GLENMONA LODGE, PIERS, PILLARS AND GATEWAY

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

Two-storey seven-bay Neo-Georgian white painted rendered house; rectangular plan-form with a projecting two-storey canted bay on each side of a central porch. There are a number of white painted rendered outbuildings to the NW side arranged around large courtyard accessed from the South and North west sides. Re-built in 1923-4 to designs by Clough Williams Ellis reutilising the burnt-out shell of an earlier T-shaped structure with a single outbuilding constructed c. 1840. Glenmona Lodge was remodelled having a similar layout to the original house but incorporated new features such as the five-arched arcade entrance porch. Situated within parkland to the SE of the Glendun Road and within close proximity to Glendun Lodge [HB05.03.021] to the SW side and a caravan park to the North east side. Glenmona Lodge was converted into a retirement home c. 1956; the building underwent further renovations in 1982 which included the rebuilding of a chimney stack and the reslating of the rear slope of its roof. Located to the north of the Village of Cushendun. At the time of the survey the building was vacant; however the building appeared to be used as a resource centre for meetings and community function purposes.

White painted rendered walling set on a plinth painted in contrasting colour; hipped roof to main house having four tall white painted rendered two-stage chimney-stacks with a moulded cornice and terracotta clay pots; white painted corner quoins; architrave surrounds to window openings painted in contrasting colour, windows are timber sliding sashes with horns; two canted bays to front facade linked by a five-arched arcade having Tuscan columns surmounted by the date [1923], the initials 'RMcN' and the family coat of arms; deep projecting stepped cornice above first floor windows with a rendered parapet above; rectangular cast-iron hopper discharging to a circular section downpipe to front elevation.

Principal elevation faces North-east with a caravan park to the North side and Cushendun Parish Church [HB05.03.019] to the SE side, accessed via a gravel avenue to the North side from the Bay Road just off the Glendun Road; ground floor is nine bays wide, two-storey canted bays have 9/9 timber sliding sash windows on ground floor and 6/6 on first floor above; central five-bay arcaded entrance porch contains three recessed doorways having semicircular arched heads, central main entrance door is flanked by a doorway to either side having a pair of full-height French doors and a glazed fanlight over; main entrance opening has a panelled painted timber door with a large glazed top pane set within a plain architrave surround having a plain glazed transom light above and a semicircular arch headed fanlight over. First floor directly above entrance porch has a pair of French doors with glazing bars, opening out onto a large balcony with canted bays to either side. The overall building is set back behind a low stone wall with a white painted rendered section above containing a set of stone steps leading to the main entrance porch.

South-east side elevation overlooks a large garden in lawns; walling is of white painted rendered finish with painted corner quoins and moulded architrave surrounds to all openings; there is a projecting two-storey entrance porch, centred on elevation, accessed via a set of three red brick wide steps leading to a pair of semicircular headed arches supported by a Tuscan column with a recessed set of bi-folding doors with glazing bars having transom lights above; first floor project entrance porch has a 6/6 timber sliding sash window with a deep projecting cornice above and parapet wall over, partially concealing a slated hipped roof behind. To the right side of entrance porch on main elevation there are two 9/9 timber sliding sash windows on ground floor and two 6/6 sliding sashes above aligned with bays on ground floor; the SE elevation to the left side of entrance porch is three bays wide and three storeys, ground floor has a doorway containing a pair of timber panelled and glazed doors with two window bays to the left, ground floor bays are aligned with bays on upper storeys (including mezzanine level), ground and mezzanine level windows have 3/6 timber sliding sashes, first floor bays have 6/6 timber sliding sashes.

South-west elevation to the rear is abutted by a two-storey block to the left and right side of the main elevation; right side return has a hipped roof over with slate cladding to the SW elevation and two timber sliding sash windows to the NW elevation; left side rear return has a slated pitched roof with a white painted rendered chimney stack, walling is of white painted render with a three-sided canted bay window on first floor level; both blocks are connected by a white painted rendered two-storey block having a timber sliding sash window and a doorway on first floor level to the SW elevation accessed via an external metal staircase; SW elevation of main building is blank (where seen - full access to rear yard was not permitted); there is a small conservation roof light to the rear slope of slated pitched roof. Rear courtyard is enclosed by a high concrete wall to the SE and SW sides; NW elevation of left side rear return is abutted by a white painted rendered outbuilding extending at a right angle to the SW side of the garden.

