Brookhill Demesne Walled Garden, 88A Ballinderry Road, Ballyellough, Lisburn, County Antrim, BT28 2QX

Brookhill Demesne Walled Garden is a historic walled garden and associated gates forming part of the wider Brookhill Demesne, located on the north side of the Ballinderry Road approximately 2.5 miles south-east of Upper Ballinderry. The main house of the demesne has been demolished, but this walled garden survives as part of a group of historic structures — including outbuildings and a tower — most of which date from between 1830 and 1870, though some elements may have origins as early as the early 17th century. The structures are of significant historic interest as a collective record of the development of Brookhill Demesne over a period of three centuries.

HISTORICAL BACKGROUND

The site has an exceptionally long history. According to the Ordnance Survey Memoirs of 1837, an earlier fortified dwelling was constructed here during the Plantation of Ulster. W. S. Corken records that this stone bawn was built in 1611 by Sir Foulke Conway, although an even earlier residence on the site had been occupied by the Elizabethan colonel Sir Francis Brook, after whom Brookhill takes its name. In 1631, George Rawdon came into possession of the property. During the 1641 Rebellion, Brookhill was seized by the leader of the rebellion, Sir Phelim O'Neill, who later set fire to the property whilst retreating from his defeat at Lisburn. Brookhill House was subsequently rebuilt between 1641 and 1649.

The Ordnance Survey Memoirs describe the remains of this 17th-century castle as being situated opposite the then-current house, forming part of the garden wall: "at present there remains in the garden wall several yards in length of the old parapet wall that surrounded the castle which is still called the Castle Wall." The Memoirs describe this surviving wall section as "built of stone and lime and [standing] 7 and a half feet high and 2 and a half feet thick." The current north-west garden wall is the earliest section of the walled garden and may represent this very castle wall, being the only section that corresponds to this description.

The rebuilt Jacobethan-style house was later occupied by a Mr James Watson around 1740, at which time the dwelling was enlarged or modified. The Brookhill estate was let by the Marquis of Hertford to the Watson family; an 1806 letter from Hertford's agent to the Marquis noted that the lease "had turned out very beneficial to that family" and that Watson "had laid out considerable sums in improving Brookhill house and gardens." The agent urged Hertford to reassume the estate for his own Irish residence, though Hertford did not repossess it, and the Watson family continued to occupy Brookhill House until around 1870. The Watson family — James Watson and later his son John Watson, who resided at Brookhill until 1856 — were responsible for enclosing and developing the pleasure garden. The first edition Ordnance Survey map of 1832 clearly shows the area already enclosed, with the earliest gate (Gate 05, giving access from the house to the gardens through the north-west wall) and a small gardener's cottage already in place. The second edition Ordnance Survey map of 1857 shows the garden extensively landscaped with an additional gateway added to the south-east wall (Gate 06), and records a gate lodge at the south entrance to the estate — later replaced around 1870 by the current surviving gate lodge — as well as a second gate lodge at the south-east corner of the garden walls that had been taken down by the third edition of the Ordnance Survey in 1900. According to Dean, this second gate lodge "was not of long standing" and was removed when William Lyons took possession around 1870.

Around 1870, possession of the estate passed to Mr William T. B. Lyons. The south-west section of the garden wall was possibly rebuilt at this time as part of works carried out by Lyons. Further additions attributed to this period include a new gateway at the western entrance to the estate (Gate 03) and an additional opening in the north-west wall (Gate 04). The Annual Revisions record that when Lyons took over the estate it was valued at £150, though this was reduced to £120 in 1886 following complaints that the valuation was too high despite the recent improvements to the estate walls.

The enclosed area continued in use as a pleasure garden until the mid-to-late 20th century, when a private dwelling was constructed within the garden walls and an additional entrance (Gate 01) was created. The 1971 Ordnance Survey map shows this dwelling in the south-east half of the gardens. A second dwelling was subsequently built in the north-west half, with a further gateway added (Gate 02). By 1994, Brookhill House had been abandoned and had fallen into a state of dilapidation; it has since been mostly demolished, though a number of surrounding historic structures survive. A 20th-century replacement dwelling now occupies the site of the earlier house.

THE WALLED GARDEN

The walled garden is now divided between separate ownerships and encloses two modern dwellings accessed from the road running parallel to the site.

South-west wall: Constructed of basalt stone built to courses with a concrete coping, this wall possibly replaces an earlier wall and dates from around 1870. It contains two 20th-century openings — Gate 01 and Gate 02 — providing access to the two modern dwellings erected within the former garden. Gate 02 and its associated walling are in separate ownership.

South-east wall: Predominantly of coursed basalt. Gate 06, located to the left of this wall, dates from around 1850 and features a red brick pointed arch with basalt spandrels and iron gates. The far right section of this wall has been modified and was formerly the location of a gate lodge.

North-east wall: The right half is of partially coursed basalt; the left half is of basalt rubble with intermediate brick courses and upper brick arches. This wall is subdivided between separate ownerships. Gate 05, in separate ownership, is the earliest gate to the walled gardens and takes the form of a simple brick-arched opening with a replacement door.

At the south-east corner, the south elevation of a small one-and-a-half-storey lean-to gardener's cottage, which predates 1830, is incorporated into the face of the walled garden. This elevation consists of a brick facade with a rubble upper section, a central door, and two first-floor openings. The other elevations of the cottage, on the north side of the wall and in separate ownership, are of rubble masonry with brick surrounds; the north-east elevation has a central door flanked by window openings, with blank side elevations.

North-west wall: In separate ownership, this appears to be the earliest section of the entire walled garden, possibly dating back to an earlier dwelling of around 1610, and may correspond to the castle wall described in the Ordnance Survey Memoirs. It is constructed of field stone with upper brick courses likely added at a later date. Gate 04 at the centre of this wall was added around 1870 and features a compound pointed arch in brick with basalt spandrels.

WIDER DEMESNE STRUCTURES

Beyond the walled garden, the former demesne retains a number of further historic structures, the majority of which are in separate ownership. The most prominent of these is a tower dating from around 1850, which abuts the south-east gable of a two-storey outbuilding. An illustration of Brookhill House of unknown date shows the tower was originally covered by a cupola, which has since been lost; the same illustration shows that a similar ornate domed tower adorned the roof of Brookhill House itself. Despite the loss of the cupola, the tower is in a good state of repair, although its original purpose is unknown. To the north-west of the house site stands an ornate gateway (Gate 07) constructed to give access to the northern outbuildings; this gateway appears on the 1857 Ordnance Survey map and is currently in a good state of preservation. A second gateway at the eastern entrance to the house (Gate 08) does not appear on Ordnance Survey maps until the third edition of 1900–01, though it could possibly date from an earlier period. The remaining northern outbuildings were constructed between 1832 and 1857 under John Watson and continue in use as farm buildings. These are primarily asymmetrical two-storey structures with pitched slate roofs, of coursed basalt with red brick surrounds to openings, dating from around 1830 to 1855. Some of these buildings have 20th-century alterations.

SETTING

The walled garden is situated on the north side of the Ballinderry Road. The former garden now encloses two modern dwellings accessed from the road running parallel to the site. Beyond the walls lies mature woodland leading up to the new house at the former site of Brookhill, with gardens to the front. To the east is a heavily wooded area through which the current entrance to the estate is routed, where the gate lodge dating from around 1870 stands at the entrance. Beyond the agricultural structures to the north is open rural landscape. The walls themselves are of random and coursed masonry, basalt rubble, and brick.