Summer House

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

A small early 20th century timber framed summer house located adjacent to the southwest corner of a two-storey Victorian house at 38 Magheralave Road; approximately 1 mile north of Friends’ School Lisburn.

Hipped corrugated-tin roof with cast-iron cyma-recta moulded guttering, with circular down pipes; diminutive timber fascia boards and soffits. Timber framed walling on a concrete base; diagonal sheeted timber panels with moulded beads. Single-glazed timber framed casement windows with fixed clere-storey lights comprising panes of coloured and colourless rolled glass. Timber front door with bi-partite upper glazed panel; paired diagonal sheeted panels with moulded surrounds fixed to the face of the solid lower portion.

The principal elevation faces north and is symmetrically arranged. The front door is centrally located flanked by bi-partite fixed windows over diagonally sheeted timber aprons. A row of 12 individual fixed lights located under the soffit; alternating between coloured and colourless rolled glass.

The east elevation is symmetrically arranged; triplet bi-partite windows over diagonally sheeted timber aprons. A row of 10 individual fixed lights located under the soffit; alternating between coloured and colourless rolled glass. Ventilation grille located centrally on the ground cill.

The rear elevation is blank; vertically sheeted timber tongue-and-groove.

The west elevation matches the east.

Setting:

The summer house sits within the context of the gardens of an adjacent two-storey Victorian villa to the north. It is accessed directly off the tarmac driveway, which serves the house. To the rear of the summer house is a boundary hedgerow shared with the adjacent dwelling; a well maintained lawn to the west.

Roofing: Corrugated tin
Walling: Timber frame
Windows: Timber casement
RWG: Cast-iron

Historical information

The summer house is not of sufficient size to be shown on any 6 inch historic map editions. However, the main house with which it is associated is present on the third edition of c1900.

References:

Primary Sources

1. PRONI OS/6/1/68/3 – Third Edition OS Map c1900
2. PRONI OS/6/1/68/4 – Fourth Edition OS Map 1921
3. PRONI OS/6/1/68/5 – Fifth Edition OS Map 1939

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

X. Local Interest
Z. Rarity

Evaluation

A small early 20th century timber framed summer house. Externally and internally the character and style is unaltered with much of the historic fabric and detailing retained. Although in need of some minor repairs, the summer house is a good example of a relatively rare garden feature. It has group with the summer house at Clonevin Park, Lisburn (HB19/15/015), nearby and is of local interest.

General comments

This record was completed without access to the primary source material held by PRONI
Criteria R- Age, S - Authenticity & T - Historic Importance also apply.