North-west elevation is of four bays wide having a small doorway to the left side on first floor level accessed via an external metal staircase from the NE side; to the right of doorway there are three window bays on first floor having 6/6 timber sliding sashes and four window bays on ground floor, aligned with upper floor bays, having 9/9 timber sliding sashes. Deep projecting moulded cornice above first floor windows on front elevation returns the corner to side elevation with painted quoins to the left and right side of elevation.

Stone outbuildings to the NW and SW sides arranged around the rear garden are a mixture of white painted rough-cast render or stone with slated hipped roofs.

Setting:
Situated within parkland to the South-east of the Glendun Road accessed via a gravel avenue from Bay Road, just off the Glendun Road. The house and surrounding outbuildings are within close proximity to Glendun Lodge to the South-west side, Cushendun Parish Church to the South-east side and a popular caravan park to the North side. Located to the North of the Village of Cushendun.

Materials:
Roof: Natural Slate
RWGs: Cast-iron painted
Walling: White rendered
Windows: Timber sliding sash

Historical information

Glenmona Lodge, a two-storey seven-bay Neo-Georgian dwelling located to the north of the village of Cushendun, was originally constructed in c. 1840 but was rebuilt in 1923-24 following a fire which severely damaged the building. The first edition Ordnance Survey map shows that a dwelling stood on the site as early as the 1830s, although this was a much smaller property than the current building. The map depicted the first building on the site as a T-shaped structure with a single outbuilding, both of which were erected to the north-west side of an ancient rath. The Townland Valuations (1834) described the building on the site as a 1A class dwelling (that is a new or nearly new slated building) that measured 30ft by 30ft and stood 17ft in height. The valuer noted that the building was valued at £11 and 12 shillings and was occupied by Michael Harrison, a local solicitor. In his Five Big Houses of Cushendun (1997), Brett noted that Glenmona Lodge was constructed by Edmund McNeill (1821-1915), a prominent local landlord who was also responsible for the erection of Glendun Lodge and Rockport Lodge and who leased the site out to Harrison from the 1830s (Brett – Five Big Houses, p.35).

Cushendun, located along the River Dun, was developed from the early-19th century when travel across mainland Europe was cut off by the Napoleonic wars. Ireland became a popular destination for British tourists during this period, necessitating the development of new routes and hotels between Belfast and popular picturesque sites along the Antrim Coast such as Dunluce Castle and the Giants Causeway. The previously isolated Glens of Antrim at once became accessible with the development of the Coastal Road between 1832 and 1842. Villages along the coast such as Cushendall and Cushendun were transformed from minor settlements into popular seaside resorts that soon became thronged with seasonal visitors. A number of summer houses (or ‘Bathing Lodges’) were constructed along the coast by city-based professionals and merchants, including the impressive residences of Glenmona Lodge and Glendun Lodge at Cushendun (Lewis; Bassett, p. 137; Cushendun Conservation Area Guides).

The Cushendun Building Preservation Trust records that Michael Harrison was born in 1769 at Magherintemple near Ballycastle, and acquired the lease for Glenmona Lodge in the 1830s (he subsequently enlarged the house in c. 1840). Harrison was the principal mover in the construction of Cushendun Old Church (HB05/03/019) for which he provided land within his estate. The church was erected between 1837 and 1840 and, following his death in 1846, a memorial tablet to Michael Harrison was installed in the north wall of the church. Glenmona Lodge was greatly increased in size between 1834 and the second edition Ordnance Survey map (1857) which depicted the building along its current layout as a large square-shaped building which possessed two rear-returns and a large L-shaped outbuilding range extending from the north of the house. The contemporary Griffith’s Valuation (1859) increased the value of Glenmona Lodge to £60 and noted that the building was leased by Edmund McNeill to John B. Hartwell, a local magistrate.

