Boomhall Gate Pillars

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

Gate pillars and segmental walls opening onto Culmore Road. Four pillars, two at the former entrance gates, two at the ends of the segmental walls. The walls are of whinstone capped with a sandstone coping. The piers are clad in ashlar sandstone. Best preserved is the pillar to the north of the former gates. 2.5m to underside of coping. 1.1m across base and depth. A 200mm by 800mm recess rising 2m on the south side displays the wrought iron fixings for the gate now gone. The recess is rendered in lime mortar and reveals brickwork behind. The top hat coping is finely cut with a projecting cornice. It is missing on the sister pillar to the south. The adjacent wall is 1.5m high the pillars at the end 2m. Both end pillars retain their coping which matches the coping described above.

Historical information

Former main entrance to Boom Hall (HB01/25/004A) now disused with a concrete bollard placed centrally to discourage traffic. Structure contemporaneous with main house and appears on 1830 map with a gate house adjacent to the south east. Likely that they were designed by the architect for the house Michael Priestly.

Primary Sources:
1. O S Map 1st Edition 1832 Co Londonderry Sheet 13.

Secondary Sources:
1. J A K Dean ‘The Gate Lodges of Ulster a gazetteer’ UAHS 1994 page 113.

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

Not listed

Criteria for listing: historic interest

Not listed

Evaluation

A once grand entrance now neglected and surrounded by suburban housing