Fernhill House

He was a staunch unionist who used the grounds to train members of the Ulster Volunteer Force and to store weapons during the 1912 Home Rule Crisis.

Cunningham also kept racing horses in the house's stables, including Tipperary Tim, which won the 1928 Grand National.

Fernhill House was selected by the Combined Loyalist Military Command as the site for their 1994 ceasefire declaration, which presaged the 1998 Good Friday Agreement.

The openings are generally segment-topped timber sash windows, with those on the upper storey having a prominent keystone detail.

[1] Original features such as window shutters and ornate interior ceiling roses and cornices are thought to survive.

[3] The entire complex, including the house, is enclosed by a stone boundary wall to the west and north and metal fencing to east and south.

[1] Fernhill House was built by local butter merchant John Smith in 1864, it was likely designed by the Irish architect Robert Young.

[2] Cunningham added the south west wing, designed by Thomas William Henry, to the main house around 1910.

[1] During the 1912 Home Rule Crisis the Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF) stored arms and ammunition in the house's stableyard.

[2] In June 1914 Sir Edward Carson reviewed a regiment of the UVF in the grounds of the house, many of these went on to serve in the British forces during the First World War.

At some point in the mid 1960s the house's gate lodge, a cruciform part-gabled and part-hipped roof structure, was demolished.

This was announced by the UVF's Gusty Spence on behalf of the Combined Loyalist Military Command on 13 October.

[1][3] The buildings remain in the ownership of Belfast City Council who have no current plans for works but state they are open to opportunities with third parties to restore the site.

[4] The site was the focal point for celebrations for recent centennials of the First World War and the 75th anniversary of VE-Day in 2019.

[5] A local teenager became interested in the house after noticing it on walks taken during the 2020-2021 Covid-19 lockdowns and is leading a campaign for its restoration.