Willowdale, Kilmakee, Dunmurry, Co. Antrim, BT17 9QN

Willowdale is a two-storey Georgian farmhouse built around 1750, located south of Dunmurry in a secluded setting where the Derryaghy River meets the Lagan River. It is a well-proportioned and modestly scaled example of early Georgian domestic architecture, retaining much of its original character despite modifications to the interior.

The house has a rectangular five-bay plan with a two-storey return to the rear and a single-storey lean-to extension. The pitched roof is slated with Bangor blue slates and clay ridge tiles, with chimney stacks at the gable ends crowned with paired clay pots. Cast iron rainwater goods run throughout. The walls are constructed of thick stone, roughcast rendered and painted white, with a sandstone plinth, quoins and surrounds painted black. The windows are replacement top-hung timber casements (now boarded up), and the front door is a six-panelled timber replacement with brass ironmongery.

The principal elevation faces south towards the river and is symmetrically arranged. The front door is centrally located and flanked by two large rusticated pilasters rising to cornice level, with a moulded semicircular fanlight above featuring a triple keystone. Two windows flank the entrance at ground floor level, with five windows arranged above on the first floor. The east-facing gable elevation has one small window opening at first floor level on the right side. The north elevation features a subservient two-storey return projecting centrally with lower ridge and eaves, containing a window opening at first floor level to the right of the main house and a pair of windows at both ground and first floor levels to the left. The east-facing elevation of the return has a single opening at ground floor level on the right, with a traditionally sized window at first floor level on the west elevation and a larger window at ground floor level. A single-storey lean-to extends from the return with a large horizontal window at ground floor level. The west-facing gable elevation is without openings and remains as original.

The farmhouse sits within its own secluded environment, surrounded by mature trees and open landscape within approximately 20 acres. To the east are associated outbuildings including former byres, stables and hayloft, all one and two-storey buildings with slate roofs and roughcast finish, which contribute significantly to the setting. A long driveway runs parallel to the River Lagan for about 150 metres before reaching a gravelled turning area. Random rubble walls enclose the gardens and line the driveway throughout the grounds. The principal elevation has views of a ruinous former mill and mill race located on the opposite bank of the river.

The first edition Ordnance Survey map of 1833 shows the house as a small T-shaped building with oblong outbuildings to the west. Its dating to around 1750 is supported by its early Georgian character and symmetrical composition. The Townland Valuations of 1828 to 1840 identify the occupant as William James Lucin. An 1837 reference in the Ordnance Survey memoirs mentions "Laganvale", the house of William Lewson Esq, situated on the banks of the Lagan about 2½ miles from Lisburn. Although the surname is spelt differently, the pronunciation is similar and the geographical location suggest that Willowdale was once called Laganvale. The surrounding 400 acres were owned at the time by the Marquis of Hertford.

The Lucin family occupied the house until 1861, when John Burrows took up the tenancy. The farm with sheds and outbuildings was valued at £20, with a further £40 for surrounding land. The Burrows family remained tenants for approximately 50 years, continuing to pay rent for the land even when the house remained unoccupied from 1879 to 1889. By 1889 the house value had dropped to £15. George William Burrows occupied the property and owned the buildings outright by 1893. The value continued to decline, and by 1905 the Annual Revisions recorded the buildings as "very old and partly dilapidated". The Burrows occupation ended following the drowning of Mr Burrows in the Lagan around 1925. Although it has been suggested that the Charley family of neighbouring Seymour Hill House once occupied the building (they were linen merchants active in the Dunmurry area during the 19th century), no clear evidence has been found to support this. Later occupants included the Brown family, the Grahams from 1939 to 1952, and the Taylors from 1952 to 1999. The building was undergoing restorative work at the time of survey in 2010.

Although the interior has been modified, the layout and features of interest have largely remained unaltered. The architectural fabric and Georgian detailing are substantially intact. Willowdale represents a rare surviving example of a Georgian farmhouse with its associated outbuildings, landscape and gardens essentially unchanged, making it of significant historic and architectural interest.