Lisnamoyle, 119 The Roddens, Larne, Co Antrim, BT40 1PR

Lisnamoyle, 119 The Roddens, Larne, Co Antrim

Lisnamoyle is a fine Edwardian villa in the Old English style, built in 1903–4 for William N. Brown (later Sir William) to designs by the leading Irish architect Nicholas Fitzsimons (1869–c.1945), whose original drawings were dated 23 January 1903. It is the most conspicuous residential property of the Edwardian era in the locality and stands as a very complete and intact example of its type. The listing covers the house, conservatory, garage, and gateways (excluding gates).

ARCHITECTURAL CHARACTER

The house is two storeys, built in red brick with red sandstone dressings, stone-mullioned windows, and half-timbered gables. It has the asymmetrical plan form characteristic of the Old English style. The roofs are covered in Green Westmorland slates in what appear to be diminishing courses, with red terracotta ridge tiles. Eaves overhang at the gables and are carried on projecting rafters with shaped ends; barge boards and soffit boarding are white painted and moulded. Two tall chimneys to the front elevation are of panelled red brick with thin brick pilaster-like piers, a sandstone frieze and cornice, and square-section red terracotta pots with moulded friezes.

SOUTH (MAIN) ELEVATION

The main entrance faces south. The elevation is asymmetrical and comprises a tower-like two-storey entrance bay with a flat parapet, flanked by one gabled bay to the east and two to the west.

The entrance bay is of red brick with sandstone string course, base course, and moulded weathering to a projecting plinth. The doorway is set in a sandstone surround with Tuscan pilasters, a plain frieze, and a moulded cornice; the top of the doorcase is dressed with lead, and there is a coved moulding between the pilasters. The double doors are of varnished oak, six-panel, raised and fielded, with an original octagonal bronze doorknob. Mounted on the east reveal of the porch is an original bronze bell surround of Art Nouveau design. An original wrought iron lamp in Art Nouveau style, with a cylindrical glass shade, is mounted centrally in the frieze. Two buff sandstone steps lead to the entrance.

At first-floor level, the entrance bay has a projecting rectangular sandstone surround to two windows divided by a mullion, rising from the cornice of the doorcase below, with a sandstone modillion cornice over; above this is a red brick and sandstone parapet with moulded sandstone coping. The windows are narrow rectangular timber sliding sashes, vertically hung, four-over-one, with horns. The parapet and upper portion of the entrance bay return to each side, giving a tower-like appearance. There is a short cast iron downpipe on the east face, and to the left-hand extremity of the entrance bay a rectangular cast iron downpipe painted maroon with bands of moulded chevron decoration.

Set back to the right of the entrance bay is a two-storey gabled wall containing a three-light stone-mullioned window to the first floor and a single-storey canted bay to the ground floor. The half-timbering in the gable is of herringbone pattern, painted maroon with panels painted white. The ground floor of the canted bay is entirely of dressed sandstone with a moulded plinth and moulded cornice; some joints in the stonework are slightly open; the top of the cornice is dressed with lead, with a parapet above of slightly scalloped profile on each face. The arrises of chamfered window reveals are finely chiselled. The front face of the canted bay has two sashed windows (nine-over-nine), with one narrower sashed window (six-over-one) in each angled side. Putty repair is visible to the woodwork of the left-hand front window, and white plastic draught strip has been affixed to both front windows and to one in the east angled side. The top sashes of the ground-floor canted bay carry decorative coloured leaded glazing in Art Nouveau style. First-floor windows are set in sandstone surrounds with sandstone mullions and sandstone long-and-short dressings to the sides; the central window is sashed six-over-one and the flanking windows four-over-one. To each side of the gable are short runs of moulded cast iron gutter, painted white, each with a rectangular cast iron downpipe painted maroon with chevron ornamentation, largely hidden by creeper.

Projecting forward from the entrance bay to the left is a broader and taller gabled bay of similar design, except the half-timbering is of vertical pattern and the Art Nouveau leaded patterns of the ground-floor windows differ from those of the bay to the right. To the left of the canted ground-floor bay is a rectangular cast iron downpipe with foliated brackets, mostly hidden by creeper but presumably discharging from the roof of the canted bay. The wall returns back at the left-hand side with a full-height rectangular cast iron downpipe as elsewhere.

Set back behind and extending to the left is another gabled two-storey bay with half-timbering of herringbone pattern, stone-mullioned windows with long-and-short sandstone dressings and sandstone string courses at first and ground floor. Base courses of the offset plinth are red brick. There are three first-floor windows as on the other gabled bays; the ground floor has three similar windows in a flat plane, except the central one is nine-over-one and the flanking windows six-over-one, with Art Nouveau leaded top sashes of a pattern again varying from the other bays. A rectangular cast iron downpipe as elsewhere appears at the left-hand extremity.

