Town Lodge

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

Two storey, stone-built, gabled gate lodge of c.1840-45 with simple Tudoresque overtones and large full height rear return of c.1900. The lodge, which stands at the ‘Town’ or south-east gate to the Glenarm Castle demesne, has had its stone façade painted in relatively recent years.

The front (W) elevation is symmetrical. To the centre of the ground floor of this elevation is a small gabled porch with overhanging verge. To the front gable of the porch is a pointed arch (vaguely Tudor) doorway, recessed within which is a panelled and glazed door with triangular fanlight. To both the N and S faces of the porch there is a very narrow two pane window with semicircular arch head and in/out dressings and two pane timber frame.

To either side of the porch is a window with double sash frame sash windows, (each 2/2- horizontal glazing bars), in-out dressings and square drip moulding and label stops. To the first floor there are three evenly spaced windows, similar to those to ground floor but with plain double sash frames and no drip moulding (the openings are actually quite close to the eaves).

The N gable has a very narrow semicircular arch headed window to the centre of the first floor, with dressings as before and plain sash frame.

The S gable has a small, relatively recent two sided oriel window to the centre of the ground and first floors. The window frames to both oriels are top hung.

To the left of centre of the rear elevation is a large, two storey gabled return. The exposed rear façade of the main section of the house, to either side of the return, is blank. The E (gabled) face of the return is blank while the S face has a sheeted door with plain fanlight to the left on the ground floor and a 4/4 sash window to the right (horizontal and vertical glazing bars). To the first floor are two similar (but smaller) sash windows. The N face of the return has two 4/4 sash windows each to ground and first floors.

The façade of the original section of the house is in squared stone with in-out quoins and dressings- all now painted. The return is finished in painted lined render with chamfered in-out [?moulded] quoins. The gabled roof has an overhang with plain barges and is covered in natural slate. There are two chimneystacks to the centre of the ridge of the original section, both recently rebuilt in concrete brick. There is a rendered chimneystack to the gable of the return. Cast iron rw goods.

Historical information

This lodge was built some time between 1836 and 1857, for it is shown on the OS map of the latter date, but does not appear on an estate map which was drawn up in 1836 or slightly later. J.A.K. Dean in ‘The gate lodges of Ulster’ believes it to be c.1845 and probably by William Vitruvius Morrison, who had remodelled Glenarm Castle and built the ‘Barbican’ lodge in the mid 1820s. Whilst the date might be accurate, and the Tudoresque overtones of the lodge resemble Morrison’s other work, there is as yet no apparent documentary evidence to suggest it is by him; moreover Morrison died in 1838.

The building originally consisted solely of the front portion. The return is shown on the OS map of 1903; judging from the internal detailing it is likely that it was added not long before this date, perhaps c.1900. The façade of the building was first painted some time before 1970.

References- Primary sources
1 PRONI D.2977 Antrim Papers
2 Estate map of Glenarm c.1836 [within Glenarm Castle]
3 PRONI OS/6/1/29/2 OS map, Co Antrim sh 29, 1857
4 PRONI OS/6/1/29/3 OS map, Co Antrim sh 29, 1903

Secondary sources
1 J.A.K. Dean ‘The Gate lodges of Ulster- a gazetteer’ (Belfast 1994), p.15

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

A. Style
B. Proportion
H-. Alterations detracting from building
J. Setting
K. Group value

Criteria for listing: historic interest

X. Local Interest

Evaluation

Two storey, stone-built, gabled gate lodge of c.1840-45 with simple Tudoresque overtones and large full height rear return of c.1900. The lodge, which" guards" the ‘Town’ or south-east gate to the Glenarm Castle demesne, has had its stone façade painted in relatively recent years. It is a good example of its type and retains its original setting.