5 Old Road, Upper Ballinderry, Lisburn, Co. Antrim, BT28 2NJ

5 Old Road is a single-storey thatched house of at least early 19th-century origin, though it may be considerably older. It is described in 1834 valuation records as "relatively old". The house stands on the north side of Old Road, which branches south-easterly from the Moira Road at Ballinderry, approximately 200 yards from Upper Ballinderry crossroads and three-quarters of a mile along Old Road. It faces south-west, overlooking a small forecourt.

The building was originally of lobby-entry central-hearth plan but has been altered to direct entry into a corridor. Despite various modern additions, it retains its thatched roof and, more significantly, its historic roof structure. The thatch is contained within concrete copings. Each gable rises to a corbelled chimneystack, with a similar feature marking the position of the original kitchen hearth.

The external walls are finished in dry dash above a cement base. The front entrance consists of a modern interpretation of a six-panel raised-and-fielded door with glazed upper panels. To the right (south-east) of the entrance is one twelve-pane window; to the left are three such windows, all horizontally pivoted with traditional-depth sills. The gables have no openings.

The rear of the property shows successive alterations. A modern top-hung window marks the start of the rear elevation at the north-east corner, followed by a pitched-roof extension finished in natural slate, which contains two top-hung windows on its north-east side and a similar window with a flush glazed door on the opposite side. Beyond the extension to the south-east is a large modern window, followed by a shallow natural-slate lean-to extension with a modern top-hung window. A cast-iron lever-handle pump stands before this projection. Rear window sills maintain traditional depths. Rainwater goods throughout are of plastic.

Valuation records from 1834 describe the property as a thatched dwelling in good repair, measuring 58 by 22 by 9 feet, with associated outbuildings including a very old thatched turf house and ranges of offices. The occupant was David Connor, with a rateable value of £7-2-0. The 1859 valuation records identical house dimensions but shows alterations to the outbuildings, with the rateable value rising to £8.

Ordnance Survey maps from 1832–33 and 1857 document the development of the building and its dependencies. The property was vacant for approximately 35 years prior to listing. At that time it was roofed with corrugated iron over oat-straw thatch, and the original lobby-entry central-hearth layout remained intact. During modernisation, the hearth and jamb wall were removed. The current owner intends to restore the original arrangement and has commenced by building a hearth with jamb stones.