Terrace Hill House

Terrace Hill House was located in the townland of Ballynahatty, Edenderry, on the outskirts of Belfast. It was close to Minnowburn, now a property of the National Trust.

Frederick Russell (1811-76) was Terrace Hill's first owner, having been brought up at Edenderry House.

The original house of ca 1856 was stated to have been "commodious" and had servants' quarters.

At least as early as 1780 there was a bleach-green in Edenderry which belonged to John Russell, but in the 1830s the Russell family gave up linen bleaching and converted their premises into a flour mill drawn by water power. At this period (1780) the Russells, later associated with Newforge, were settled at Edenderry.

When Russell died in 1876, Terrace Hill was briefly occupied by a family called Ferguson before becoming the home of Matthew Coates, who lived there with his wife ca 1898.

"Freddy’s Steps" were first constructed by Frederick Russell in late 1800s and are the most direct route to Terrace Hill viewpoint at Minnowburn.

In the County Down land deeds of 1876, "Frederick Russell, address Ballynahatty, Newtownbreda, owned 18 acres". 

Several years later, in the early 20th century, Terrace Hill was purchased by Edward (Ned) Robinson, a founder of the well-known Robinson & Cleaver department store in Belfast.

When Robinson sold his interest in the store, he demolished Terrace Hill House and, in 1936, built a new residence (though he still called it Terrace Hill).

© Minnowburn, National Trust

The current house, built in 1936, was designed by the architects Young & Mackenzie.

The house is surrounded by lawns, gardens and a swimming pool and was occupied by Ned until his death in 1947.

In the 1980s, it was a residential home for children. The farm buildings, now used for the National Trust warden's office, were the base for Minnowburn Youth Farm, run by Save the Children.

Robinson & Cleaver's Royal Irish Linen Warehouse, Donegall Square North, was built 1886-88 by Young and Mackenzie. It used to be one of Belfast's finest department stores. Fifty heads of the store's erstwhile patrons still pop out of the exterior, including Queen Victoria and the Maharajah of Cooch Behar.

First published in February, 2011.