22 Pond Park Road, Lisburn, BT28 3LF

22 Pond Park Road, Lisburn

This is an elegant suburban villa built in 1903–04, standing prominently on Pond Park Road in the northern outskirts of Lisburn. Designed in the Italianate Palazzo style, it represents something of an architectural anachronism, as this Italian Renaissance-derived manner was fashionable in the late Victorian era rather than the Edwardian period when the house was actually constructed. The building was commissioned by William John Frazer at a cost of £1,360. It originally stood as Rathvarna House on what was then largely rural land, with spacious grounds and a drive opening to the south. The architect's identity is not recorded. Today, the removal of boundary enclosures has transformed the setting from a garden into something approaching parkland, complete with mature trees. The outbuildings to the north and a substantial portion of the original grounds have survived, which is notable given that many comparable properties have been demolished or lost their context in recent decades.

The building is constructed of rendered masonry with moulded and chamfered quoins at most corners, sitting on a chamfered plinth with string and sill courses to ground and first floor levels. At first floor, there is an additional string course at the impost level of the window arches. The plan is roughly square with a rectangular two-storey projection to the east side, a single-storey flat-roofed extension to the rear, and an enclosed yard containing a detached two-storey coach house or stable.

The front façade is symmetrical and presents the principal Italianate features. Crude later brick planters and concrete flagged steps with modern tubular steel handrail lead to the front entrance. The timber fielded-panelled door is set within a timber glazed screen, all contained within an elliptical-headed opening. This opening is flanked by engaged pilasters resting on a panelled base and surmounted by fluted console brackets supporting a projecting cornice. Above this sits a balustraded parapet. The entire door case stands on a shallow advancing two-storey bay. To either side are single-storey flat-roofed canted bays with flat-headed window openings; the reveals have stopped chamfers and rest on a continuous sill course. Cast-iron ogee gutters rest on projecting dentals.

The first-floor windows are arranged singly and in pairs, all semi-circular headed with moulded arch reveals and keystones. The reveals feature stopped chamfers, and in paired arrangements the mullions are engaged pilasters with garland capitals. The west façade includes a single-storey bay similar to those on the front. A window opening to the ground floor has a moulded surround surmounted by a moulded cornice on decorative dentals. First-floor windows follow the semi-circular headed pattern, with a pair to the right and a single to the left.

The rear north elevation is partially obscured by the flat-roofed extension. First-floor windows are again semi-circular headed with a pair to the right and a single to the left. A large metal fire escape stair is positioned at the centre. The east façade displays a ground-floor window opening to the right with moulded surround and decorative cornice on dentals; the first floor has a semi-circular headed pair to the right and a square-headed landing window to the left. The projecting two-storey bay to the right side has plain, flat-headed window openings.

All windows are currently boarded over; where visible from the interior, the frames are timber sash windows, typically 1/1 in configuration. The transoms are raised above the middle position, a practice common during Edwardian times.

The hipped roof has a flat centre section and is crowned with decorative cast-iron cresting. The roofs of the main block and projections to the north and north-east were originally finished in Vulcanite, whilst the roof covering the bays was slated. Projecting eaves have cast-iron gutters supported on dental brackets. Chimneystacks are rendered with moulded caps and decorative clay pots.

Both externally and internally, the property remains largely original. The house represents a fine example of the substantial Edwardian suburban villa, retaining the architectural qualities that would have made it a desirable residence for the period's affluent residents.

Historical Context

The house was built for William John Frazer on land in what was then a largely rural area. According to builders' reports made during construction, the roof work was not yet complete and the walls not yet plastered at the time of inspection. The original drive to the property opened roughly where Leydene Court now intersects Pond Park Road. Following Frazer's occupation, the house passed through several owners and occupants: Sarah Allingham is recorded as occupier in 1919 (Frazer may have been killed in the First World War, as a W.J. Frazer appears on Lisburn's war memorial), John Pickering occupied it in 1924, William Norman McNally acquired the property in 1950, and Peter A. Simms is listed as occupant in 1969. In later years the property was acquired by the South Eastern Education and Library Board and was used as a youth resource centre before being vacated in or just before 2006.