Brookhall Historical Farm

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

Symmetrical detached three-bay one-and-a-half-storey rendered house, built c.1870, incorporating fabric of an earlier dwelling. Rectangular on plan facing south with front entrance porch, single-storey wing to west, projection to east and rear extension. Set well back on the north side of Ballinderry Road and to the east of Horsepark, on a 20 acre farm with a single-cell rubblestone former church building to the rear yard enclosed to east and west by single-storey converted outbuildings, accessed via long winding bitmac avenue with single-storey rendered gate lodge. Now in use as an entertainment venue and self-catering holdiay accommodation.

Pitched naturals slate roof with black clay ridgecomb tiles and pair of rendered profiled chimneystacks with octagonal clay pots. Replacement metal guttering to decorative pierced timber fascia, exposed rafter feet and cast-iron downpipes. Decorative pierced timber bargeboard to gables supported on carved timber brackets with overhanging sheeted timber eaves. Painted ruled and lined rendered walling with render plinth course and render rusticated quoins. Square-headed window openings with painted masonry sills and single-pane timber sash windows with some historic glass.

Symmetrical three-bay one-and-a-half-storey front elevation abutted by square-plan entrance porch, with pair of gabled wall-head dormers breaking through the eaves and having decorative pierced timber bargeboards with turned finials. Square-headed window openings to the ground floor have moulded architrave surrounds and are paired to either side of the entrance porch. Central entrance porch has a window to the front and a square-headed door opening to the west cheek with corner Doric piers supporting plain frieze and deep cornice with blocking course over. Square-headed door opening has moulded architrave surround with original four-panelled timber door having raised and fielded panels, iron door furniture and rectangular overlight, opening onto a tiled step to front bitmac area.

West gable abutted by single-storey wing with a single window opening, detailed as per front elevation.

Rear elevation has irregularly placed square-headed window openings with replacement timber casement windows and is abutted by single-storey extension. The extension has a double-pitched natural slate roof with lead valley and ridgecomb tiles, a single rendered profiled chimneystack and a pair of landscape timber casement windows. To the west cheek is a square-headed door opening with vertically-sheeted timber half door.

East gable abutted by a single-storey wing with a front gable further abutted by a modern conservatory. Two round-headed window openings to the upper level with horizontally-glazed timber sash windows.

Setting:
Set well back on the north side of Ballinderry Road and to the east of Horsepark, on a 20 acre farm with a single-cell rubblestone former church building (extensively re-modelled c.1988) to the rear yard enclosed to the east and west by single-storey converted outbuildings, accessed via long winding bitmac avenue through front garden with single-storey rendered gate lodge located at the entrance on Ballinderry Road. The gate lodge was replicated c.1990 to the north under the same roof with a carriage arch between the two units. Replacement iron railing and gates on cast-iron posts open onto Ballinderry Road.

Roof Natural slate
RWG Cast-iron
Walling Ruled and lined render
Windows Timber sash / casement

Historical information

A one-and-a-half-storey house and restored church building, which now form part of Brookhall Historical Farm, first appearing on the first edition Ordnance Survey map of the townland of Ballyellough in 1832. The map depicts the house and church as two oblong buildings located to the south-east of the Brookhill Estate (now demolished, HB19/03/064A+B). The contemporary Townland Valuations (c. 1830) records that the house was owned by a Mr. Moses Watson (who resided at Brookhill House to the north-west) and was described as B class dwelling (‘slightly decayed’) which measured 40 by 25ft and was single storied at 11ft in height; the house was valued at £4 13s. and possessed a number of offices including the church which was used as an outbuilding at that time.
The contemporary Ordnance Survey Memoirs (1837) records that a ruined church stood in grounds belonging to Moses Watson; at that time only one section of the church, measuring 17 ft in length and 8ft in height, survived whilst the remainder of the church walls had been incorporated into the construction of a barn and stable. The memoir writer surmised that the church originally measured 50 by 13ft, was roofed with Irish Oak and had an adjoining round tower which was 40ft in height. The church, along with Brookhill House, was destroyed during the 1641 Rebellion when the leader of the Gaelic army, Sir Phelim O’Neill, set fire to the buildings in the estate whilst retreating from his defeat at the Battle of Lisburn; the tower was mostly taken down c. 1770 when the majority of the stone was brought to build Springfield House (HB19/03/004); the remainder of the tower was later razed to the ground in 1816. The memoir records that the one-and-a-half-storey house was associated with the church and was likely used as a residence for the local clergy; the house was also believed to have been set on fire in 1641 as when the house was being rebuilt c. 1730 several half-burned oak columns were found within the stone and lime walls (Ordnance Survey Memoirs, Co. Antrim VII, Vol. 21, pp 102-3).

