Stables and Coach House, Larchfield Estate, 375 Upper Ballynahinch Rd, Lisburn, County Down, BT27 6XJ

Stables and Coach House, Larchfield Estate

This is a range of detached stone and redbrick estate farm buildings, built in phases between around 1830 and 1900, forming two informal yards to the east of Larchfield House. The complex includes a principal block to the south, a centre range and east range at the heart of the composition, and a garden house and redbrick range to the north. The buildings have group value alongside the main house and gate screens, and the gate lodges on the estate. The east range has been converted for use as a wedding reception venue, and the complex now serves a partly commercial function overall. A formal walled garden is attached to the west side of the stable yard. Although the various elements were built at different dates across the 19th and early 20th centuries, the overall composition is neatly contained within tall rubblestone walls to the east and west, creating an informal pair of yards. The yard has been well preserved, with its stone walls and numerous painted cast-iron gates adding significantly to the character of the place.

Historical Background

Larchfield House was built around 1755 by Daniel Mussenden, a Belfast merchant, and remained in his family until his grandson, Captain William Mussenden III, died in 1860. The Townland Valuation of the 1830s records that the estate was owned by a Mr. William Mussenden and notes a very large number of houses and outbuildings, including two large stables, a coach house, a pigeon house, a poultry house, and a number of other general farmyard offices. At that date the entire site was valued at £53 17s.

The outbuildings first appear on the 1834 Ordnance Survey map as a single lengthy oblong building to the northeast of the house. A large extension — the current principal and eastern block — was added between 1834 and 1859, forming a small courtyard. By the time of the second edition Ordnance Survey map in 1859, additional stables and stores (the central range), a large barn (the eastern range), and the garden house had all been constructed. Griffith's Valuation of 1862 recorded the increased value of Larchfield House and its outbuildings at £100, reflecting these additions. The redbrick range to the northeast of the farm was built between 1901 and 1920, when it appears on the fourth edition Ordnance Survey map as an oblong structure; it was used as an administration building by the farm manager, and the farmyard was named "Home Farm" on the 1920 Ordnance Survey map. A modern garage situated between the garden house and the centre range is the most recent addition; it is unclear exactly when this was built, though it appears on the 1970 Ordnance Survey map.

Principal Block

The two-storey principal block to the south is the main elevation visible from the house. It has a projecting block at either end, a single-storey lean-to wing to its rear, and a further single-storey west range set perpendicular to the rear. The roofs are pitched natural slate with terracotta ridge tiles, plastic guttering on iron brackets, and cast-iron downpipes. At the centre of the principal block rises a square-plan timber-sheeted lantern with a pyramidal slate roof, surmounted by an iron weather vane and a metal clock face. A further decorative louvred steel lantern rises from the front elevation. The walling is random rubblestone with redbrick linings to all openings, lime mortar, and sandstone sills. The first floor has square-headed openings with timber louvres; the ground floor has segmental-headed openings with replacement timber windows, and original vertically-sheeted timber doors and half-doors with overlights. These ground-floor doors open onto a cobbled area running along the front elevation.

The single-storey west projecting block has a corrugated iron canopy on iron brackets, a brick chimneystack, and a pair of segmental-headed carriage openings with original vertically-sheeted double-leaf timber doors. To the west elevation of this block is a small lean-to, formerly used as kennels, opening into a series of cast-iron railed enclosures.

The two-storey east block was largely rebuilt around 2008 and has a replacement hipped natural slate roof, a lean-to lead-lined structure to the re-entrant angle, and replacement 6/6 timber sash windows with concrete sills.

The rear of the entire principal block is abutted by a single-storey lean-to rubblestone structure with a natural slate roof, forming a curved roof at its curved northeast end. A further single-storey lean-to structure, built against the west redbrick wall of the yard, has a natural slate roof, plastic guttering, rubble and squared stone walling, louvred timber openings, and original vertically-sheeted timber doors.

The principal range was formerly used as stables, with the coach house located in the west block. The coach house is still used to store early vehicles, including a replica coach. Surviving interior features include the original stone floor and cast-iron stable stalls. The range had fallen into disrepair and was used primarily as a store before being repaired around 2016.

Centre Range

Abutting the north end of the west range is a screen wall connected to the two-storey centre range. This screen wall contains a round-headed brick arched opening giving access to the walled garden, fitted with a replacement timber gate. The centre range has a hipped natural slate roof with terracotta ridge tiles and plastic guttering. The walling is rubblestone with redbrick linings to all openings and stone sills. There are timber louvres to the first floor and a central loading bay with a sheeted timber door. Segmental-headed openings to the ground floor have vertically-sheeted timber doors with brick panels above. At the east end, external gable steps lead to the loft storey; here there is also a cast-iron external bell frame with a bronze bell and an arched niche below. The central block was formerly used as a grain store and retains its original stable stalls.

East Range

To the east of the yard stands a double-height single-storey former outbuilding with a former pigsty attached to its west elevation and a lean-to structure to its east elevation, all abutting the rubblestone boundary wall of the farmyard. The roofs are hipped natural slate with black clay ridge tiles and lead hips, and there are plastic rainwater goods. The walling is squared uncoursed stone. Three-centred arched carriage openings at the north and south ends are formed in moulded redbrick surrounds. The west elevation of the former pigsty has a horizontal blind recess with a sandstone sill, and decorative fluted cast-iron colonettes supporting timber carved capitals at the eaves course. The north end is abutted by a further single-storey stone and brick projection, which is in turn abutted to the north by a pair of tall stone piers with decorative iron finials and corrugated iron gates. The east range has been converted for use as a wedding reception venue.

Garden House

To the northwest of the north yard stands a two-storey garden house built around 1850, laid out on an L-plan and converted to residential use around 1990. It has a pitched natural slate roof with redbrick chimneystacks, a central wall-head dormer, and a series of segmental-headed brick carriage arches to the ground floor, now partially infilled with brickwork. There are replacement hardwood casement windows with concrete sills and a single-storey entrance porch to the re-entrant angle.

Redbrick Range

To the northeast of the yard is a single-storey redbrick structure built around 1900 and converted for office use around 2008. It has a pitched replacement natural slate roof with cast-iron rainwater goods. The redbrick walling is laid in English garden wall bond, with segmental-headed window openings having double-baked brick hood mouldings with angled keystones, replacement uPVC windows, and sandstone sills. There is an oculus to the gable and square-headed window openings to the east elevation rubblestone wall. This building was formerly used as an administration building by the farm manager.

Setting and Other Features

The range of outbuildings lies to the east of Larchfield House, arranged roughly on a north-south axis around two informal yards. The principal block to the south forms the main visible elevation from the house. Close to the principal block stands a cast-iron water pump in the form of a fluted column with a bulbous head complete with lid; the handle is missing.