Mountain View House, 40 Sandy Lane, Ballyskeagh, Lisburn, County Antrim, BT27 5TL

Mountain View House is a pair of three-bay two-storey houses, now converted into a single dwelling, built around 1830. It stands in a rural setting east of Sandy Lane near Drumbeg, in the townland of Ballyskeagh.

The building is rectangular on plan with two two-storey returns and a conservatory to the rear, alongside a large L-shaped modern extension to the northeast. The roof is pitched natural slate with terracotta ridge tiles and yellow brick chimneysstacks. Cast-iron ogee rainwater goods sit on overhanging eaves with exposed rafter tails. The gables feature corbelled bargeboards.

The walling is painted smooth render with raised quoins and a chamfered plinth. Windows throughout are 2/2 timber-framed sliding sash with horizontal glazing bars and horns, set into projecting masonry sills. The principal elevation faces northwest and is six openings wide, maintaining the symmetrically arranged facades of the two original houses. At the centre left and centre right are two entrances: the left door is four-panelled with decorative brass furniture, while the right door is two-panelled with segmental-headed glazing to the top half. Both doors have transom lights and are flanked by two panelled pilasters surmounted by plain entablature and moulded cornice. The northeast gable is abutted by a single-storey modern extension. The southwest elevation is abutted at left and right by two-storey returns connected by a modern conservatory at the centre. A projecting chimneystack occupies the centre with windows to either side at ground and first floor levels. The far left has windows and the far right has a window to first floor and a four-panelled timber door with transom light and brass furniture. The returns each have two windows at first floor, with the left return also having a modern door at right to the northwest elevation.

The property sits within large mature grounds off a narrow country lane on the outskirts of Lisburn. An asphalt tennis court lies to the northeast and a detached block of garages to the south. Mature trees and hedgerow enclose the site on all sides. The road frontage is bounded by hedgerow with timber fence and two painted render gate piers with masonry caps supporting modern timber-sheeted gates. The main entrance to the north features painted render entrance walls and gate piers with pointed caps supporting modern cast-iron gates, leading to a long gravelled driveway.

The principal elevation retains original proportions and some original fabric, maintaining an early appearance. However, the building has undergone numerous alterations including the incorporation of the two dwellings into one, a modern extension and conservatory to the rear, and largely modern internal finishes and external landscaping, resulting in significant loss of character.

Historical records show the property first appears on the first edition Ordnance Survey map of 1834 for Ballyskeagh townland. The second edition (1858) also depicts a single oblong building. The Griffith's Valuation of 1861 valued the site at £1 10 shillings and records Richard Hayden as the sole resident, indicating the two houses had been converted into a single dwelling by that time. The third edition Ordnance Survey map (1901–02) first records the name 'Mountain View' and shows an oblong outbuilding to the northeast. Two further outbuildings to the south, visible on that edition, had been demolished by 1960. The northeastern outbuilding was subsequently taken down and replaced with the current single-storey extension. The property continues to be occupied as a dwelling and has recently been used as a retail gallery for an art and decoration business.