Gate Lodges

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

Twin vacant single-storey two-bay early-nineteenth century gate-lodges flanking the southern entrance to Brookfield House (HB17/05/004A) to the north side of Scarva Road west of Banbridge. Both are rectangular on plan with projecting windbreak porches to front.

Hipped natural slate roof with vestigial leaded hips and ridges and central rendered chimneystack (that to west lodge is roughcast). Plastic rainwater goods. Remains of roughcast-render walling with smooth rendered plinth and stone quoins; mostly exposed red-brick to east lodge. All windows have concrete block infill with projecting granite sills.

Principal elevation of west lodge has projecting porch to right of centre with concrete block infill; flanked by two windows. The north and east elevations are concealed by overgrowth. The south elevation has a window to left and the remainder is concealed by overgrowth.

Principal elevation of east lodge has projecting porch to left of centre with red-brick infill; flanked by two windows. South elevation has a window to centre. East and north elevations are concealed by overgrowth.

Setting

Situated facing each other at the entrance to Brookfield House (HB17/05/004A) at the north side of Scarva Road, west of Banbridge. The avenue is tree-lined and the lodges sit between the inner and outer gate screens. Overgrown greenery to three sides. Outer screen has original cast-iron railings on a granite plinth with simple rendered square piers having pointed caps.

Roof: Natural slate
Walling: Roughca
Windows: Concrete block infill
RWG: Plastic

Historical information

The twin gate lodges at Brookfield House are shown, uncaptioned, on the first edition OS map of 1833 and are thought by Dean to date from c1830. He describes them as a ‘modest pair of lodges...with hardly a vestige of architectural pretension’. The lodges mark the entrance to Brookfield House and after the construction of Brookfield weaving mill in 1884 the entrance and tree-lined avenue also led to Brookfield Mill which was operational as a factory until 1980.

Unusually, because they were situated in a different townland from Brookfield House, the lodges are listed in valuation records. Griffith’s Valuation (1856-64) records them as the property of William Smyth. They are valued at £2.10s and the valuer comments that the apartments are ‘very small’. No significant changes occur in Annual Revisions. At the time of the First General Revaluation of 1933/4 the occupiers of the two houses are listed as Alexander Cummins, then Edward Anderson and John McKinstry then Thomas Ewart. The buildings were revalued at £2 and £2.5s respectively. The lodge to the west comprised a kitchen and bedroom and was supplied with electric light. A plan and dimensions are given showing the lodge with porch and an earth closet in the garden. The east lodge also comprised a kitchen and bedroom but due to a ‘good lean-to store’ at the rear was given a slightly higher valuation.

The gate lodges were lived in until the 1980s. Vera Smyth remembers their groom living in one of the lodges in the 1920s/30s(?) and raising a family of six children. The houses were also occupied by the Ewarts, Andersons and Giffins, the Giffins being the last. (McCandless)

Brookfield House is thought to have been originally built in 1760 for Brice Smyth, founder of a linen dynasty that occupied the house for over two hundred years. The associated manufacturing concern, which in its early days operated from the rear of the house itself, flourished into modern times. The house is thought to have been remodelled by Thomas Jackson c1840 and incorporates an earlier farmhouse as a rear return. (Rankin)

The lodges were also listed in 1976 and were extended and repairs carried out at around this time. However, once vacated in the 1980s, the houses fell into poor condition and have been vandalised. (HB file)

References:

Primary Sources

1. PRONI OS/6/3/27/1 First Edition OS Map 1833
2. PRONI OS/6/3/27/2 Second Edition OS map 1860
3. PRONI OS/6/3/27/3 Third Edition OS Map 1903
4. PRONI OS/6/3/27/4 Fourth Edition OS Map 1903-18
5. PRONI VAL/1/B/348B Townland Valuation (1828-40)
6. PRONI VAL/2/B/3/41 Griffith’s Valuation (1856-64)
7. PRONI VAL/12/B/16/6A-H Annual Revisions (1864-1929)
8. PRONI VAL/3/C/4/1 First General Revaluation (1936-57)
9. PRONI VAL/3/D/4/3/E/5-6 First General Revaluation (1933-57)
10. 1901 census online
11. 1911 census online

Secondary Sources

1. McCandless, P “Smyths of the Bann”
2. Rankin, K “The Linen Houses of the Bann Valley, The story of their families” Belfast, Ulster Historical Foundation, 2007
3. BHARNI

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

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

Criteria for listing: historic interest

X. Local Interest

Evaluation

A pair of vacant single-storey two-bay early-nineteenth century gate-lodges flanking the southern entrance to Brookfield House (HB17/05/004A). They are of special interest as a rare example of twin gate lodges in Northern Ireland and forming the entrance to Brookfield House (HB17/05/004A) along with the original gate-screen. They have group value with the main house, gate screen and factory.