Clover House

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

Formal three-bay two-storey detached house of c.1848, Victorian in date but late Georgian in style, renovated in 2022 with the loss of the original window frames and modernisation of the interior.

The house set on rise to the north of Belfast Road on the western outskirts of Carrickfergus with a forecourt, curving drive and lawns in front all bounded by a low rendered with various square and octagonal piers with pitched caps. To the rear is an enclosed yard (with the converted outbuilding to east side), beyond which is the rear garden.

The building is rectangular on plan, facing south with small pitched roof single-storey additions to rear. That to east appears to link into the two-storey former outbuilding, which itself seems to have been converted in additional living space.

The walls are rendered and painted with in-out quoins and a first floor sill course to front. Pitched natural slate roof (renewed in 2022), roll-top red clay ridge tiles, rendered chimneystacks with moulded caps at gables and terracotta chimneypots. Windows are all replacement uPVC, rendered sills.

Principal (south) elevation is symmetrical. First floor has a single diminished window to each bay, ground floor has a single window with slightly projecting moulded reveals to each end bay flanking entrance. Recessed elliptical arched entrance with moulded surround; painted timber door with pilaster jambs, sidelights (lengthened during 2022 renovation) and outer jambs; sunburst fanlight over.

West gable has single off-centre diminished window at first floor.

Rear (north) elevation is abutted by a lean-to outshot to centre and extension to left (east); exposed section has variety of windows, right (west) end is abutted by the yard wall.

East gable is blank.

Historical information

The present house appears for the first time on the OS map of 1857. The exact date of construction is not known, but details recited in later conveyances suggest it may have been built around 1848, probably by James Graham, the then proprietor of ‘Carrickfergus Omnibuses’, on land he had leased from the Blayney estate. The property was one of the first ‘suburban’ villas to be built along the north side of Belfast Road, in what was then the semi-rural western outskirts of Carrickfergus.

The house, which may have been originally unnamed, but which was known as ‘Clover Hill’ by at least early 1863*, is recorded in the second valuation of 1860 as a ‘bathing lodge’. Several years prior to this (around 1857) the lease had passed to William James Gywnn, a solicitor, who rented it to Capt. Robert Rowan. Capt. Rowan, (formerly the ‘Barrackmaster’ at Belfast and subsequently at York), died in early 1863 and according to the valuations the tenancy passed to his wife, Henrietta. Around 1865 it was let to Robert Johnston, followed by Alexander Moore in c.1872 and Peter S. Brown c.1875, during whose tenure (in December 1877) the building was damaged by ‘a fire of considerable magnitude’. This incident may have marked the end of the Brown family’s stay, for during the following year, (or at least by early 1879), it had become the home of Rev. James Meighan, Curate of St Nicholas’s. Rev. Meighan died at the beginning of 1885 and Clover Hill was sold outright to Alexander Rodgers.

In c.1901 the house was offered for auction, the sale notice describing it as containing ‘3 reception rooms, 4 bedrooms, servants’ rooms, kitchen, scullery and pantry’ with an attached ‘byre for two cows, coal house, fowl house….large yard at rere…[and] a neat greenhouse.’ It was acquired by Jeremiah McCavanagh, but Alexander Rodgers retained a portion of the original garden plot on which he built a new house (either present no.39 or 43 Belfast Rd) the following year; somewhat confusingly the new property initially seems to have taken on the name ‘Clover Hill House’. Clover hill itself was leased in 1905 to Robert B. Forbes, a surveyor and civil engineer. He died in late 1909 after which the lease appears to have passed to his son Robert E. Forbes (a surveyor who also played Rugby for Ireland), who c.1910-11 divided what remained of the garden in order to construct another new residence for himself, (either the current no.39 or 43 Belfast Rd.) The valuation records indicate that he also refurbished Clover Hill at this time, which was subsequently occupied by Florence Forbes (presumably his widowed mother.)

