centre.

The rear elevation is asymmetrically arranged. Two-storey gable-ended rear return with lower eaves and ridge level projection right of centre; the gable comprises a replacement timber sheeted half-door to the left with two diminished in scale windows to the right; large round headed window with coloured margin panes centrally positioned to the first floor, flanked by diminished in scale windows. The right cheek has a small single first floor window. The left cheek is blank and abutted at ground floor by a lean-to single-storey block comprising two small 1/1 sash windows to the rear elevation and a single timber door to the left cheek. Right of the return is a single ground and first floor window with a single first floor window to the left.

The right gable has margin paned square-headed ground and first floor windows to right.

Setting

The dwelling is prominently located,with a small front garden bounded by a wrought-iron railing with castings; cast-iron piers and matching gates; rendered wall to the right; hedges to the left. Large courtyard to the left and rear bounded by various associated two-storey red-brick and rendered outbuildings and stables; pitched natural slate roofing; replacement glazing and timber sheeted doors throughout; modern agricultural units beyond. Cast-iron water-pump with cow-tail handle adjacent to the rear entrance. A branch of the River Lagan runs parallel to the rear of the site with a small double span rubble bridge to the north east.

Roofing: Natural slate
Walling: render
Windows: Timber
RWG: Cast-iron

Historical information

Beech Hall was constructed c. 1885 replacing an earlier dwelling and outbuilding that predated the first edition of the Ordnance Survey map in 1833. The original dwelling was not included in the Townland Valuations of the 1830s, however in 1861 Griffith’s Valuation recorded that a Mr. Arthur Jones leased the land and property, which at that time was divided into two dwellings and a shop, from the estate of John W. Greer.

Jones did not reside at the site in 1861 but sublet the property to three tenants. A Mr James Purdy occupied the shop and dwelling (situated at the corner of the crossroads where the Aughnaskeagh Road intersects with Tory Brae) which was valued at £3, whilst a Mr James McVeigh and Joseph Corbett occupied the two smaller dwellings, each valued at £1 10s. These two small dwellings were situated to the northwest-side of the corner shop but during the Annual Revisions were described as out offices.

By 1864 Arthur Jones was recorded as the sole occupant of the site in the Annual Revisions which valued the house, shop and its outbuildings at £5. In 1882 the value of the site was increased to £7 with the addition of a store; the new store may refer to one of the outbuildings to the north or north-east side of the current dwelling, however this cannot be confirmed as the current house and outbuildings were constructed between the second and third editions of the Ordnance Survey maps.

The corner shop was taken down prior to 1885 when the current dwelling was first recorded in the Annual Revisions; there is no trace of the original shop, however the walled garden at the crossroads occupies the same layout. The construction of the current two-storey Victorian house raised the value of the site to £14; it is likely that the outbuildings to the north and northeast side of the house were constructed by this time, as the third edition of the Ordnance Survey map in 1903 depicts them, whilst there was no change in valuation since 1885. The map also notes that the house was known as Beech Hall at that time, although the map captioned the site as ‘Beach Hall.’

Arthur Jones resided at Beech Hall until 1896 when his relative John H. Jones (presumably his son) took possession of the site. The 1901 Census notes that Jones (50, Presbyterian) resided at Beech Hall with his wife Maggie (34) and their infant son. Jones was employed as a farmer and grocer and the census building return notes that Beech Hall was also utilised as a grocers shop at that time; Jones employed a shop assistant who boarded at the house. The census described Beech Hall as a 1st class shop and dwelling that consisted of 10 rooms; by 1911 the census noted that Beech Hall possessed a number of out offices including a stable, cow house, a barn and a store which were located in the sites rear outbuildings.

In 1914 a large byre was erected to the west of the house; it has since been replaced with a modern corrugated-iron outbuilding however at the time the value of Beech Hall was increased to £16 as a result. John H. Jones continued to operate his business and reside at Beech Hall until the end of the Annual Revisions in 1923.

The Jones family lived at Beech Hall until at least the First Survey in 1969 when a Mr. G. W. Jones was recorded as occupant and owner. Beech Hall was listed in 1977 but fell vacant c. 1986; after lying empty for a decade Beech Hall was extensively restored in 1996 and has continued to be occupied as a private dwelling since that time.

References

Primary Sources

1. PRONI OS/6/3/28/1 – First edition Ordnance Survey map 1833
2. PRONI OS/6/3/28/2 – Second Edition Ordnance Survey map 1859
3. PRONI OS/6/3/28/3 – Third Edition Ordnance Survey map 1903
4. PRONI OS/6/3/28/4 – Fourth Edition Ordnance Survey map 1903-1920
5. PRONI VAL/2/B/3/36 – Griffith’s Valuation 1861
6. PRONI VAL/12/B/16/2A – Annual Revisions 1864-1875
7. PRONI VAL/12/B/16/2B – Annual Revisions 1876-1883
8. PRONI VAL/12/B/16/2C – Annual Revisions 1884-1894
9. PRONI VAL/12/B/16/2D – Annual Revisions 1895-1908
10. PRONI VAL/12/B/16/2E – Annual Revisions 1909-1923
11. Ulster Street Directories (1843-1918)
12. Census of Ireland (1901 / 1911)
13. First Survey Record – HB17/11/007 (1969)

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

A. Style
B. Proportion
C. Ornamentation
D. Plan Form
I. Quality and survival of Interior
J. Setting

Criteria for listing: historic interest

X. Local Interest

Evaluation

A neat asymmetrical two-storey four-bay Victorian house built c.1885 with decorative detailing including bargeboards and an ornate gabled glazed timber-framed entrance porch. Although a major renovation in 1996 replaced much interior, the character and plan form survive and it is a good example of this type of modest farmhouse. Its setting, with good gates and railings and a group of outbuildings , is original ad adds to its interest.