Belfast Bible College

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

Glenburn House is a two-storey, five-bay, Georgian country house built c.1745, primarily L-shaped plan form with extensive rear returns and additions. It is located off the Glenburn Road, off Upper Dunmurry Lane, north of the Dunmurry Water Treatment plant and east of the M1 motorway.

A hipped slate roof with clay ridge tiles, with two wide chimneystacks located on the left hand side, towards the rear, with four and five tall pots over each. Other smaller chimneystacks located over historic extensions to the rear. Overhanging eaves with timber sheeted soffits with paired timber eaves brackets. Ogee moulded cast iron gutters with circular downpipes, throughout. The walling is ruled-and-lined smooth render painted cream with a plinth painted black. Some random rubble buildings to the rear. Georgian timber 6/6 sliding sash windows, with no horns, to ground floor with diminished 6/3 sliding sash to the first floor. Six-panelled timber door flanked by glazed side lights and looped fanlight over set within large, half circle arched opening with portico.

The principal elevation is south-facing and is symmetrically arranged. The centrally located portico has paired Ionic columns with single pilasters to the rear rising to an entablature. Two windows located to either side of the front entrance with five windows at first floor, directly over ground floor openings. Simple moulded surrounds to arched opening, with matching archivolt. No moulded surrounds to windows.

The west-facing elevation has a single-storey canted bay located on the right hand side, with full length window openings and glazed double doors to the front; panelled pilaster surrounds rising to an entablature, smaller in scale to that of the portico. A large hipped roof, double-bay two storey projection is located off-centre to the left with two large 6/6 Georgian sliding sash windows; moulded architraves, to ground and first floor with single matching windows located to either side. A subservient slated pitched roof, two-storey return extending northwards with large window openings to ground and first floor and a service access door located on the right hand side. A further, even smaller, gable ended two-storey return extending northwards, projecting from initial return. A single storey corrugated metal lean-to extension project westwards from the far left hand side of the elevation, of newer construction.

The north-facing rear elevation is a composition of a multitude of single and two-storey hipped and gable ended returns and extensions, all historic and of interest. The rear yard is enclosed in part by the returns and by a perimeter wall running along the north side of the site. Two ancillary outbuildings are accessed from the rear yard on the east side.

The east-facing elevation is two bays deep with a single-storey, three-bay deep, hipped return, extending northwards. Matching windows with architraves to the two-storey section with a large side entrance door to the right hand side with a rectangular fixed light over. The windows to the return are of newer construction, displaying a variation of top hung casements. A further, narrow door is located on the right hand side giving access to services/plant. Further smaller single storey random rubble extensions forming the rear of the outbuildings, projecting northwards.

Glenburn House is set within large secluded grounds. There is a large tarmac car parking area located at the front of the house with some modest single and two storey accommodation buildings located to the east and west. A single-storey timber-clad canteen building is located adjacent to the east elevation and a large oval shaped modern building located towards to the southwest of the site. The surrounding buildings are all of a sympathetic nature. There are large lawns located to the east and far south beyond the car park and the site with mature trees and well keep vegetation.

Roofin Slate
Walling Ruled and lined smooth render
Windows Georgian Sliding Sash
RWG Cast iron

Historical information

The OS Memoirs 1832-38 date this building to c.1745, when Glenburn Demesne, including the house and bleach green was established by John Wolfenden Esq. The property was subsequently occupied by a Mr Hogg then a Mr Darby. Following initial enlargement of the building by Darby, it is then said to have gone under further enlargement and improvement by Edward Curtis in c.1811. By 1835 Major Crossley JP had taken up the current tenancy. (OS Memoirs)

The house appears on the first edition of the OS maps from 1833, but would appear to be quite different in plan form with many more projecting bays. The OS map from 1858 begins to illustrate the building, closer to what is still present today.

By the early 1850s the house was occupied by James McConnell of McConnell and Kennedy Flax and Tow Spinners. (Rankin p. 172-173)

It appears that the house came up for sale when it appeared in an auction brochure in 1861 which described Glenburn mansion and demesne “as being suitable in every respect for a gentlemans country seat, having a demesne of 75 acres and a tastefully laid out garden which was well stocked with fruit trees. On the south side of the house was a water damn which had been ornamented by the planting of shrubs and nearby a tea house surrounded by a garden.” (Rankin p. 172-173)

The Annual Valuation Revisions 1862-65 record the owner as the Liverpool Borough Bank with Issac J Murphy of John Murphy and Co flax spinners taking up residence. In 1870, the house again underwent thorough repair and improvement, increasing its valuation from £62 to £77 However by 1884 the house was vacant and found itself falling into disrepair again. Following a purchase by the Northern Banking Company and a short stay by Major General Clarke from 1889, George Richardson took up residence in 1893. (Annual Revisions).

In 1983 the Belfast Bible College moved to the house and has since occupied the premises with the house continuing to function as the administrative part of the campus.

References – Primary sources

1. PRONI VAL/12B/8/15A - F – Annual Revisions 1862-33
2. PRONI OS/6/1/64/1 – OS Map 1833
3. PRONI OS/6/1/64/2b – OS Map 1859
4. 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

References – Secondary sources

5. 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
I. Quality and survival of Interior

Criteria for listing: historic interest

X. Local Interest
V. Authorship

Evaluation

Glenburn house is a large two-storey five-bay Georgian country house, built c.1745, that has retained much of its original character. As a dwelling it has undergone several phases of historic development, alteration and adaption to suit the needs of the owners. Externally it sits well within its landscape. The newer surrounding buildings have been added sympathetically and do not overly detract from the setting. Internally the building retains a lot of its original features, particularly the plaster and joinery work. This building is an elegant example of a former ‘country seat’ that is exemplified by its style and proportion and relatively unaltered internal layout. Locally this building is associated with the linen industry, prominent within the local area.