Seymour Hill House, Yew Tree Walk, Dunmurry, Co. Antrim, BT17 9PG

Seymour Hill House is a large late Georgian gentleman's seat built around 1790, standing two storeys over a basement with an attic, arranged in a five-bay rectangular plan. It sits off the Kingsway just south of Dunmurry, at the crest of the sweeping Beech Tree Crescent, to the north of the Seymour Hill Housing Estate and east of what is now the Seymour Hill Industrial Estate. The building is an impressive example of Georgian design, notable for its style, proportion and ornamental richness. Externally it has survived with very little alteration and retains almost all of its original detailing. The listing covers the house itself and the stone balustrades at the front steps.

The roof is hipped and slated, carried by two very large rendered chimney stacks each crowned by seven tall octagonal clay chimney pots. The eaves have an overhanging soffit with paired moulded console brackets set in front of an ogee moulded cornice. Paired pie-crust dormer windows project from the east and west elevations, and three modern roof lights have been inserted over the principal elevation. Rainwater goods are replacement uPVC ogee gutters in black with extruded metal downpipes painted to match the walls. The external walls are rough-finished render, beneath which there is visible evidence of an earlier faded ruled-and-lined render. Quoins are heavily vermiculated, doubled at the front elevation, with the basement level treated in rusticated stonework. All windows are single-glazed one-over-one timber sliding sash with horns, all replacements, set within large stone cills and moulded stone surrounds with a frieze and projecting cornice above. The principal door is a six-panelled timber door with a fixed semicircular light over, framed by moulded stone surrounds.

The principal elevation faces south and is symmetrically composed. It is approached by six paved steps flanked by a pair of naturally finished stone balustrades. The porch, which originally had a front door and side windows, is now an open broken-pedimented portico. It embraces a semicircular arch with moulded surrounds, flanked by paired acanthus columns supporting an entablature with swag mouldings fixed to the frieze. Two windows sit to either side of the entrance at ground floor level, with five windows arranged directly above on the first floor. The central first-floor window is given additional decorative treatment, with moulded stone console brackets supporting the cornice and profile scrolling above the cill.

The east-facing elevation is principally symmetrical, with paired windows at each floor level and dormer windows projecting from the roof. The chimney stack is centrally positioned at the apex of the roof. The west-facing elevation is a replica of the east elevation. The north-facing rear elevation is symmetrically arranged, with the original rear entrance located left of centre. A new opening for an additional entrance has been formed right of centre. The central bay windows are offset at different levels to serve as stairwell lights. This rear elevation has noticeably less decorative treatment, with no window surrounds or eaves bracket details. Modern two-storey accommodation now encompasses the rear elevation.

The approach to the house passes through trees and shrubs, with the former bleach green lying to the southeast. To the front there is a small tarmac car park, with a road leading around to the rear on the left-hand side. The original random rubble stables and outbuildings are located just to the north of the house. Views to the southeast take in the former bleach works; the remaining southerly views look out over housing. The setting has been degraded by the construction of modern housing units close to the house.

Internally, there is nothing of historical or architectural interest remaining, following major restorative works carried out after extensive fire damage in 1986.

The house was built around 1790 by Robert Allen Johnston, son of Archibald Johnston, who owned the Seymour Hill estate. By 1813 the estate comprised 89 acres and included a bleaching green, mill, yard, and a mill dam on the Derriaghy Burn. The name "Seymour" derives from the surname of the Marquis of Hertford, who at the time owned the four hundred acres of land surrounding the house, though the property does not appear labelled as "Seymour Hill House" on maps until the 1858 Ordnance Survey.

In 1822, W. Charley purchased the estate and invested heavily in improving the bleach works. Charley had already purchased and remodelled the Dunmurry and Mossvale Bleach Greens two years earlier in 1820, and subsequently transferred his business to Seymour Hill. By that point the house itself was in a ruinous state. By 1825, Charley had spent almost £5,000 remodelling and reconstructing it, employing the architect Mr John McHenry. It is thought that much of the ornamental detailing now visible on the building — including the heavily vermiculated double quoins — was added as part of these improvements. The Townland Valuations of 1828–40 valued the house and outbuildings at £62 7s. By the Annual Revision valuations of 1862–65, additional buildings had appeared including a steward's house, a coachman's house, and a gate lodge, reflecting the growth of the family's linen business.

William Charley was chairman of J&W Charley & Co., linen merchants, whose high-quality work received several commissions from the Royal Family. He was also a founding member of the Northern Banking Company. The Charley family continued to occupy Seymour Hill House throughout the 19th century, developing their linen business and bleaching techniques, eventually acquiring ownership of several bleach greens in the area and being credited with introducing the use of chlorine into the bleaching process. The last of the Charley family to occupy the house was Captain Arthur Charley, who in 1944 died in an accident while felling trees in the grounds. His brother, W.R.H. Charley, chose to pursue an army career rather than remain in the linen industry, which led to the Charley business merging with Barbour Linen Thread Ltd and to the sale of Seymour Hill House and its surrounding grounds to the Northern Ireland Housing Trust. The house had been occupied by the Charley family for 124 years in total.

The once extensive interior — which had included kitchens, wine cellars, a servants' hall, dining rooms, morning rooms, bedrooms, and a library — was converted into six apartments. The house was subsequently subjected to vandalism and suffered extensive fire damage in 1986, after which a local account describes it as an empty shell with no roof. In 1990 the house was transferred to the then-named BIH Housing Association, who carried out a full restoration, with W.R.H. Charley OBE performing the opening of the completed building, which now provides six one-person flats. The building is currently in housing association ownership.