Smithfield House

Smithfield House is a bar on Smithfield Street in Lisburn, in the district that took its name from the flat open ground where the town's market moved in the 1930s. The building dates from 1856 and the front bar was refitted in 1954, retaining fittings that have barely changed since: a curved, plywood-panelled counter set on a terrazzo plinth, topped with black Formica said to be among the material's earliest uses in Ireland. Low screens divide the room into three snugs, the rearmost known locally as 'the confessional' for the pair of doors it once had. CAMRA's National Inventory of Historic Pub Interiors rates the room two stars for its national historic interest, and the building carries an Asset of Community Value listing. A rear extension, known as The Room, adds space for televised sport and occasional live music. The pub trades daily, serving a mixed daytime and evening crowd, and holds a current food hygiene rating from Lisburn and Castlereagh City Council.