Lodge at Magheramorne House

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

A 1½ storey gabled lodge in a Gothic Revival style, built of rubble blackstone in rough courses, with red block sandstone dressings to windows and doors, plain string courses, and moulded gable copings.

Main entrance faces south-east. Entrance elevation comprises a two-storey gable to the left of a lower wing of plain walling set back to the right, with a single storey gabled porch in the angle to the right of the main gable. Roofs of Bangor Blue slates in regular courses; red terracotta ridge tiles; cast iron gutter to right hand wing, discharging onto porch roof; circular cast iron downpipe with moulded polygonal hopper between porch and main gable. Walling of black basalt rubble in rough courses; later reticulated pointing; rusticated red sandstone quoins to extremities; plain ashlar string courses; red sandstone weathering to off-set plinth; moulded red sandstone copings to gables. Main gables shouldered at mid-slope with ball finial to apex; porch gable without shoulders, but carved foliated label stop to left hand coping and foliated ball finial to apex. Ground floor of main gable has a pair of windows below a single window in first floor; windows rectangular timber sliding sash, vertically hung, 2 over 2, with horns, to first floor, but now 2 over 1, with horns to ground floor, as glazing bar of lower sashes to ground floor later removed. Red sandstone surrounds, chamfered to head and to cill, stop chamfered to sides; Gothic relieving arch in rough faced red sandstone over each window; plain red sandstone shield contained within relieving arch panel to first floor. Rectangular timber door, new, varnished hardwood, six panel with modern brass handle and letterbox, set in recessed red sandstone surround with stop chamfered sides and coved inside corners to chamfered head; pink tinted concrete doorstep. Wing to right behind porch has one chimney across ridge; basalt rubble with dressings and front part of base in red sandstone ashlar; stack above is rebuilt in rustic brick with string courses; two tall pots, one original and one modern.

South-west elevation comprises side of main 1½ storey block: roof as previous, between gable upstands to each side; original iron rooflight of two panes; cast iron gutter on chamfered red sandstone eaves course; circular cast iron downpipe centrally placed between two windows; windows similar to entrance front, retaining all glazing bars; sandstone relieving arches.

North-west elevation comprises main two-storey rear gable of main block, with rear of lower wing set back to the left; low hipped roofed block in angle. Main gable similar to that on entrance front, with one window to first floor, as previous; doorway in ground floor, to left of short rear return; rectangular timber door with two translucent glazed panels and modern brass handle, set in brick surround, brickwork painted white as is stonework and brick dressings of low hipped block to left. One window in rear of hipped block within yard: small rectangular timber sliding sash, vertically hung, 1 over 1, with horns; projecting stone cill painted black. Rear return projecting to right, slated as previous; cast iron gutter and downpipe; smooth cement rendered finish to north wall of return, painted white; modern wooden doors and window to return. Enclosing wall of rest of yard, facing into yard, is rubble stonework with brick dressings to yard doorway, all painted white. Cast iron gutter to hipped block, with large PVC downpipe within yard; yard floor of concrete. Exterior face of yard wall is basalt rubble with later reticulated pointing; red sandstone copings. Projecting to south and to west from yard wall are later lean-to sheds of corrugated iron, one with corrugated asbestos roof, one with asphalt roof.

North-east elevation comprises gable of wing projecting forward with side of porch stepped back to left and side of low hipped block stepped back to right with yard wall and entrance extending to right hand extremity. Main gable has one window in ground floor, sashed as previous, 2 over 2, with a plain sandstone shield in the apex above surmounted by a small relieving arch. Porch to left has one small window, rectangular timber sliding sash, vertically hung, 1 over 1, with horns, with chamfered sandstone surrounds as previous; cast iron gutter on chamfered sandstone eaves course; cast iron downpipe in corner to right. Low hipped block has a similar window; similar gutter on timber fascia to oversailing eaves with later flat cement rendered soffit. Yard wall as to north-west elevation, with central doorway rising above level of coping; rectangular flush timber yard-door with upper panel not now glazed, set in chamfered sandstone surround with coved inner corners to head.

Setting: the building stands near the main road, just inside the original main gateway to Magheramorne House, screened from the road by trees and shrubs. The gate piers and front boundary walls are the property of Magheramorne House (HB 06/05/017). There is a tarmac area directly in front of the gate lodge leading off the tarmac driveway to the hotel, bordered by a rockery to one side and a grassy bank to the other side. To the side and rear is a garden containing flower beds laid out with concrete paths. The
setting is secluded and leafy.

Historical information

Designed c 1878 by Samuel P. Close and built c 1880 as the gate lodge for Magheramorne House, the residence of Sir James McGarel Hogg, the first Lord Magheramorne.

References - Secondary Sources

1. Northern Ireland Heritage Gardens Committee, Heritage Gardens Inventory, 1992: AN 109 (gate lodge referred to under Magheramorne House).
2. J.A.K. Dean, The Gate Lodges of Ulster (UAHS, Belfast, 1994), p 21.

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

A. Style
B. Proportion
C. Ornamentation
D. Plan Form
H-. Alterations detracting from building
J. Setting
K. Group value

Criteria for listing: historic interest

V. Authorship
X. Local Interest

Evaluation

This is a structure which displays a distinct style and proportion together with a commensurate plan form. It stands in an attractive and picturesque setting and forms part of an attractive group along with the adjacent gatescreen to the main house and other estate structures with which it is associated. Designed by a leading Irish architect it is of considerable local interest as forming part of an important local demesne.