20 Abbeydene Manor

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

Detached three-bay two-storey Italianate house, built c.1850, located to west of Shore Road, overlooking Belfast Lough to east. Rectangular on plan, facing east, with porch.

Roof is hipped artificial slate; sandstone chimneystacks to ridge with chamfered bases and overhanging caps. Walling has random-cut sandstone ashlar with straight-channel jointed quoins over a projecting plinth, and is detailed with a modillioned cornice, a moulded stringcourse between first and ground floor and sill courses, unless otherwise stated.

Windows are square-headed with moulded architraves surmounted by entablatures, projecting plinths, and aprons with recessed central panels.

East elevation is centrally abutted by porch. Exposed elevation has a first floor central tripartite window with a segmental pediment on consol brackets to tripartite centre window. Porch has Roman Doric in antis distyle portico with full Doric entablature, straight channelled quoins, and balustraded parapet to flat roof. Portico is enclosed by plate glass framed and supported on painted timber plinths with nailhead panels, centre has square-headed glazed and varnished timber double-leaf door with single raised and fielded panel, flanked by painted cast-iron barley-twisted Composite colonnettes and surmounted by overlight, accessed by three steps. Porch cheeks are identical and each has a central round-headed painted timber four-light casement with moulded architraves, imposts, and keystone.

South elevation detailed as principal elevation but has block-marked rendered walling with rendered stringcourses. Left end has one window to each end, first floor centre has round-headed replacement timber casements. Ground floor centre has replacement varnished timber door with sidelights, detailed similar to principal elevation.

West (rear) elevation is two bays, each bay is two windows wide. Ground floor bays each abutted by bow bay of three windows with balustraded parapet to flat roof. Bow bay windows are bowed 1/1 sashes with keystone to architraves.

North elevation left half is two windows wide and the right half slightly projects and ground floor abutted by Doric pro-style portico with balcony roof. Portico has four columns protruding from four pilasters flanking three round-headed windows with keystones.

Setting

Set on east shore of Belfast Lough on grounds with mature sequoia and other trees scattered throughout, now developed with modern similarly designed housing, located west off Shore Road.

Roof: artificial slate
Walling: Sandstone ashlar
Windows: 2/2 sashes with horns
Rainwater goods: cast metal

Historical information

The building is first shown on the second edition OS map of 1857, Griffiths Valuation of 1859, records the property as a ‘house, offices and land’ called ‘Lismara’. The occupier is John Finlay, and it is valued at £170.0s.0d.

According to the current owner, the name was changed to Abbeydene House when it acted as Eisenhower’s Co. Antrim HQ during the war. General Eisenhower visited the house in 1945, which was then owned by Belfast Mayor McCullough, after having been awarded the Civic Award at Belfast City Hall earlier that day. Brett states that it was renamed Abbeydene by the Mayor's son after his father's death in 1948 (p 110).

The house was reconstructed by Frazer Homes c.1993, replacing all plasterwork and the majority of the sash windows in the house, at the time the house was owned by Moore Homes, and used as administration block for surrounding residential care home. The house was opened by the current owner in 2007 as a Bed and Breakfast

References:

Primary Sources

1. PRONI OS/6/1/57/1 -First Edition OS Map (1833)
1. PRONI OS/6/1/57/2 -Second Edition OS Map (1857)
2. PRONI VAL/2/A/1/57 -Griffith's Valuation Map (1859)
3. PRONI VAL/2/B/1/13A -Griffith's Valuation (1859)

Secondary Sources

1. Brett, C.E.B. (1996) 'Buildings of County Antrim'. Ulster Architectural Heritage Society. Belfast.
2. Information from current owner, 2008.

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

Evaluation

This mid-Victorian detached three-bay two-storey Italianate house has been sympathetically restored in recent years to reflect the original grandeur of the façade, enhanced by the classically designed porch and entablature. The house originally had an impressive location with views to Belfast Lough although this has been marred by recent housing development to the immediate east of the building. It is a good example of the type and retains its character and historic interest, despite the degradation of its setting

General comments

There is a Tree Preservation Order on the Sequoia Trees in the immediate context of the house.