Gate lodge and Gate Screen Kilwaughter Castle

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

A one and a half storey gate lodge built of random rubble greystone with roughly dressed corners and gabled slated roofs, with a modern extension to the rear, and connected at the side to a screen wall and gateway of regular coursed greystone which originally formed the main entrance to Kilwaughter Castle; lodge currently undergoing building work.

Gateway comprises a pair of octagonal piers, facing east. Piers built of snecked squared greystone in regular courses with rounded sandstone cornice supporting crenellations; narrow vertical unglazed slit openings dressed in sandstone at high level. Rounded projecting base moulding to piers, except across inner faces which are smooth cement rendered, lined and blocked, to two-thirds height, a later modification where original archway has been removed. Tree growth emerging from top of each pier; later signs affixed to front of each pier, a metal one to the south pier, and a wooden one to the north pier. A modern tubular steel gateway now closes the entrance. To each side is a screen wall of squared greystone in regular courses with a crenellated top bearing sandstone copings of weathered profile; third crenellation to the north from north pier is damaged with coping missing. Satellite dish attached to front face on north screen wall; at right hand extremity the screen wall returns east to abut the lodge. On the south side it extends to the main roadside where it angles back for two crenellations and then is continued by the rubble basalt boundary wall. Rear faces of screen wall are of similar quality stone work to front, but at rear side of return to east side it changes to roughly squared basalt in rough courses with dressed quoins at outer corner; lean-to wooden shed stands up against rear face of screen wall return. Driveway between the octagonal gate piers is of soft surface, grass and mud immediately to the rear of gateway, and grass merging with hard-standing immediately to the front.

Main entrance of gate lodge faces south. South elevation of two bays; a small gabled porch projecting forward from the centre of a large gabled projection to the left hand side, with a rectangular window to the right hand side. Main roof of large Bangor blue slates in irregular courses, with evidence of re-slating to upper half of roof; red terracotta ridge tiles with serrated cresting, broken through at centre by cross ridge of rear extension. Original finials at each end of ridge now missing. Roof of gabled projection has similar Bangor blue slates but plain terracotta ridge tiles; original finial at front of ridge now missing; moss in valleys. Oversailing white painted wooden barge board with decorative cusping, broken and rotted to bottom of left hand barge; two cuspings broken off at top of right hand barge. PVC gutter, not closed at either end. Porch roof has Bangor blue slates in regular courses and serrated terracotta ridge tiles; oversailing ornamental barge board, as previous, complete; soffits sheeted in with hardboard, partly rotted to left hand side; lead flashing missing at bottom to each side. Porch walls of greystone rubble in rough courses with original lime mortar; red brick Tudor archway over door opening and red brickwork to apex of gable above arch. White painted cement render to reveals of recessed doorway. Chamfered wooden door frame of Tudor-arched shape. Double doors of ledged pine, varnished, new replacements, with new metal letterbox but old iron doorknob of octagonal form, possibly original. Moulded sandstone plinth to each side of doorway, but partly missing to left hand side; similar plinth along east side of porch, and returning across south face of lodge, but some blocks missing. Blank west wall to porch with plain eaves fascia. Plain eaves fascia to east wall of porch, with narrow round-headed window below, set in dark stained and varnished pine surround; window frame in white painted wood with lozenge pattern glazing bars; tinted translucent glass not original; cill of painted cement. Window to right of porch in south wall of lodge: two-light fixed window in white painted timber with wooden glazing bars of lozenge pattern set in dark stained and varnished pine surround with central mullion; splayed cill of white painted cement; white painted wooden lintel surmounted by a brown painted wooden dripboard sloping down and carried on shaped curved white painted brackets to each side.

West elevation gabled; oversailing decorative barge boarding as previous, complete except for portion rotted away at bottom of right hand side. Rectangular three-light window to ground floor with splayed cement cill, painted wooden lintel, and chamfered frames with chamfered mullions. Lozenge pattern glazing bars of wood, with new translucent glass of various tints and patterns. Narrow semi-circular headed window to attic storey; some red brickwork dressings to head, frame of white painted timber, lozenge pattern glazing as previous, with plain glass. Projecting forward from the left hand side of the main west gable of lodge, a screen wall of squared greystone in regular courses with crenellations to the top, containing a Tudor-arched opening close to the lodge and extending to meet the front screen wall of the castle entrance gateway. Lodge owner’s property extends along screen wall to end of third crenellation, thus including the Tudor-arched opening. Rusted iron remains of supports in archway for original door which is now gone. Rear face of Tudor-arched opening has flat arch.