Hartwell continued to reside at Glenmona until c. 1865 when the property passed to John Finlay (c. 1835-1907), a Belfast-based flax and tow merchant who held business premises at No. 7 Donegall Square East and maintained Glenmona as his summer residence for approximately four decades. Brett described Glenmona Lodge’s appearance in the following terms: ‘the house was at this period seven bays wide by three deep, with a prominent two-storey canted bay on each side of the porch. It had a hipped roof, with four prominent chimney-stacks symmetrically disposed; walls apparently rendered or stuccoed, and Victorian plate-glass windows’ (Brett, p. 35). In 1901 the Census of Ireland described Glenmona Lodge as a 1st class dwelling that consisted of 25 rooms and possessed extensive outbuildings including two stables, a coach house, two cow houses, a dairy, boiling house and a barn. Following John Finlay’s death in 1907 Glenmona Lodge reverted to the McNeill family and fell vacant for several years.

In c. 1910 Glenmona Lodge was reoccupied by Edmund McNeill’s son, Ronald John McNeill (1861-1934), a prominent solicitor and politician. Ronald McNeill had predominantly resided in London but, with the death of his parents in 1910 and 1915, he returned to Cushendun and set about putting the family estate in order including Glenmona Lodge which became his private dwelling. McNeill was an outspoken Ulster Unionist who campaigned vigorously against Home Rule and served as a Unionist Member of Parliament. He held several important political offices including the Under-Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs (1922-25) and Financial Secretary to the Treasury (1925-27) and twice served as the British Representative to the League of Nations (McNeill signed the Kellogg-Briand Pact on behalf of the British Government in August 1928). Ronald McNeill was responsible for the most sustained development of Cushendun since the early-19th century and commissioned the construction of The Square (HB05/03/014) Maud Cottages (HB05/03/018) in 1912 and 1926 respectively (ODNB).

As a result of his outspoken opposition of the Anglo-Irish Treaty, Ronald McNeill’s residence at Glenmona Lodge was burned by the local I.R.A. on 20th May 1922. McNeill commissioned Sir. (Bertram) Clough Williams-Ellis (1883-1978) to reconstruct the building. The work was carried out between 1923 and 1924 and reutilised the burnt-out shell of the previous house. A London-based architect now best known for the Italianate design of Portmeirion, a tourist village in Wales which he designed in stages between 1925 and 1975, Williams-Ellis had also been responsible for the design of The Square and Maud Cottages. Photographs of the house before and after the reconstruction show that Williams-Ellis remodelled the building along a similar layout to the original house but incorporated new features such as the five-arched arcade entrance. The UAHS Guide for the Glens of Antrim (1972) described the remodelled residence in the following terms: ‘The Neo-Georgian house of Lord Cushendun … a seven-bay front with hipped roof, quoins, architraves and glazing bars in the traditional manner; two-storey in front, three-storey at the rear; two canted bays in the façade linked by a five-arched arcade on Tuscan columns surmounted by the date [1923], the initials ‘RMcN’ and the family coat of arms’ (DIA; ODNB; UAHS guide, p. 42).

Following the renovation and remodelling of the building Glenmona Lodge was reoccupied by Ronald McNeill and his family and was increased in value to £155 under the First General Revaluation of Property in Northern Ireland (1936-57). Ronald John McNeill had been created the First Baron Cushendun in 1927, however the title became extinct after his death in 1934. Following McNeill’s death Glenmona Lodge remained with his family until 1954 when the residence (and the majority of buildings in the village) passed into the care of the National Trust. Glenmona Lodge was subsequently converted into a retirement home which was administered by the County Antrim Welfare Authority and was further increased in value to £300 under the Second General Revaluation (1956-72).

Glenmona Lodge was listed in 1980. In that year the property was included in the Cushendun Conservation Area which was designated as a means of ‘protecting and enhancing the special qualities of the village.’ The Cushendun Conservation Area Guide states that ‘in the association of such diverse buildings as The Square, Maud Cottages and Glenmona (not to mention other schemes that were planned but not carried out) it is possible to see a manifestation of the same spirit that created the kaleidoscopic harmony of [William Ellis’] Portmeirion. In that sense, at least, Cushendun may be regarded as a true precursor of the renowned architect’s famous architectural fantasy village.’ The NIEA HB Records note that Glenmona Lodge underwent a renovation in 1982 which included the rebuilding of a chimney stack and the reslating of the rear slope of its roof (Cushendun Conservation Area Guide; NIEA HB Records). During the 1990s Glenmona Lodge was leased by the National Trust to the Northern Health Board who operated a resource centre for health and social services for the Glendun district (Brett – Five Big Houses, p. 39).

