Voluntary Service Lisburn

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

Detached gable-fronted single-bay two-storey redbrick former factory, built c.1910. Rectangular on plan facing south and set within its own grounds to the rear of the terrace of buildings lining the north side of Bachelor's Walk.

Pitched artificial slate roof set behind raised gables to front section of building with concrete coping to rear gable and moulded concrete coping to curvilinear front gable. Plastic rainwater goods. The rear section has a twin barrel roof covered in felt with raised perspex rooflights, timber fascia and plastic rainwater goods.

Machine-made redbrick walls to front section laid in English garden wall bond and corner piers to either end of front gable surmounted by concrete capstones and ball finials. Ruled and lined cement rendered walling to the rear section.

Square-headed window openings with concrete sills, stop-chamfered concrete lintels and uPVC windows.

Gable-fronted two-storey front elevation is four windows wide with a central oculus to the attic level having a concrete surround and steel window. Off-centre square-headed door opening with concrete lintel and uPVC glazed doors.

West side elevation is three windows wide to the front red-brick section and eight windows wide to the rear rendered section. The rear section has timber casement windows and concrete sills.

Rear elevation is four windows wide with a segmental elevation to the east three windows and a further smaller segmental elevation to the west bay. Abutting the rear elevation is an external flight of concrete steps.

The east elevation to the rear section is eight windows wide and abutted by a single-storey lean-to with sheeted iron roof with a further external flight of concrete steps. The front red-brick section is three windows wide.

Setting:
Set within a concrete paved yard behind a terrace of buildings lining the north side of Bachelor's Walk.

Roof Artificial slate
RWG Plastic
Walling Redbrick
Windows UPVC

Historical information

A building on the site is first shown on the third edition OS map of c1900, captioned ‘Saw Mill’. However, Valuation Revisions indicate that the premises was remodelled in around 1908 and, field inspection suggests, largely rebuilt.

The building first enters valuation records in 1870 as a saw mill and yard occupied by Robert Waterhouse and on a site leased from Sir Richard Wallace. The valuation is £30. Robert Waterhouse appears to have built the saw mill to the rear of his own residence in Bachelor’s Walk (now gone). His will of 6th October 1893 alludes to his residence in Bachelor’s Walk but does not mention the saw mill. Waterhouse owned property elsewhere in Lisburn and in Belfast and describes himself as a ‘gentleman’. (Annual Revisions; Will of Robert Waterhouse)

The saw mill passed into the ownership of the McNally family in 1896, Thomas G McNally, timber merchant, becoming the owner in fee in 1900. (1911 census; Annual Revisions) In 1908 improvements or additions were made which brought the value up to £40, later reduced to £35. Visual inspection confirms that the building was comprehensively remodelled at this date and it is not clear how much, if any, of the previous structure was retained.

In 1917 the usage of the premises changed to ‘stitching factory’ and the valuation was again raised to £38. A chimney was present on the site but has been demolished in recent years.

References:

Primary Sources

1. PRONI OS/6/1/68/1 – First Edition OS Map 1833
2. PRONI OS/6/1/68/2 – Second Edition OS map 1857
3. PRONI OS/6/1/68/3 – Third Edition OS Map c1900
4. PRONI OS/6/1/68/4 – Fourth Edition OS Map 1921
5. PRONI OS/6/1/68/5 – Fifth Edition OS Map 1939
6. PRONI VAL/12/B/8/9A-T – Annual Revisions (1863-1924)
7. PRONI Will of Robert Waterhouse, died 6th October 1893
8. 1911 census online

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

Not listed

Criteria for listing: historic interest

Not listed

Evaluation

Detached gable-fronted single-bay two-storey redbrick former factory, built c.1910. While the external fabric of this former factory has been much altered and of little significance, there are interesting timber Belfast trusses and roof structure to the rear section. Although of interest it is not considered one of the best examples of its type and does not meet the criteria for listing.