REGIONAL RUNNER-UP: The White House, Belfast

Page 1 of 2

• 1. Background
• 2. Regional Information
• Print entire article

Background

• Listing: Grade B1
• Date of building: 1569
• The White House Gallery
• The White House Virtual Tour

Dating from 1569 The White House is so-called because it was once coated in a white limestone rendering which made it useful as a navigation marker for vessels travelling up the Lough towards Belfast.

In 1574, Elizabeth 1 gifted the building to Major Brunker in recognition of his service in the Spanish Wars. At that time the Grade B1 Listed building was probably a tall, square townhouse of perhaps four or five storeys. The walls of the house are three feet thick and the original house was clearly of a robust linear design. At some point during the Plantation period of the 16th and 17th centuries, three almost circular turrets were added.

The building would continue to serve as a residence until 1840. The property subsequently found use as a stable and barn, but by 1923 had become largely derelict.

The building was later converted for use as a gospel hall Today it is little more than a shell and due to its fragility has remained unused for a number of years.

As no record of the original design exists, its current owners, the White House Preservation Trust, would like to see the existing fabric of the building stabilised and a new glass shell created within the original walls. The new space would provide room for meetings, school visits, a community centre and a headquarters of the Abbey Historical society. It is hoped that an archaeological dig conducted during the initial phases of the restoration would yield more evidence of the building's rich heritage.

Next