"So called from 'Ormiston', for many years the residence of Sir E. J. Harland, and later for many years the home of Lord Pirrie" (John J. Marshall, Belfast Telegraph, 05/02/41). "Ormiston was built by a Scot, James Combe, in 1865 as a memorial to his father." It was sold to Campbell College in 1927 and then was acquired by the Police Authority in 1974 (Haines, East Belfast, p. 41). The house is situated off Hawthornden Road.
Combe was a Scots-born iron-founder (Falls Foundry) and linen manufacturer (Combe Barbour) according to Timothy Belmont. The building is in the Scottish baronial style, designed by David Bryce of Edinburgh (Lord Belmont in Northern Ireland blog).
The name of the house comes from Ormiston, a village in East Lothian, situated south-east of Edinburgh.