WEST ELEVATION

The west elevation comprises a large two-storey gable to the right, two windows wide, with a small attic window in the apex, and the two-storey side elevation of the rear return set back to the left. The main gable is of red brick with red sandstone string courses at window head and sill level. Window surrounds to ground and first floor have tooled chamfers and long-and-short dressings to the sides; windows are sashed six-over-one to the first floor and twelve-over-one to the ground floor, with Art Nouveau leaded top sashes of similar pattern to the leftmost bay on the front elevation. The attic window is small, rectangular, single-light timber, with red brick reveals. To the north face of the gable return there is a rectangular cast iron downpipe and two circular cast iron pipes.

Set back behind is the west elevation of the rear return: red brick with moulded red sandstone weathering to the offset plinth, and red sandstone window surrounds as elsewhere but without string courses. The elevation is symmetrical, with two pairs of windows to the ground floor below two widely spaced single windows to the first floor, each rising into a small gable (a gablet), with a central rectangular cast iron downpipe (two sections missing). The roof is slated as elsewhere with a centrally placed chimney detailed as elsewhere; moulded cast iron gutters run to each side of the gablets. All windows are sashed eight-over-one.

At the left-hand extremity of the rear return, set back by the thickness of a brick, is a low single-storey outbuilding in red brick with a hipped roof of Green Westmorland slates in regular courses, red terracotta ridge tiles, and moulded cast iron gutter painted white, carried on projecting rafter ends as on the main house.

NORTH ELEVATION

The north elevation comprises a central half-timbered gable flanked to the right by a projecting rear return of hipped roof form, and to the left by a projecting rear return of gabled form beyond a narrow recess.

The rear return to the right has a blank red brick first floor, with the ground floor masked by the low outbuilding. The north elevation of the outbuilding is of red brick, with a central segmental arched doorway flanked on the left by two ocular windows in brick surrounds; these windows are plate glass and horizontally pivoted. To the right of the doorway is a rectangular cast iron downpipe as elsewhere, followed by a pair of sashed timber windows with a chamfered central mullion, all set in a segmental arched recess, each window sashed six-over-one. At the extreme right is a small rectangular timber window, sashed four-over-one, in a segmental arched surround, flanked each side by a small square vent opening with a thin perforated metal grille; projecting red sandstone cills to the rectangular windows. The door to the outbuilding is of ledged timber in four panels, with herringbone pattern to the top two panels, and leads into a yard with a concrete floor. The inner walls of the yard and yard buildings are of red brick; doors within the yard are ledged as elsewhere. Part of the yard is covered by the deep overhang of the yard building roof, carried on a long chamfered timber beam supported by a single circular-section cast iron post with a foliated capital and flared base, with moulded chevron ornamentation.

The east face of the rear return overlooking the yard has two first-floor windows — rectangular timber, sashed six-over-one — in shallow segmental arched surrounds, with rectangular and circular cast iron downpipes. The ground floor is partly obscured by a lean-to single-storey building in red brick with a shallow-pitch asphalt roof, which appears to be a later addition as the brickwork is different in tone. This addition has rectangular timber casement windows with plate glass set in very shallow segmental arched openings with red concrete cills, and a rectangular panelled and glazed door with chamfered edges in a segmental arched opening.

The central half-timbered gable of the north elevation has timberwork of herringbone pattern and contains a large stair window. The stair window is rectangular, of three lights, divided into six parts by two mullions and a transom (the central portion of which has a semi-circular profile), filled with leaded glazing of Art Nouveau design. The wall below the stair window is obscured by a later lean-to addition.

To the left of the central gabled bay, the wall steps back into a narrow rectangular recess with a three-light window to each floor; the ground-floor windows also incorporate transom lights. These are rectangular timber fixed lights or casements in shallow segmental arched openings, all filled with leaded Art Nouveau glazing. Red sandstone cills. To the left, the side wall of the gabled rear return projects forward with two windows to each floor — rectangular timber, sashed four-over-one — in segmental arched openings with red sandstone cills; circular cast iron downpipes.

The north face of the gabled return has half-timbering of vertical pattern. The red brick wall has two first-floor windows — rectangular, in brick reveals with a slight camber to the arched heads and projecting sandstone cills — sashed six-over-one. At ground-floor level there is a rectangular doorway beyond the yard wall, with a red sandstone surround incorporating long-and-short dressings to the sides and moulded sandstone weathering to the red brick plinth extending to each side. The door is of varnished oak, six-panel, raised and fielded, with a sandstone doorstep and an outer step of concrete.

Projecting forward from the right-hand side of the gabled return is a single-storey-height screen wall enclosing the yard and abutting the rear outbuilding. It is of red brick with moulded sandstone coping that ramps up over a segmental headed doorway; the yard door is of ledged timber in four panels, herringbone-patterned to the top panels, set in a segmental arched opening.

