Crossan House

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

A two-storey, four-bay mid-nineteenth-century modified farmhouse and outbuildings; remodelled c.1930, located to the north of side of Crossan Road, Lisburn. Rectangular on plan with porch to front and two-storey return to rear.

Half-hipped natural slate roof with blue/black angled ridge tiles and yellow brick chimneystacks having terracotta pots. Cast-iron half-round rainwater goods and hopper. Walling is pebbledash with cement render quoins and plinth; porch is English garden wall bonded red-brick with masonry canopy. Windows are a 1/1 timber-framed sliding sash to ground floor; 1/2 with sidelights to first floor all in smooth rendered reveals with projecting masonry sills; metal-framed windows to rear elevation.

The principal elevation faces south: four opening wide to ground and first floor; right bay is a later addition with openings placed at some distance from the original. Original openings arranged about a later porch. Porch has double-panelled timber entrance door with leaded and stained glass pane to upper portion. The west elevation is blank.

The north (rear) elevation is abutted to right of centre by two-storey return under catslide roof: window to ground and first floor; left cheek with timber-sheeted door in painted masonry surround with keyblock. Exposed section has two windows to first floor; ground floor has window to right; to left is timber-sheeted door with adjoining window in rendered surround.

The east elevation is blank.

Rubble stone and roughcast rendered outbuildings to north, arranged in an L-shape to create central yard. Block to west with corrugated metal roof, three metal windows, large opening to left with corrugated metal screen. Timber-sheeted door to centre; timber-sheeted half-door to far right. North block with pitched natural slate roof having black angled ridge tiles; two timber-sheeted half-doors and timber sheeted door to left; window to right with timber boarding and brick sill; to east gable is large segmental-headed entrance, accessed via laneway from Crossan Road.

Setting:

Located in a rural
setting on a narrow country road. Curved pebbledash boundary wall to south and east having masonry plinth and curved coping stones, mirroring the house. To east wall are square gate piers having pointed masonry caps supporting original wrought-iron farm gate. To front of house are centred square gate piers with pointed caps and decorative wrought-iron garden gate; gravelled pathway leads to entrance porch. Garden to west enclosed by mature trees and hedgerow accessed through decorative wrought-iron garden gate. Tarmacadamed driveway to east leads to rear yard; gate piers with ball finials on plinth.

Roof: Half-hipped natural slate
Walling: Pebbledash
Windows: Timber-framed sliding sash and metal frames
RWG: Cast-iron

Historical information

A building on the current site of Crossan House first appears on the first edition Ordnance Survey map for the area (1834) where it is depicted as an oblong building, which possessed a large rear return (occupying the site of the current stable outbuilding at the rear of the house). The house was not recorded in the Townland Valuation of the 1830s and it is unclear whether the building recorded in the 1830s records is the current farmhouse; however the current house is certainly the house which is depicted on the second edition Ordnance Survey map of 1859 and was recorded in Griffith’s Valuation which tells us that Crossan House was occupied by a Mr. William Harvey in 1861, a Presbyterian farmer, who let the property and its land from the Marquis of Downshire. At that time the house was valued at £8 and the site was in use as a farm. William Harvey lived at Crossan House until his death in 1898 when he left effects of £691 0s. 4d. to his son William Samuel Harvey. The 1901 census records that William Samuel Harvey did not occupy the House at Crossan; however he was recorded as the Landholder in the Annual Revisions from 1898 and later purchased the house from the Marquis of Downshire by 1913.

Crossan House continued to be occupied by the widow of William Harvey Snr. The 1901 Census tells us that Mary Harvey (74) and her daughter Maggie (35) continued to operate the farm with the aid of a domestic servant and two farm servants; by 1911 the farm was maintained with the aid of at least five farm hands. The census building return indicates that Crossan House was a 1st class dwelling which consisted of five rooms in 1901, however the 1911 return notes that it possessed nine inhabited rooms.

Between 1859 and 1920 the farm was greatly expanded when a second rear stable block was constructed to north of the house. The 1911 Census tells us that apart from the stables, the farm buildings to the rear of the house also housed a cow house, piggery, a fowl house, potato house and a barn. Maggie Harvey continued to occupy the house until 1922 when a Mr. Joseph McIlveen came into possession of the farm, which he occupied until the end of the Annual Revisions in 1929. The original 19th-century building was remodelled c. 1930, possibly when McIlveen came into possession of the farm.

An extension was added to the east side of the house in the mid-twentieth century, however Crossan House currently lies vacant and in a poor state of repair.

References

Primary Sources

1. PRONI VAL/1/A/3/15 – Townland Valuation Map c. 1830s
2. PRONI VAL/1/B/328 – Townland Valuation c. 1830s
3. PRONI OS/6/3/15/1 – First Edition OS Map 1834
4. PRONI OS/6/3/15/2 – Second Edition OS Map 1859
5. PRONI OS/6/3/15/3 – Third Edition OS Map c. 1900
6. PRONI OS/6/3/15/4 – Fourth Edition OS Map 1919-1920
7. PRONI VAL/2/B/3/25C – Griffith’s Valuation 1861
8. PRONI VAL/12/B/20/3 A – Annual Revisions 1868-1876
9. PRONI VAL/12/B/20/3 B – Annual Revisions 1877-1885
10. PRONI VAL/12/B/20/3 C – Annual Revisions 1886-1896
11. PRONI VAL/12/B/20/3 D – Annual Revisions 1897-1914
12. PRONI VAL/12/B/20/3 E – Annual Revisions 1914-1929
13. PRONI Wills Catalogue –1898
14. Census of Ireland 1901 / 1911

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

Not listed

Criteria for listing: historic interest

Not listed

Evaluation

A two-storey, four-bay, mid-nineteenth-century pebble-dashed farmhouse with outbuildings; with modifications c.1930 and located to the north of side of Crossan Road, Lisburn. The chimneys have been replaced, there is an extension to east with the addition of a half-hipped roof and the houseis vacant and is in a poor state of repair. Despite this, much of the fabric is intact to the exterior. The pebbledash boundary wall with gate piers and some original ironmongery including farm-gate and decorative garden gates, contribute to the character of the house. The rubble stone and rendered outbuildings to rear, one of which is slated, also form an attractive group with the house. Although of interest, 20th century modifications to the style and proportions of the building detract from its character and it was not considered to be of sufficient architectural merit to list.