There was no apparent change to the site by the second edition of the Ordnance Survey map in 1857 although he contemporary Griffith’s Valuation records that the house had decreased in value to £3 and had passed to a Mr. John Holmes by 1860. John Holmes occupied the site until 1872 when the value of the house rose to £13; this indicates substantial remodeling or rebuilding. Contrary to the date plaque (recently inserted) which states that the house was raised a storey at this time, field evidence suggests that the house was substantially, if not completely, rebuilt. John Holmes presumably died in 1872 as his wife Eliza is recorded as the occupier from that time until 1882 when their son John Holmes Campbell came into possession. John Holmes Campbell constructed the gate lodge, which was valued at £2, at the entrance to the farm on the Ballinderry Road in 1882. John Holmes Campbell bought the farm from the Marquis of Hertford in 1893, however two years later the house passed to a Mr. Thomas Davidson who occupied the site until the end of the Annual Revisions in 1923.

The 1901 Census tells us that Thomas Davidson was a local farmer who resided in the house with his wife and family. The Census Building Return described the house as a 2nd class dwelling which consisted of eight rooms and possessed a number of out offices including a stable, cow house and a barn. These out offices were housed in the former church and two additional outbuildings which had been constructed between 1857 and 1900, appearing on the third edition of the Ordnance Survey map (1900-01); one of these outbuildings, a stable block, was situated to the north-west of the house whilst the other was located to its north-east. There was no change to the site by the fourth edition of the Ordnance Survey map (1920-21); however, an additional outbuilding was constructed to the north-west of the church sometime after 1921 appearing on the current edition of the Ordnance Survey map in 1971.

Trevor Neil indicates that the restored church at Brookhall Historical Farm was the Parish Church of Magheragall (Ecclesia De Drumcale) which has a history dating back to the early 13th century having been mentioned in Pope Nicholas’ Papal Taxation of 1210, although Brookhall’s owners claim that the churches history may extend further (Neil). Field Research has found that in c. 1988 the church, which had been formerly been used as an outbuilding, was completely re-modeled by the current owners and now operates as a tourist attraction as well as a venue for weddings and receptions. The stable block and gate lodge have similarly been converted into holiday cottages whilst the main house continues to be occupied by the owners.

Primary Sources

1. PRONI OS/6/1/63/1 – First Edition Ordnance Survey Map 1832
2. PRONI OS/6/1/63/2 – Second Edition Ordnance Survey Map 1857
3. PRONI OS/6/1/63/3 – Third Edition Ordnance Survey Map 1900-01
4. PRONI OS/6/1/63/4 – Fourth Edition Ordnance Survey Map 1920-21
5. PRONI VAL/2/B/1/62/B – Griffiths Valuation 1859
6. PRONI VAL/12/B/8/6/A – Annual Revisions 1863-1866
7. PRONI VAL/12/B/8/6/B – Annual Revisions 1868-1881
8. PRONI VAL/12/B/8/6/C – Annual Revisions 1881-1889
9. PRONI VAL/12/B/8/6/D – Annual Revisions 1890-1904
10. PRONI VAL/12/B/8/6/E – Annual Revisions 1905-1918
11. PRONI VAL/12/B/8/6/F – Annual Revisions 1918-1923
12. Ordnance Survey Memoirs, Co. Antrim VII, Vol. 21.
13. Ordnance Survey map 164-4 (1971)

Secondary Sources

1. Neill, T., ‘Lisburn: An illustrated history and companion’ Lisburn: Cottage Publications, 1996.

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

Not listed

Criteria for listing: historic interest

Not listed

Evaluation

Symmetrical detached three-bay one-and-a-half-storey rendered house, built c.1870, incorporating fabric of an earlier dwelling. A modestly scaled dwelling expressing a late Victorian appearance and retaining most fabric from its 1870s re-modelling. Occupying a site, possibly dating back to early Christian times, the house together with the refurbished early church structure are of interest. As most of the buildings on the site have been subject to significant refurbishment the house was not considered to meet the criteria for listing.