5 Glenmore Terrace, Mill Street, Hilden, Lisburn, Co.Antrim, BT27 4RW

5 Glenmore Terrace, Mill Street, Hilden, Lisburn

An end-of-terrace three-bay two-storey redbrick house built around 1860, forming part of a rare survival of workers' housing associated with the Glenmore Bleach Works. This end house is larger than its four neighbours in the terrace and features finer detailing, with good proportions and distinctive Gothick windows to the first floor. The terrace was built for overseers at the bleach works, leased from Richardson Sons and Owden, linen manufacturers. The houses gain significant group value from their presence as a complete terrace.

The building is T-shaped on plan, including a two-storey return, facing south and set back slightly from the north side of Mill Street, with enclosed front and rear gardens. The pitched natural slate roof has three wall-head dormers, round black clay ridge tiles and lead valleys. Redbrick chimneys with clay pots rise above deep overhanging eaves, which feature decorative timber bargeboards to the east gable and dormers, topped with tall finials. Plastic rainwater goods are fitted throughout. The redbrick walling is laid in Flemish bond with a projecting plinth course.

The symmetrical three-bay front elevation features paired wall-head dormers with ogee-arched window openings formed in polychromatic brick, each containing an original 3/3 timber sash window with gothic tracery to the upper sash. Ground floor windows are square-headed, containing original 6/6 timber sash windows with painted masonry sills. The central round-headed doorway is formed in polychromatic brick with a painted masonry surround comprising a moulded archivolt and flat-panelled pilasters. A replacement timber panelled door is flanked by two pairs of slender timber pilasters with console brackets supporting a stepped lintel cornice and plain glazed semi-circular fanlight. The door opens onto a tiled step and concrete footpath through the front lawn, enclosed to the road by a rubblestone wall with painted stone coping and a pair of rebuilt brown brick piers with moulded concrete capstones supporting an iron pedestrian gate.

The west side is abutted by No.4 Glenmore Terrace. The rear elevation is multi-bay, with a narrow two-storey rendered return abutting to the centre. This rear section features square-headed window openings, some now with uPVC windows and others with recent replacement timber sash windows. A uPVC glazed door to the east cheek of the return opens onto a flight of concrete steps. The east gable is formed of rubble basalt walling with redbrick to the chimney flue. A side parking area accessed via a vehicular opening to the east is enclosed to the road by a tall rubble basalt wall with stacked coping.

According to Griffith's Valuation of 1856-64, the terrace of five houses was listed as newly built, probably around 1860. This end house is valued at £11 10s, making it larger and finer than its four neighbours, each valued at £8 5s. The occupiers named were Samuel Smith, Thomas Ramsey, Robert Edmundson, Robert Longquill, with the fifth house unoccupied, suggesting recent construction. The size and quality of these houses, superior to other workers' housing in the neighbourhood, indicates they were designed for overseers or foremen rather than ordinary operatives.

The Richardson family, prominent Quaker linen manufacturers, operated the bleach works. Jonathan Richardson had pioneered winter bleaching, allowing year-round operation, and the business expanded substantially after acquiring additional bleach greens in 1830. His son James took John Owden as partner, forming J.N. Richardson, Sons & Owden. The company showed consistent concern for workers' welfare, extending to the provision of good-quality housing. Jonathan's brother John Grubb Richardson later established the model village of Bessbrook in County Armagh, with mills working in conjunction with Glenmore.

Listing extent: house, gate and walling.