EAST ELEVATION

The east elevation comprises a large two-storey gable to the left, similar to the main gable on the west side, with a lower two-storey gabled bay set back slightly to the right. The set-back gable has one window to the first floor, similar to the main gable. To the ground floor there is a pair of rectangular windows in a red sandstone surround with a sandstone mullion and long-and-short dressings to the sides, sashed six-over-one; rectangular cast iron downpipes as elsewhere appear at each extremity of the set-back gable.

THE CONSERVATORY

Directly to the west of the house stands a contemporary conservatory, detached, built of white painted timber framing on low red brick walls and laid out on a T-shaped plan with gabled sides and a canted front. To the rear there is a lean-to red brick shed behind a red brick chimney; the shed roof is covered in Westmorland Green slates in regular courses. Moulded cast iron gutters are supported on shaped wooden brackets affixed to fluted timber posts; circular cast iron downpipes. Ornamental ridge cresting and decorative gable finials are in cast iron. The main entrance has an open pediment carried on large shaped brackets with scrolling motifs, approached by concrete steps. The lean-to to the rear has three windows in its north wall — rectangular timber, two-light side-hung casements, each four-over-one — set in red brick openings with splayed red sandstone cills; moulded cast iron gutter with rectangular cast iron downpipe with foliated brackets. There is a rectangular four-panel timber door with chamfered edges in each side wall of the shed.

The interior of the conservatory is floored with red tiles incorporating a rectangular black-tiled panel surrounded by black tile borders. The end wall is smooth cement rendered and painted white. A rectangular door to the left of the rear wall leads into the potting shed. The original cast iron shelf with panelled posts survives along the eastern half of the interior; the western half has an open flower bed. Low walls inside are finished in smooth cement render. A name plate on the inside of the door is inscribed 'W. Richardson & Co. Darlington'. The woodwork of the conservatory is generally in poor condition but the structure remains intact.

THE GARAGE

To the north of the conservatory, fronting the main road, is a contemporary garage of red brick with brick buttresses at each corner, one intermediate buttress to the west side, and two to the east side. The hipped roof is covered in Westmorland Green slates in diminishing courses with red terracotta ridge tiles; moulded cast iron gutters are carried on projecting rafters with shaped ends; rectangular cast iron downpipes.

The main entrance faces north directly onto the main road. The north elevation has a segmental arched opening containing a later modern painted steel door, surmounted by a shallow gablet with white painted timber barge boards and half-timbering of vertical pattern painted maroon, with a terracotta finial to the apex. Abutting the east side of the entrance front is a pedestrian gateway comprising a pair of square red brick piers with red sandstone weathered capstones and a later replacement hardwood door.

The east elevation has a central doorway flanked by a window each side, all in segmental arched openings. The doorway is a rectangular glazed and panelled door with chamfered panel edges, set below a small-paned fanlight with narrow sidelights; red sandstone cills to the sidelights; concrete steps. The flanking windows are rectangular four-light, twelve-over-two, with the two lower lights fixed and the upper two bottom-hung casements; a later wooden frame with wire mesh has been attached over the right-hand window. The south elevation has two windows as on the east side, with a large ornamental cast iron lamp bracket fixed between them. The west elevation has two windows as elsewhere, with a small lean-to projection to the right-hand end. The lean-to has a small rectangular timber window in its north face comprising a fixed light surmounted by a bottom-hung top light of four small panes; moulded cast iron gutter and rectangular cast iron downpipe. At the right-hand extremity there is a rectangular cast iron downpipe with foliated brackets and a circular cast iron downpipe with plain brackets.

The interior of the garage has a concrete floor and brickwork walls painted white.

SETTING AND GARDEN

The house stands on an elevated site overlooking the town of Larne with a distant view of Larne Lough. It faces away from the main road and is surrounded by a fine garden with mature trees and shrubs. The area in front of the house is finished in tarmac from which concrete steps and paths descend to a sloping lawn and terraced garden. The garden contains a rockery and pool, which are not original, and a recently constructed classical-style pergola.

At the bottom of the front garden is a contemporary gabled greenhouse constructed of white painted framed timber on low red brick walls, with ornamental cast iron ridge cresting and decorative cast iron gable finials; moulded cast iron gutters carried on shaped wooden brackets affixed to fluted posts. It is in poor overall condition but still intact. A partly rebuilt red brick wall links the greenhouse to a small gabled boiler house roofed with Westmorland Green slates to the north slope and Bangor blue slates to the south slope, with red terracotta ridge tiles.

The boundaries to the south, east, and west are formed by hedges and fences. The north boundary facing the main road is a low basalt rubble wall with a hedge behind it, containing a main entrance gateway near the eastern extremity and a small pedestrian gateway abutting the garage to the western extremity. The main gateway piers are contemporary with the house — square, of red brick with moulded red sandstone weatherings — but the wrought iron gates are not original.