Leitrim Lodge

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

This complex, on the west side of the road, comprises four components as viewed from the road: (1) single storey / three bay vernacular farmhouse at north, (2) single storey / three bay later hunting lodge with canted gable at south, (3) outbuildings at north, and (4) dog kennels at rear of farmhouse(HB16/07/019B). There is a distinct level change between the two dwellings.

1. Vernacular farmhouse

Pitched natural slate roof aligned north-south. Painted cement rendered chimney between left and central bays. Modern painted timber eaves supporting semicircular plastic rainwater goods. Front elevation faces E and is cement dashed and painted; smooth rendered base course. Central bay has a large porch return at right. This has a pitched roof (detailed as main block), but with slightly lower ridge and with a terracotta finial to its gable end. Its walls are as façade. It has a modern painted timber door on its left cheek. On its gable is a modern window with top hung transom and thin concrete cill. Above this window is a small fixed occulus. Right cheek is blank. To immediate left of porch is a modern window (as that to porch). There is a similar window to each remaining bay.

The right gable of this block forms a party wall with the outbuildings (see later) and its left gable forms party wall with the hunting lodge.

The rear (west) elevation of the farmhouse is pebble dashed with smooth cement rendered basecourse. There is a single modern top hung window to the central bay.

2. Hunting lodge

Left bay has a pitched natural slate roof.. The central bay has a natural slate roof aligned W-E and canted to east gable. Both roofs have decorative terracotta ridge tiles and a cement rendered and coped chimney between the two bays. Both have decorated rafter tails and there is a fretted painted timber bargeboard with quatrefoil repeat on S (left) gable. Aluminium rainwater goods. The narrow right bay, which contains the hallway, is also aligned W-E. It has a low hipped roof with knob finial on its east gable.

Front elevation of the lodge is painted lined render and a projecting base course. Front door is contained within the right bay. This is of painted timber with Gothic head, set within a Gothic headed opening with stop-end chamfered reveal. The central bay is filled by a large canted bay window.

On each of its three cants is a large 1/1 sliding sash window (with horns) with chamfered stop-end reveals and painted granite cills. Left bay has a similar smaller window.

Left gable of lodge has a single sash window detailed as the others.

Rear elevation is in two distinct parts. Right bay is blank and left advances forward as a gable with a plain ‘A’ frame bargeboard with a single window below - as the others but without chamfered reveal. Advancing at left is a low gabled return (its roof being a continuation of the porch roof). It is detailed as the main block, with blank end gable (with A framed bargeboard) and cement-rendered chimney on the west gable. Its right cheek has two small modern top hung windows in older openings. Its left elevation has a flush four-panelled door to left, a modern paired casement window to centre, and a lean-to shed to right. Shed has a monopitched natural slate roof, rendered walls, modern door on its left cheek and rectangular top-hung window on its north-facing wall. At left end of this elevation, at join with farmhouse, is a narrow gable with A-framed bargeboard and single fixed window below.

3. Outbuildings

The outbuildings consist of a single bay abutting N gable of the farmhouse and a two bay range advancing E therefrom (formerly stables) enclosing the N end of front yard. The single-storey block abutting N gable has a pitched natural slate roof and whitewashed dashed walls. A pair of sheeted doors fills the coach arch at left. The left bay of the two-bay range is 1 1/2 storeys high with a pitched artificial slate roof. Right bay is single storey with a natural slate roof. Walls are dashed and painted. Left bay has sheeted doors to left and right and a granite stair to centre serving a sheeted first floor door. Right bay has two sheeted half doors

East gable, which faces to road, has a small gable window.

Rear elevation, which faces north, has a later lean-to shed abutting left bay. The higher bay, at right, has a four-paned fixed metal window at ground floor.

West-facing elevation of outbuildings is blank save for a single flat-iron gate (with tin sheet over) leading inside at right.

4. Dog kennels - see HB16/07/019B

These are located to west of outbuildings, at NW side of complex.

Setting:

Front of house is enclosed to road by a lined cement-rendered wall with embattled roughly dressed granite coping. Front (E) of farmhouse is a small concrete floored yard and to front (E), left (S) and rear (W) of lodge is a small garden. There is a small domestic yard to rear of the farmhouse.

Historical information

The farmhouse is not shown on the 1834 OS 6” map. It first appears on the 1859 edition and is described in the c.1861 valuation as belonging to Owen Fitzpatrick. The hunting lodge is first shown on the 1901 map. It is described in the 1901 valuation as a shooting lodge belonging to the Trustees of Robert Batt. This entry also notes the house as “improved”, suggesting that this addition was made around then. The dog kennels undoubtedly date from c.1900 as well.

Primary Sources

1. 2nd edition OS 6" map sheet 48, 1859
2. Second valuation book, c.1861 (PRONI: VAL 2B/3/49C, p.27, no. 37).

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

Not listed

Criteria for listing: historic interest

Not listed

Evaluation

The houses have been modernised and, although the complex still retains some of its original character, it is not of special architectural or historic interest.