1 Glenmore Terrace, Mill Street, Hilden, Lisburn, Co.Antrim, BT27 4RW

1 Glenmore Terrace is an end-of-terrace house built circa 1860 as part of a five-house terrace constructed for overseers at the adjacent Glenmore Bleach Works. It is one of a rare surviving group of this style, with each house holding significant group value through association with the others in the terrace.

The building is a two-bay, two-storey structure of redbrick laid in Flemish bond with cement pointing. It adopts an L-shaped plan on the ground, incorporating a two-storey return, and faces south set back slightly from the north side of Mill Street. A pitched natural slate roof with round black clay ridge tiles and lead valleys is punctuated by a pair of wall-head dormers. A redbrick chimneystack with clay pots rises to the west, and the west gable features a deep overhang with decorative timber bargeboards repeated on the front dormers with tall finials. Cast-iron guttering with ogee moulding and cast-iron downpipes complete the external drainage.

The windows are notable for their architectural interest. Ogee-arched and square-headed openings are fitted with replacement timber sash windows and painted masonry sills. The front dormers contain ogee-arched openings formed in polychromatic brick with replacement 3/3 timber sash windows incorporating gothic tracery to the upper sash. At ground floor, a former landscape window opening was reversed circa 1985 and replaced with a portrait square-headed window containing a 6/6 timber sash window.

The entrance door opening sits to the right of the ground floor with a plain painted masonry surround containing a replacement flat-panelled timber door with rectangular overlight featuring margin lights. This opens onto a tiled step and footpath running through the front garden, which is enclosed to the road by a low rubblestone wall with concrete coping and redbrick piers with replacement concrete capstones supporting an iron pedestrian gate. A fine wrought iron gate and boundary walling add architectural interest to the setting.

The west gable is constructed in rubble basalt and redbrick and is now heavily ivy-clad. A gravel lane runs along this gable providing vehicular rear access to the entire terrace.

The rear elevation is multi-bay, with rubble basalt to the ground floor and redbrick to the first floor. A narrow two-storey redbrick return abuts this elevation. A single wall-head dormer matches the front, with an enlarged square-headed patio door opening below containing replacement timber glazed doors and surround. Various timber sash windows serve the return and first half-landing. A patio area enclosed by redbrick wall with concrete steps opens onto the common vehicular area and rear garden to the north.

Internally, the house retains many interesting architectural elements. The building displays particular quality and survival of interior features alongside its notable exterior details.

Historical Context

The houses do not appear on the second edition Ordnance Survey map of 1858 but are listed in Griffith's Valuation of 1856-64, confirming a probable construction date of circa 1860. The terrace comprised five houses: four valued at £8 5 shillings and an easternmost larger example valued at £11 10 shillings. All were leased from Richardson Sons and Owden, linen manufacturers. The superior size and quality compared to other workers' housing in nearby areas—such as Richardson's Row, Bridge Street and Mill Street—indicates these houses were designed for overseers or foremen. By 1867, the current house was occupied by James Browne.

The Richardson family were among the oldest linen families in the north of Ireland, having settled in the early 17th century and subsequently converting to Quakerism. They established their bleaching interests at Glenmore through marriage alliances: John Richardson married the daughter of William Hogg, who held a bleach green at Glenmore. His son Jonathan Richardson (1756-1851) purchased a further bleach green from the Hunter family and became the first in the linen bleaching industry to successfully implement winter bleaching, allowing year-round operation. By 1830 the family had acquired and amalgamated an additional adjoining bleach green.

Jonathan's three sons—James, John and Joseph—oversaw substantial growth of the enterprise. The eldest son James took John Owden as a partner, establishing the company J.N. Richardson, Sons & Owden. James died in 1847 after purchasing Lambeg House and renaming it Glenmore in 1835. His son Jonathan retained a financial interest but lived as a country gentleman at Glenmore, with Mr Owden likely being the prime mover in constructing Glenmore Terrace. Jonathan's brother John Grubb Richardson developed the model village of Bessbrook in County Armagh with associated spinning and weaving mills that operated in conjunction with Glenmore Bleach Works.

Throughout, the Richardson family demonstrated consistent concern for the social and moral welfare of their workers, extending to the provision of good-quality housing such as this terrace.