Atlantic Lodge

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

Small and compact two storey red brick ‘villa’ of 1882 with single storey bays, a shallow pitched pan tile covered gabled roof, ‘side-on’ chimneys with tall pots, and a recent two storey rear extension. Attached to the west side is a small two storey coach house. The property is situated on the south side of The Promenade, overlooking the sea.

The front elevation faces roughly N and is symmetrical. To the centre of the ground floor is a broad segmental headed doorway with glazed and panelled double door with segmental fanlight. To the left of this is a canted single storey bay with a large plain sash window to each side and flat roof. There is an identical bay to the right of the doorway. Both bays appear to have originally possessed hipped roofs. To the first floor are three relatively small segmental headed windows with plain sash frames.

To the E gable there are two windows to each floor, all similar to those to first floor front (and symmetrically arranged). There is a similar arrangement to the W gable, but with window to the right on the first floor shortened and with a single pane (recent) frame. The coach house abuts the very right hand edge of this gable.

To the centre of the rear elevation there is relatively recently added two storey lean-to extension. To the E face of the extension there is a partly glazed door to the ground floor with two plain sash windows to the first floor. To the S face there are two sash windows to the ground floor with a slightly large sash window (with segmental head) to the first floor. Sandwiched between the W face of the extension and the E face of the coach house is a single storey lean-to ‘conservatory’. Directly above the conservatory (to first floor of the rear façade of main house) is a window as first floor front. There is a similar window to the right side of the first floor (other side of the main extension) with a similar but slightly larger window to the ground floor.

The main roof is gabled with a shallow pitch and overhang. The roof, which looks as though it was replaced in relatively recent times, is covered in pan tiles (as is that to the extension and conservatory- the latter also has a large Velux window). The main roof has two low brick chimneystacks set side on close to the centre of the ridge. Each stack appears to have been rebuilt relatively recently (in a modern red brick like the extension) and each has four tall decorative pots. Recent PVC rw goods.

To the N gable of the former coach house there is a flat arch vehicle doorway to the ground floor and a small window with segmental headed sash frame. To the centre of the first floor of the E is a small sash window, to ground floor directly below this there is a smaller square window, with plain frame. The left hand side of this elevation is in basalt rubble the right side is plain rendered. As the ground level rises dramatically to the rear, the S gable of the coach house is actually single storey. To this gabled there is a partly glazed door. Only the upper floor of the W elevation could be seen, it is rendered to the left and in basalt rubble to the right but does not possess any openings. The shallow pitched gabled roof of the coach house is covered in corrugated asbestos.

To the front of the house is a low basalt rubble wall topped with limestone rubble coping. To the right (W) end there is a vehicle gateway with recent low timber sheeted gates with equally recent brick pyramidal capped piers. Taller wall to W side in same materials as the front wall. The wall encloses a garden to front; the garden continues around to the E side and rear of the house. The ground rises dramatically to the rear. Beyond the garden (on land previously belonging to this property) there is a recently built modern style dwelling.

Historical information

The village of Castlerock is a small seaside resort which developed in the late 19th and early 20th century, around a railway halt on the line to Londonderry. The 1899 ‘Belfast and Province of Ulster directory’ describes it as ‘a pleasant and rapidly rising watering place close to the Belfast & Northern Counties Railway line, advancing in popularity year after year, as shown by the increasing number of visitors who annually patronise it’, commenting that ‘though decidedly small it has a decided look of superiority. With the exception of several blocks of large houses, it is made up of detached villas, each surrounded with tastefully laid out gardens and grounds…’. This house is one of those villas, built in 1882 by a Samuel McCrory, probably as a seasonal residence. It was originally approached from a drive to the rear, off Main Street, The Promenade only appearing as a thoroughfare in the mid 1900s.

The property was acquired by a Henry Connell in 1906, who may have given it the name ‘Atlantic Lodge’ (the name does not appear in the directories prior to this date).

The extension to the rear was added in the 1980's.

References- Primary sources
1 PRONI VAL/12B/30/10a-f Annual valuation revision notebooks, Parish of Fermoyle and Dunboe, E.D. of Downhill, 1862-1929
2 ‘Belfast and Province of Ulster directory’ (Belfast, 1899- )

Secondary sources
1 Alistair Rowan, ‘The buildings of Ireland- North west Ulster (Penguin, 1979), pp.185-86
2 EHS files.

Evaluation

Small and compact two storey red brick ‘villa’ of 1882 with single storey bays, a shallow pitched pan tile covered gabled roof, ‘side-on’ chimneys with tall pots, and a recent two storey rear extension. Attached to the west side is a small two storey coach house.
Unfortunately the cumulative effect of a number of alterations and repairs, some unavoidable, over recent decades has resulted in the building falling below the quality deemed necessary for listed status.