Beyond screen, roughly dressed basalt nib wall on west elevation of lodge steps back to short length of basalt rubble walling, containing some roughly squared blocks, and with irregular curved outline, presumably an end wall of an original lean-to rear projection but now absorbed in newly rendered wall of rear extension. Roof of extension of Bangor blue slates in regular courses, with serrated terracotta ridge tiles broken near right hand side of ridge by a short square chimney of concrete blockwork with concrete copings but original-looking pot. Looks like zinc flashing to valley between roofs of original lodge and rear extension. Timber fascia; PVC gutter, and downpipe of square section. Wall finish of smooth cement render with crude attempt to give appearance of stonework by means of roughly curving lines or channels scoured over it. Rectangular doorway with cement rendered reveals; new glazed and panelled door of teak; modern translucent glass with leaf pattern; modern brass handle and modern brass-like metal draft excluder affixed around frame.

North elevation: two-storey gable of rear extension, with rear roof of original lodge appearing to each side behind it. Rear extension gable cement rendered with crude attempt at pointed stonework appearance as on west side; shaped timber barge boards, new; rectangular timber window to each floor, new, of teak, comprising two fixed lights of plate glass with side hung casement of lozenge pattern leading; all double glazed.

East elevation comprises east gable of original lodge to left, with side wall of rear extension projecting to the right. Gable of lodge has oversailing decorative barge boards as previous, complete; white painted hardboard soffits to overhang. Two-light rectangular window with sloping dripboard, to ground floor, detailed as previous to front elevation. Round headed window to first floor as on first floor of west gable but frame of dark stained and varnished pine. East wall of extension is set back slightly, cement rendered as previous but also incorporating basalt walling of original lean-to rear extension of lodge, built of roughly square blocks with some galleting. Roof as previous to extension, with similar rainwater goods; gabled dormer with roof of similar slates but plain terracotta ridge tiles, PVC guttering each side of dormer; plywood front and cheeks, shaped wooden barge boards, all timber not yet given final finish; rectangular window, two-light side hung casements as previous to extension. Rectangular double doors of teak, new, detailed as previous but glazed with small panes of bevelled glass. Two steps up to doorway finished with modern concrete paving slabs. Projecting from centre of elevation, near right hand side of original gable of lodge, a low screen wall of roughly squared greystone in regular courses extending to side boundary at road side but roughly broken through at intermediate point to create entrance to rear garden.

Setting: the entrance screen and lodge stand at the original entrance to Kilwaughter demesne, alongside the main road, in a very rural area, and are seen against a background of mature trees and thick vegetation. Front garden area bounded by a modern slatted wooden fence; fence currently partly dismantled for access during building works. Fence continues round northwards as far as stone walling which is in partly damaged condition; walling continues as far as stream which it straddles. Lodge bounded on north side by a stream.

Historical information

Built as the main entrance and lodge to Kilwaughter Castle. Gate screen appears on OS map for 1832 along with a smaller gate lodge than present. The present gate lodge appears for the first time on OS map of 1857. Archway between gate piers removed during Second World War (1939-45) to allow passage of large vehicles when Kilwaughter Castle became an American Army Transit Camp.

Ordnance Survey Memoirs of Ireland, Vol 10: Parishes of County Antrim III, p 109.
J.A.K. Dean, The Gate Lodges of Ulster (UAHS, Belfast, 1994), p 18 [includes a photograph showing the original archway between the gate piers].

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

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

Criteria for listing: historic interest

X. Local Interest

Evaluation

Gate screen and lodge, excluding rear extension to lodge. This is a composite structure which displays a distinct style and proportion in its two main parts despite the loss of an original archway to the gate screen and the addition of a sizeable extension to the lodge. Together the two parts form a picturesque group in an attractive setting. It is of local interest as the original entrance to an important demesne and is of international interest as it is at least partly, if not wholly, the work of one of the most important British architects of the period.