Millbrook Lodge Hotel

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

Substantial two storey hipped roof rectory house of largely pre 1834 construction which has been greatly extended since the 1960s-70s and now merely forms an appendage to a modern, sprawling, two storey hotel complex. The building is set on a rise at the end of a sweeping drive to the W of Drumaness Road, less than a mile SE of Ballynahinch.

The original rectory house stands to the E side of the complex. The house was probably originally been entered on the N façade, but the doorway to this oldest section of the complex now lies to the E façade. This particular façade is asymmetrical. To the right of centre on the ground floor is a timber panelled door with sidelights with lead tracery and panelled pilaster jambs. The doorway is topped with a large segmental fanlight with radial / spider web tracery.

To the left of the door are two large sash windows with Georgian panes (6/6). The sills of these windows are quite close to ground level. To the first floor there are three similar, but smaller windows (6/3). These windows are directly in line with the ground floor openings.

The symmetrical N façade may have originally been the front façade. To the ground floor there are four windows, all with sash frames as ground floor of E façade except that to far right (which has a modern frame). The sills of these windows are also very close to ground level. To the first floor are four smaller windows with modern frames designed to resemble the original sash ones. To the far right this façade is abutted by a very large modern, mainly flat roofed two storey extension which is roughly twice as long as the original N elevation. Due to the building of this extension, nothing remains of the original E façade.

The S (rear) elevation of the original house appears to have been in three bays, two gabled bays to the left and centre and a hipped roof bay to the right, which projects further than the rest. A large modern single storey extension now abuts the ground floors of the left and centre bays. To the first floor of the left bay is a sash window, as ground floor front, but covered is a fine grill. To the first floor of the central bay there are two windows with modern frames. To the ground floor of the right bay there is a French door. To the first floor is a sash window, as first floor E façade.

The original house section is finished in painted render with in / out quoins. The hipped roof is slated hipped and has three rendered chimney stacks.

As hinted at earlier, the rest of the building to the W and SW is entirely modern (post c.1965) and has increased the footprint of the property by about four times its original size. The appearance of the new section is thoroughly modern (flat roof, large windows etc) though some reference has been made to the original building is the form of simulated Georgian panes and radial fanlights, to the N façade.

The drive to the E of the building has an ornate gate screen with wrought iron gates and railings and square piers with ball pinnacles, all which appears to be relatively recent [?c.1990]

Historical information

The original section of this building was built as the rectory for Magheradroll (C of I) parish. The rectory itself may in part date from the 18th century, for a glebe house is shown on this site on William Byers’s c.1790 map of the area and a substantial residence is indicated in this general area on Taylor’s and Skinner’s map of 1777.

The OS map of 1834 shows what appears to be the north wing with a return to the south-west. The north wing undoubtedly originally contained the front entrance. The near contemporary valuation records grade the property ‘A-‘, suggesting that the building had either been built in the previous thirty years or so, or may have been an older house completely renovated at some point in the not too distant past (so that it was practically ‘new’). The OS Memoirs of 1837 describe it as ‘a neat plain 2-storey house’. By 1858 (at least) the return to the E had been added

The property remained a rectory until some time in the mid 20th century [?c.1950s]. A some point after this [?c.late 1960s] the property was greatly extended and converted to a hotel.

References- Primary sources
1 PRONI D.1255 Title deeds, legal and testamentary papers, correspondence and Irish Land Commissioners Papers re the Ballynahinch Estate, 1630-1940
2 ‘Taylor’s and Skinner’s maps of the roads of Ireland’ (Dublin 1777) map 284
3 PRONI D.272/41 MS map of Ballynahinch by William Byers, c.1790
4 PRONI OS/6/3/29/1 OS map, Down sh 29, 1834
5 PRONI VAL/1B/388A-B Valuation records, Magherdrool, 1834-1838
6 ‘Ordinance Survey Memoirs of Ireland’ vol.17 ed Angélique Day and Patrick McWilliams (QUB 1992) p.107
7 PRONI and Linen Hall Library ‘Belfast and Province of Ulster Directory’ Vols.1-21, 1852-1900, (Belfast, Henderson [1852-65], Belfast News-Letter [1865- ])
8 PRONI OS/6/3/29/2 OS map, Down sh 29, 1858
9 PRONI and Linen Hall Library Second (Griffith’s) valuation, Magherdrool, c.1863 [in print]
10 PRONI OS/6/3/29/3 OS map, Down sh 29, c.1901

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

Not listed

Criteria for listing: historic interest

Not listed

Evaluation

Substantial two storey hipped roof rectory house of largely pre 1834 construction which has been greatly extended since the 1960s-70s and now merely forms an appendage to a modern sprawling two storey hotel complex.