Hilden House Brewery

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

Range of multi-bay two-storey rendered rubble outbuildings, built c.1825 as part of Hilden House (HB19/17/014A), laid out on a U-plan enclosing yard to west, north and east with further double-height redbrick range attached to rear of west range, built c.1910. North and east ranges now in use as brewery with west range and redbrick range in separate ownership.

Hipped natural slate roofs with black clay ridge tiles and rolled leaded hips. Overhanging eaves with exposed rafter feet and plastic rainwater goods. Painted render walling. Square-headed door and window openings with timber sash windows, some timber sills.

West Range: In separate ownership.
Multi-bay two-storey painted rubble outbuilding with timber lintels and sills, some vertically-sheeted timber and glazed doors to first floor loading bays. Abutting rear elevation is a redbrick range consisting of a double-height Edwardian garage building with double-pile half-hipped natural slate roofs with glazing and central gable having faux timber framework. Full-height iron roller shutter doors and single pair of vertically-sheeted timber doors to the front, blank redbrick walls to the rear and west fronting onto the garden of Hilden House.

North Range:
Ten-bay two-storey rendered north range in use as brewery, possibly built c.1850. Natural slate roof, hipped to east, gabled to west with central wall-head dormer to loading bay having decorative timber barge-board and finial and a clock above the vertically-sheeted door. Original 8/8 timber sash windows with timber sills to front and rear elevations. Sliding timber door on iron roller system with timber fascia above stating ‘HILDEN BREWERY’.

East Range:
Eight-bay two-storey rendered former outbuilding to the east, attached to the north range, now in use as a restaurant and bar. Painted rendered walling with square-headed door openings having 6/6 timber sash windows with exposed sash boxes and concrete sills to both elevations. Vertically-sheeted timber doors, that to the first floor loading bay is original with cantilevered modern timber balconette.

Yard paved in bitmac with cobbles to the east and west along each range. New timber platform to the east range for use as outdoor dining. Yard access via drive to the south of Hilden House and also to the northwest of yard between north and west ranges opening onto Mill Street via steel gates and curved tall redbrick walls.

Roof Natural slate
RWG Plastic/metal
Walling Lime rendered/Red brick to garage
Windows Original timber sash

Historical information

Hilden House dates from 1824, however, it replaced an earlier house on the plot built by the Delacherois family and it is possible that the earlier outbuildings to the south of the site may date from this period. The building to the north of the site is of a later date, c.1850.
John Barbour arrived in Ireland in the late eighteenth century, from Scotland, and established a thread factory at the Plantation. In 1824 his son William bought the former bleach green at Hilden and built a thread factory. According to Rankin, this premises formerly belonged to the Delacherois family, Huguenots who had fled religious persecution in France in the 1680s and who assisted in the development of the linen industry in the Lisburn area. The home that the Delacherois had built was falling into decay and William Barbour set about building a new house next to his prospering business concern. He took up residence in 1824 with his wife Eliza Kennedy and they brought up their large family in the house. (Rankin, p.47-8)

The house and two of the present outbuildings are shown, uncaptioned, on the first edition OS map of 1833. The OS Memoirs of the same period comment that, “The house is a very commodious, square building, 2 storeys high and slated. The yards are well enclosed, the offices extensive, all slated and chiefly 2 storeys high.” (OS Memoirs, p.138)

The outbuildings are listed in the Townland Valuation (1828-40) as a wareroom, wareroom and workshop, store and workshop, offices, byre, storehouse and workshop and a porter’s lodge. A garden house and piggery are also listed but no dimensions given. Some of the windows still present in the older buildings are of a large size consistent with these buildings having been used as warerooms. The property is occupied by William Barbour Esq and valued at £42.4s. The nearby thread mill is also his property.
On the second edition (1857) the house is captioned ‘Hillden’ and we learn from Griffith’s Valuation (1856-64) that the property is leased from the Marquis of Hertford. The house and outbuildings are now valued at £65. Dimensions are given for four outbuildings and a lodge and three of these seem to have similar dimensions to outbuildings noted in the Townland Valuation. The map evidence appears to indicate that the outbuilding to the north of the site has been replaced by this time with another, longer building.

By 1875 the house and outbuildings have passed to John Dougherty Barbour who had taken over the firm and his two brothers Robert and Thomas. The lessor was now Sir Richard Wallace. A plan of the house and outbuildings is shown in the valuation town plan dating from 1907-c1935. The plan indicates steps in front of each outbuilding, which would have led up to the loft space.

According to Rankin, Hilden House was then occupied by the Barbours’ sister Maria Pirrie and her subsequently her sons Malcolm and William Gordon who were both involved in the Barbour company. The house has now passed out of the Barbour family and is privately occupied. The outbuildings have been converted into the Hilden Brewery. The Edwardian addition to the West range of the outbuildings, formerly in use by the Barbour Company as a garage for automobiles, is in use as a car valeting business.

References:

Primary Sources

1. PRONI OS/6/1/64/1 – First Edition OS Map 1832-3
2. PRONI OS/6/1/64/2 – Second Edition OS map 1858
3. PRONI OS/6/1/64/3 – Third Edition OS Map 1901
4. PRONI OS/6/1/64/4 – Fourth Edition OS Map 1920-1
5. PRONI OS/6/1/64/5 – Fifth Edition OS Map 1920-31
6. PRONI OS/6/1/64/6 – Sixth Edition OS Map 1920-39
7. PRONI VAL/1/B/172 – Townland Valuation (1828-40)
8. PRONI VAL/2/B/1/59 – Griffith’s Valuation (1856-64)
9. PRONI VAL/12/B/8/7A-D – Annual Revisions (1867-1929)
10. PRONI VAL/12/E/38/1– Annual Revisions Town Plan (1907-c1935)
11. Day, A. and P. McWilliams, eds. “Ordnance Survey Memoirs of Ireland, Volume 8, Parishes of County Antrim II, 1832-8” Belfast: Institute of Irish Studies, 1991

Secondary Sources

1. Rankin, K “The Linen Houses of the Lagan Valley, The story of their families” Belfast, Ulster Historical Foundation, 2002

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

A. Style
B. Proportion
C. Ornamentation
D. Plan Form
J. Setting
K. Group value

Criteria for listing: historic interest

X. Local Interest
V. Authorship

Evaluation

A multi-bay two-storey range of outbuildings laid out on a U-plan, built c.1825 as part of Hilden House(HB19/17/14A). This group formerly serving as outbuildings for the prominent industrialists, the Barbour family, now accommodates a thriving micro-brewery. Retaining its external appearance including many attractive multi-pane timber sash windows and natural slate roofs arranged around a large yard, the buildings also reflect the evolution of the site through the 20th century, with the survival of the Edwardian garage building connected to the west range. The buildings have group value with the adjacent Barbour Mill buildings, (HB19/17/013) and contribute significantly to the setting of Hilden House and the heritage of Hilden.