The next tenant (in 1919) was William J.B. Wilson, who appears to have remained into the early 1930s. Several years beforehand, in 1927, the property, a ‘desirable detached villa…beautifully situated overlooking Belfast Lough’ with ‘good sized lawn in front vegetable garden at rear…3 reception, 4 bedrooms, bathroom, cloakroom, scullery, pantry etc.’ was advertised for sale at £1,000. It is not known if it sold at this time, but by 1935 it had been acquired - or passed to - Joseph Savage, a local headmaster and J.P., who also became the owner occupier of neighbouring no.43 (by now named ‘Ardnaveigh’). Clover Hill itself was leased by Mr. Savage to Matthew and Margaret Gillespie, the latter seemingly running a catering business from the premises in the late 1940s / early 1950s. Their son, also Matthew, appears to have inherited the lease in 1956.

The house was advertised for sale in May 1972 and was later (c.1990s to early 2000s) occupied by Mr. John McDowell. The property appears to have served as a bed & breakfast in the later 2000s and possibly into the 2010s. It was up for sale ‘as a renovation project’ in 2019 and in 2022 underwent a comprehensive refurbishment which, amongst other changes, witnessed the loss of the original window frames and complete internal refurbishment. It was put up for sale again in 2023.

References – primary sources
1 OS map, six inch county series, Antrim sheet 52 – 1857, 1901-02 [*The house in marked as ‘Clover Hill’ on what seems to be a post-c.1864 revision 1857 map, but is not captioned on what appears to be the original version.]
2 PRONI VAL2B/1/22E Second valuation, Carrickfergus – 1860
3 PRONI Val12B/7/5A-E Annual valuation revision books, Carrickfergus ED – 1861-94
4 ‘Northern Whig’ – 9 January 1863, p.4 [Death notice for Robert Rowan]; 21 May 1879, p.4; 29 November 1904, p.1
5 ‘Belfast Weekly News’ – 10 January 1863, p.4; 3 January 1885, p.7; 18 February 1893, p.3
6 ‘Belfast Telegraph’ – 16 October 1871, p.2; 15 February 1901, p.1; 10 May 1972, p.18
7 Registry of deeds Transcripts of memorials of deeds, conveyances and wills (Ireland) 1874, vol.23, no.249 Gwynn to Warwick – 17 June 1874
8 ‘Belfast News-Letter’ – 8 December 1877, p.3; 21 April 1927, p.12; 11 December 1991, p.6; 19 February 2003, p.10
9 OS town plan of Carrickfergus - 1884
10 ‘Carrickfergus Advertiser’ – 22 January 1886, p.1; 5 February 1886, p.1
11 PRONI VAL12B/7/6A-C Annual valuation revision books, Carrickfergus Rural ED – 1894-1923
12 ‘Ballymena Weekly Telegraph’ – 16 October 1909, p.11
13 PRONI VAL12B/7/16A Annual valuation revision book, Middle Division ED – 1923-30
14 ‘Larne Times’ – 8 January 1916, p.2; 5 September 1946, p.9; 4 December 1947, p.1; 26 October 1950, p.1; 16 February 1956, p.6
15 PRONI VAL/3C/1/20 Annual valuation revision book, Middle Division ED / West Ward – 1936-56
16 ‘Carrick Times and East Antrim Times’ – 6 March 2003, p.16
17 Information form estate agent’s websites – 2019, 2023 [https://www.facebook.com/ReedsRainsNI/posts/renovation-project-%EF%B8%8F%EF%B8%8F-41-belfast-road-carrickfergus%EF%B8%8F-detached-property-on-an-ele/2485289668148252/ - accessed 4 December 2025
https://www.facebook.com/DohertyYeaPartnership/videos/41-belfast-road/554951512849335/ - accessed 4 December 2025]

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

Not listed

Criteria for listing: historic interest

Not listed

Evaluation

Formal three-bay two-storey detached house of c.1848, Victorian in date but late Georgian in style, comprehensively refurbished in 2022 with the loss of all of the original window frames and virtually all internal detailing. Due to the extensive changes the building does not meet the test for listing.