Navigation House

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

Detatched three-bay two-storey polychromatic brick house, built c. 1866. Rectangular on plan facing east with enclosed yard and two-storey brick outbuilding to rear.

Pitched natural slate roof with roll-moulded red clay ridge tiles and two original polychromatic brick chimney stacks. Overhanging eaves with exposed timber rafter ends and moulded timber fascia, boarded timber soffit and ogee profile timber brackets at gables. Cast metal rainwater goods. Red brick walling laid in flemish bond with yellowbrick string course at first floor cill level, yellowbrick quions at corners and yellowbrick plinth. The windows are single-glazed timber 1/1 sliding sash with horns; painted white with rectangular sandstone cills; 1½ brick flat arches over window openings.

The principal elevation faces east and is symmetrically arranged. The first floor has three equally spaced windows. The ground floor consists of centrally located front door and two windows. Timber painted front door with four panels with rectangular fixed light flanked by two pairs of doric pilasters with slim vertical timber 1/1 fixed sidelight between each pair; pilasters supporting entablature with plain fascias and ogee moulding. The front door is accessed by two stone steps; metal guarding rail and porch wall light fixed to porch in 20th century.

Left side elevation faces south and has a small single storey extension. It is blocked from view by overgrown foliage at ground level.

Right side elevation faces north and consists of single window located off centre at ground level.

No access to rear elevation which faces west and is accessed via enclosed yard.

Yard and outbuilding red brick laid in english garden wall bond ; outbuilding two-storey with pitched natural slate roof with black slate ridge tiles; metal rainwater goods; single glazed metal windows; painted timber boarded doors. No access to rear yard.

Setting:

Situated on the west side of Hillsborough Road, Lisburn near the M1 'flyover' on a secluded site accessed via curved laneway terminating at Hillsborough road with gate screen. Gate screen with wrought iron gates on square brick piers with stone caps with ogee moulding, flanked by symmetrical pair of curved brick screen walls capped with stone coping and terminating in smaller brick piers with ogee stone caps. Site landscaped and largely bounded by tall mature trees. Glass house and small painted timber garden shed to north. Listed former lock keeper's house(HB19/08/005) and Union locks scheduled canal structures(DOW 009:500) on adjacent site to north. Modern house on adjacent site to south.

Historical information

Navigation House was built in 1866 for the Lagan Canal Manager. George Lynch moved into the house as superintendent/manager in 1909. It is reported that his possessions were transported by lighter from Monaghan along the Ulster Canal, across Lough Neagh and along the Lagan. Michael Wallace Kidd was the last superintendent, in post from 1928-1954. His granddaughter Jenny Pearce recalls how he “had a motorbike, with sidecar, which he would use to travel up and down the towpath.”

The 1st and 2nd edition OS maps show the locks and adjoining lock house. The Canal Managers house and office first appear on the 3rd edition OS Map and are captioned Navigation House.

The Lagan Navigation was constructed in the 18th Century, and is comprised of two distinct sections.
The first section of navigation, between Belfast and Lisburn used the River Lagan which was
complemented by short stretches of ‘still water’ canal cuts. These cuts had associated weirs and locks to
avoid obstacles in the natural river channel. The second section was a completely ‘still water’ canal
passing close to Moira, through Aghalee and on to Lough Neagh.

Work to the first section began in 1756 and was under the direction of the engineer Thomas Omer.
In 1779 a private company, the ‘Company of Undertakers of the Lagan Navigation’ was established and in 1782 English engineer Richard Owen was employed to direct construction of the second section.

In the second section the navigation was carried up through four locks (Union Locks) (DOW 009:500) to a summit
level which extended for eleven miles to Aghalee. This summit level canal crossed the River Lagan near
Spencer’s bridge via an aqueduct which was built between 1782 -1785 (demolished in 20th century during the construction of the M1 motorway).

The union locks are the only flight of 4 locks in Ireland, they carried the canal 26 feet over 100 yards. There was a basin in the middle two locks. The longstanding lock keeper here was James Ritchie.This is reported to have been a popular area for local people, and many children used to jump onboard the passing lighters here and get a lift as far as Lisburn and Hilden.

In 1843, control of the Lagan navigation and canal passed from the Company of Undertakers to the Lagan Navigation Company. Of all the waterway enterprises in the north of Ireland, it was the most commercially successful, particularly on the Belfast-Lisburn section where a number of large mills were served.

The Lisburn – Lough Neagh section of the waterway continued to operate until 1947. The Lagan Navigation Company was dissolved in 1954 and its assets transferred to the Ministry of Commerce. In the same year, the canal and Union Locks were officially abandoned. Four years later, in 1958, the navigation between Belfast and Lisburn was also abandoned and a central section of canal along its route, extending approximately 12.5 km between sprucefield and Moira was lost when the M1 motorway was constructed in the 1960's.

References - Primary sources:

1. PRONI OS/6/3/14/1. First edition OS Map (1833).
2. PRONI OS/6/3/14/2. Second edition OS Map (1857).
3. PRONI OS/6/3/14/3. Third edition OS Map (c1900).

References – Secondary sources:
1. Green, E.R.R. The Industrial Archaeology of Co Down, pp 70-75 (Belfast: HMSO, 1963).
2. McCutcheon, W.A. The Canals of the North of Ireland, pp 40-61 (Newton Abbot: David & Charles, 1965).
3. Delany, R. Ireland’s Inland Waterways (Belfast: Appletree Press, 1986).
4. McCutcheon, W.A. The Industrial Archaeology of Northern Ireland (Belfast: HMSO, 1980).
5. Blair, M. Once Upon the Lagan (Belfast: Blackstaff Press, 1981).
6. Lagan Canal Trust - History of the Lagan Canal (available at www.lagancanaltrust.com)
7. Lagan Canal Trust - Locks on the Lagan Canal (available at www.lagancanaltrust.com)

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

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

Criteria for listing: historic interest

R. Age
S. Authenticity
T. Historic Importance
X. Local Interest
V. Authorship
Z. Rarity

Evaluation

Navigation House is a detached three-bay two-storey polychromatic brick house, built c. 1866 for the Canal Manager of The Lagan Navigation Company. A well proportioned Victorian villa with its original ornate door surround, the building retains most of its original external features and its interior. Occupied by successive superintendent/managers of the canal, the last of whom was in post from 1928-1954, it is the only canal manager's house on the waterway and a well preserved remnant of a period when the Lagan Navigation was probably the most commercially successful of all the waterway enterprises in Ulster. Set in its original secluded, landscaped site with enclosed yard and outbuildings it has group value with the Lock Keeper's house (HB19/08/005) and Union Lock canal structures (DOW 009:500) directly adjacent.

General comments

Building Preservation Notice Served on this property on 20th June 2012.