Union Lodge

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

An asymmetrical single-storey four-bay vernacular farmhouse with outbuildings; built c.1800 and located to the south side of Carricknaveagh Road in Boardmills, Lisburn. Rectangular on plan with full-width extension to rear under catslide roof at a slightly shallower pitch.

Pitched natural slate roof with terracotta ridge tiles and three yellow brick chimneystacks without pots. Cast-iron half round rainwater goods. Walling is pebbledash with smooth rendered plinth and quoins; south gable is smooth rendered. Variety of timber-framed windows (6/6 sliding sash to main elevation) all in smooth rendered surrounds with projecting sills: plaster surrounds to main elevation have pointed headed tops with crossettes.

The principal elevation faces west and is four openings wide (asymmetrically arranged). To right of centre is timber-sheeted entrance door with cast-iron knocker and knob; transom light having two vertical glazing bars and dog-ttoth cross member; smooth rendered surround with pointed head and crossettes.

The north elevation is blank.

The east elevation is abutted by full-width extension set on a gently sloping site, having timber-sheeted latch door to centre; directly to left are a pair of 2/2 side-hung windows; to far left is side-hung 1/1 window; to far right are diminutive 2/2 sliding sash windows in timber mullioned surround.

Variety of well-preserved single-storey painted rubble stone outbuildings arranged around a farmyard to south; textured concrete road surface; east range of single storey outbuildings consists of two adjoining buildings with north building roofed in artificial slate and tin and south building roofed in natural slate, both with painted sheeted timber doors; south outbuilding consists of high single storey building with tin roof, sheeted timber doors and metal 6 pane windows to north elevation. Small outbuilding to west of farmyard with tin over thatch roof painted sheeted timber doors and small timber window to east. Rubblestone boundary wall with fieldstone coping encloses farmyard to north, east and west.

Stone stile with gate and piers to east of farmyard on adjoining field at boundary with Carricknaveagh Road; consists of two round stone pillars with conical stone caps and rubblestone wall with 2no. stone steps built in at each side. Gate replaced with modern tubular steel farm gate.

Setting:
Located in a rural
setting on a narrow country road surrounded by farmland. Bounded to road by low painted rubble stone wall; decorative wrought-iron gate and latch-gate with square piers and pointed caps to northwest, give access to front of the house by way of gravelled path and driveway. Painted tubular farm gate to northeast gives access to rear of property and yard. Lawned garden to front with small hedge maze enclosed to yard by rubble stone wall and decorative wrought-iron latch gate.

Roof: Pitched natural slate
Walling: Pebbledash
Windows: Variety of timber-frames
RWG: Cast-iron

Historical information

This remarkably well preserved farm and all three of its current farm buildings first appear on the Ordnance Survey map of 1834 where the farmhouse and its out offices are depicted in their current layout. However the farm was certainly built sometime earlier; the name ‘Union Lodge’ would suggest that the site was constructed around the period of the Act of Union (1800). The Townland Valuation of c. 1830 records that the farm was occupied by the Rev. John Sturgeon (very likely the same Rev. John Sturgeon who was incumbent of Trinity Presbyterian Church in the nearby village of Boardmills, Kelly, p. 170). The farm passed to Robert Sturgeon (an unknown relation) in the 1830s; at that time the house and its three out offices were valued at £4 13s. 1d.
Robert Sturgeon continued to reside in Union Lodge during Griffiths Valuation of the area in 1861; the first record of the name Union Lodge appears in an 1860 will of a Ms. Jane Sturgeon, a Spinster who resided with Robert Sturgeon until her death in that year (PRONI Wills Catalogue – 05/04/1860). The valuer described the site as a ‘very neat old cottage, avenue and gate approach [which was] very neat’ and recorded that Sturgeon let the farm from the Marquis of Downshire at rent of £2 8s. 5d. per annum. At that time the farm had increased in value to £5 10s; a second house had been constructed by c. 1860 located in the north-east corner of the farm in the second and third editions of the Ordnance Survey maps (1859-c.1900); Sturgeon let this house which was valued at £1 and also used as a workshop, to lodgers from 1861, however it had been taken down by 1911 and does not appear on the 1920 edition of the Ordnance Survey map.

Robert Sturgeon resided at Union Lodge until his death on 30 November 1899. In his will Sturgeon left the farm and effects of £608 13s. to his daughter Jane T. Sturgeon (PRONI Wills Catalogue – 30/11/1889). The 1901 Census tells us that Jane (57) lived at Union Lodge with her brother John Sturgeon, who was a 48 year old retired Presbyterian Minister, and their sister Catherine (55). The census building return tells us that the cottage and its out offices were originally thatched; however all of the buildings have since had their thatch replaced with slate or tin roofs. Between 1901 and 1911 the three out offices surrounding the cottage were used as stables, a cow house, piggery, fowl house, barn and a potato house (the stables were located in the west out office). In 1913 Jane Sturgeon purchased the farm from the Marquis of Downshire. The house passed from the Sturgeon family in 1923 when a Ms. Susanna Hamilton took over possession of the farm and resided there until the end of the Annual Revisions for the area in that year.

The house has been restored by the current owner over the past five years.

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/3/26 – Griffith’s Valuation 1861
8. PRONI VAL/12/B/20/15 A – Annual Revisions 1866-1881
9. PRONI VAL/12/B/20/15 B – Annual Revisions 1881-1897
10. PRONI VAL/12/B/20/15 C – Annual Revisions 1898-1908
11. PRONI VAL/12/B/20/15 D – Annual Revisions 1909-1923
12. PRONI Wills Catalogue – 1860; 1899.

Secondary Sources

1. Kelly, D., ‘Lisburn’s rich church heritage: Churches and places of worship in the Lisburn city area’ Lisburn: Impression Print and Design, 2009.

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
Z. Rarity

Evaluation

Union Lodge is a well-preserved single-storey four-bay vernacular farmhouse with outbuildings; built c.1800 and located in an unspoiled rural setting on Carricknaveagh Road, Boardmills. Detailing, while plain, is appropriate to the vernacular style of the building, and many features of interest have been retained. The outbuildings are of similar character and are well-preserved, and along with the rubble stone boundary walls, gates and stile, contribute significantly to the architectural and historic interest of the group. This is a good example of a vernacuar house and outbuildings, once common, now increasingly rare.