References

Primary Sources
1. PRONI OS/6/1/15/1 – First Edition Ordnance Survey Map (1832)
2. PRONI OS/6/1/15/2 – Second Edition Ordnance Survey Map (1857)
3. PRONI OS/6/1/15/3 – Third Edition Ordnance Survey Map (1903-04)
4. PRONI OS/6/1/15/4 – Fourth Edition Ordnance Survey Map (1922)
5. PRONI VAL/1/A/1/15 – Townland Valuations Map (c. 1830)
6. PRONI VAL/1/B/133 – Townland Valuations (1834)
7. PRONI VAL/2/B/1/27B – Griffith’s Valuation (1859)
8. PRONI VAL/12/B/2/8A-D – Annual Revisions (1864-1923)
9. PRONI VAL/12/B/2/15D – Annual Revisions (1909-30)
10. PRONI VAL/12/E/25/1 – Annual Revisions Town Plan (c. 1909-c. 1935)
11. PRONI VAL/3/C/1/5 – First General Revaluation of Property in Northern Ireland (1936-57)
12. PRONI VAL/4/B/1/11 – Second General Revaluation of Property in Northern Ireland (1956-72)
13. Lewis’ Topographical Dictionary of Ireland (1837)
14. Ulster Town Directories (1861-1918)
15. Bassett’s County Antrim: A guide and directory (1888)
16. First Survey Record – HB05/03/020 (1971)
17. NIEA HB Record – HB05/03/020

Secondary Sources
1. Brett, C. E. B., ‘List of historic buildings, groups of buildings and areas of architectural importance in the Glens of Antrim’ Belfast: Ulster Architectural Heritage Society, 1972.
2. Brett, C. E. B., ‘Buildings of Co. Antrim’ Belfast: Ulster Architectural Heritage Society, 1996.
3. Brett, C. E. B., ‘Five big houses of Cushendun and some literary associations’ Belfast: Lagan Press, 1997.
4. ‘Cushendun Village Conservation Area’ Belfast: Department of the Environment, 1980.
5. ‘Cushendun Conservation Area’ Belfast: Department of the Environment, 1996 – includes Ordnance Survey Town Plan of 1922.

Online Resources
1. Dictionary of Irish Architects - http:// www.dia.ie/
2. Oxford Dictionary of National Biography - http:// www.oxforddnb.com/
3. Cushendun Building Preservation Trust website - http:// www.cushendunbpt.org/history.htm

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

A. Style
B. Proportion
C. Ornamentation
D. Plan Form
H+. Alterations enhancing the building
I. Quality and survival of Interior
J. Setting
K. Group value

Criteria for listing: historic interest

U. Historic Associations
X. Local Interest
V. Authorship
R. Age
S. Authenticity
T. Historic Importance

Evaluation

A large two-storey seven-bay Neo-Georgian white painted rendered house; irregular plan-form with a two-storey canted bay to either side of a central arcaded entrance porch to front elevation and a projecting bay to the SE side elevation. Originally constructed in 1840s by Michael Harrison on land leased from the O'Neills, the house was re-built 1923-24 to designs Clough Williams Ellis reutilising a burnt-out shell of an earlier T-shaped structure. Glenmona Lodge was remodelled having a similar layout to the original house and incorporated new features such as the arcaded entrance porch to the front (NE) elevation. The exterior of the building exhibits historic character and style with detailing consistent for its time; the interior detail has been partially altered including the removal of original fireplaces. There are a number of white painted rendered outbuildings to the NW side arranged around large courtyard accessed from the South and North-west sides. Situated within parkland to the SE of the Glendun Road overlooking the Bay of Cushendun and within close proximity to Glendun Lodge [HB05.03.021], the house is contemporary to the The Square (HB05/03/014A-G) and Maud Cottages(HB05/03/018A-D) also by Clough Williams Ellis, forming part of a significant group within the village.

General comments

This record has been re-numbered and was previously HB05/03/020.