Gate Lodge, Coolnafranky House

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

This is a detached one and a half-storey stone faced former gate lodge to Coolnafranky House, built c. 1878, possibly to designs by John Lanyon. The property is now in use as a private dwelling. To the rear there is an original one and a half-storey return and two later additions.

The front Western elevation faces onto the entrance to Coolnafranky House. To the right side of the rear there is a one and a half-storey return. To the left side there is a single-storey lean-to. To the rear of the return there is a later single-storey pitched roof extension.

The front elevation is symmetrical and contains a central projecting entrance porch. Square headed windows to either side of front entrance bay have chamfered cut-stone surrounds and sills, and 1/1 stained timber sliding sash windows. The central bay contains the round-headed door opening, with panelled timber door and fanlight. The fanlight is framed with a carved surround with label stops. The carved stone verge to the gable has a stone ball finial to the apex.

The Northern side elevation fronts onto Molesworth Street and has three sections; a gable end to right, a lean-to to centre and pitched roof return to left. The stone gable end is shaped with projecting kneelers to the eaves supporting a skewed gable. It has a 1/1 timber sliding sash window and cut stone surrounds. The single-storey lean-to return to centre has paired square-headed windows with single-lights. The lean-to is set to the north side of the main return. There is a cut stone gabled dormer window to main return; this has a single-light window. The dormer gable is as per the main gables but smaller. Ruled and lined render faces the walls of the left rear extension; this has two square-headed timber doors.

The Southern side elevation comprises a gable end to left, the side of the main return to the centre and the later extension to right. The gable and the return have 1/1 timber sliding sash windows, with stone dressings as previous. The later return has no windows.

The Eastern elevation has the gable of the main return; the later return is attached to the east side of this. The gable of the return is stone faced and has a circular carved stone chimneystack to the apex while the gable of the extension is rendered.

The roof is slated and has a projecting carved stone eaves. There are two large circular chimneystacks set at either end of the ridge. The roof to the extension has overhanging eaves with decorative carved timber barge boards. Ridges are formed with pierced clay ridge tiles.

Walls to the rear extension are finished with lined render and rest on a stone plinth. The rock faced snecked stone walls rest on a projecting chamfered plinth. To most external corners there are smooth stone quoins.

Setting:
The former gate lodge is slightly set back from the main Molesworth Road on the corner of the main driveway into Coolnafranky House. The building is surrounded by a low-rise snecked stone wall. The house has a tarmac parking area to the North and a small garden to South. The house is set to the North-eastern side of the town centre at the beginning of the mainly Victorian suburban Molesworth Road.

Historical information

This gate lodge was built to serve Coolnafranky House. J.A.K. Dean dates it at c.1870, and says that it may have been designed by John Lanyon. The valuations show it was actually built in 1878; however, the identity of the author remains uncertain. Coolnafranky House itself was built in 1858 for James Gunning, who, in partnership with James Moore, had bought a large part of the Stewart family’s Cookstown estate in 1851. (For more on Coolnafranky House see HB09/13/005B).

A James Harris is recorded as living the lodge in 1885, and remained there up until at least 1909. A Michael John Quinn is noted as resident in 1936, remaining there until 1951, when Coolnafranky House and its grounds were acquired by the Tyrone Education Committee for the building of the present Cookstown High and Cookstown Primary school complexes.

References- Primary sources
1 PRONI VAL/12B/37/5C Annual valuation revision book, Cookstown ED, 1868-81
2 PRONI VAL/12B/37/5D Annual valuation revision book, Cookstown ED, 1881
3 PRONI VAL/12B/37/5E Annual valuation revision book, Cookstown ED, 1881
4 PRONI VAL/12B/37/5F Annual valuation revision book, Cookstown ED, 1882-90
5 PRONI VAL/12B/37/5G Annual valuation revision book, Cookstown ED, 1882-88
6 PRONI VAL/12B/37/5J Annual valuation revision book, Cookstown ED, 1889-94 [The reference number for this book is out of sequence in the
PRONI catalogue- the dates it covers are actually earlier than VAL/12B/37/5H.]
7 PRONI VAL/12B/37/5H Annual valuation revision book, Cookstown ED, 1895-99
8 PRONI VAL/12B/37/5K Annual valuation revision book, Cookstown ED, 1889-99
9 PRONI VAL/12E/171/1/1-2 Valuation plan of Cookstown, 1892-97 [2 sheets]
10 PRONI OS/33/1/1-5 OS plan of Cookstown, 1895 [5 sheets]
11 PRONI OS/9/10/2/1-2 OS plan of Cookstown, index map, 1895 [2 sheets]
12 PRONI OS/9/10/3/1-5 OS plan of Cookstown, 1895 [5 sheets]
13 PRONI VAL/12E/171/2/1-3 Valuation plan of Cookstown, 1897-1910 [3 sheets]
14 PRONI VAL/12B/37/7A Annual valuation revision book, Cookstown ED, 1901-07
15 PRONI VAL/12B/37/7B Annual valuation revision book, Cookstown ED, 1909-15
16 PRONI OS/33/2/1-4 OS plan, 1909 & 1918 [4 sheets]
17 PRONI VAL/12B/37/7C Annual valuation revision book, Cookstown ED, 1916-29
18 PRONI VAL/3G/142/1 /1-4 Valuation plan of Cookstown, 1936-37 [4 sheets]
19 PRONI VAL/3C/7/8 First general revaluation of Northern Ireland, Cookstown Urban, 1936-57
20 PRONI VAL/3G/142/2/1-4 Valuation plan of Cookstown, 1937-51
21 PRONI VAL/4B/6/10 Second general revaluation of Northern Ireland, Cookstown Urban vol.1, 1956-72
22 PRONI VAL/4B/6/11 Second general revaluation of Northern Ireland, Cookstown Urban vol.2E, 1956-72

Secondary sources
1 Oram, R.W. and Rankin, P.J., Historic buildings…Dungannon & Cookstown (Belfast, UAHS, 1971)
2 Rowan, A.J., ‘The buildings of Ireland – North west Ulster’, (London, 1979)
3 Dean, J.A.K. , ‘The gate lodges of Ulster- a gazetteer’ (Belfast, 1994)

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

A. Style
B. Proportion
C. Ornamentation
D. Plan Form
K. Group value

Criteria for listing: historic interest

X. Local Interest

Evaluation

Although much restored, this is a well preserved example of a small picturesque nineteenth-century gate lodge. It shares a group value with the nearby Coonafranky House (HB 09/13/005). The gate lodge is designed in a picturesque Victorian style; this is in marked contrast to the classical character of the main house. Combined with the nearby railway related structures and various houses in the area this adds much to the overall Victorian character and appearance of the area. The building has strong architectural character combined with the good quality decorative stone detailing.