Lisburn Country House Restored

A derelict Lisburn building has been restored to its former elegance with grant money from the government.

Eglantine House, Hillsborough, was gutted by fire in 1990 but has now been transformed with listed building grant-aid from the Historic Buildings Grant scheme.

The Northern Ireland Environment Agency administers the scheme.

Environment Minister Alex Attwood said: "The remarkable transformation of this building – from roofless shell to an elegant country house –is a good illustration of how the grant scheme can help to rescue our most important buildings. Eglantine House has not only been restored to its former glory but has also been rescued for future generations. I commend the grant scheme to owners of listed buildings requiring regeneration. We owe it to future generations to ensure that listed buildings, of which there are approximately 8,500 in Northern Ireland, are protected and enhanced."

Mr Attwood also said restoration projects could provide "much-needed work" for the construction industry.

The Boyd Partnership Chartered Architects, based in Belfast, worked on the project.

Adrienne Smyth of the firm said: "It was a pleasure to be involved with the project and to see the reinstatement of the house as a family dwelling. The Boyd Partnership adds this to our portfolio of conservation work where we endeavour to bring new and sustainable use to historic buildings."

(NE)