Former gate lodge

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

Single storey hipped roof house, originally built in 1836 by Thomas Duff as a gate lodge to Earl Annesley’s Donard estate, but greatly enlarged and altered in c.1993. The house is set on a slight rise at the N end of King Street, to the S of Newcastle town centre.

The house is now roughly U shaped, created by the addition of a large L shaped section to the original, rectangular gate lodge. The original section is to the E side. Its E façade was the original front and is in granite and is symmetrical. In the centre is a door with a window either side. The doorway is no longer used as the entrance and has PVC French doors and windows. There are simple granite pilasters between the door and windows, and raised quoins.

The short N façade of the original section is now largely rendered and has a single central window as front. The S façade is similar but now merges with the S façade of the modern extension. The extension itself is wholly rendered with windows and doors much as before. The present entrance iis set into the N facing ‘valley’ of the U shape.

The roof is hipped and covered in natural slate. The original portion retains a tall granite chimney stack with octagonal granite pots. The chimney does not appear to be in its original position. PVC rw goods.

Historical information

The original portion of this house was built as the gate lodge for Donard Lodge, Earl Annesley’s Newcastle residence. It was designed by Thomas Duff and built c.1836. Duff’s original plans (still extant at PRONI) show that he intended the lodge to be somewhat grander with an entrance portico, but what was eventually built was much plainer.

The building maintained much of its original rectangular form, with small rear return, until c.1993, when the large modern extension was added, the entrance shifted to the N side, windows and doors replaced and much of the façade rendered. Donard Lodge itself was demolished in 1966.

References- Primary sources
1 PRONI D.1503/10/16, 212 Annesley Papers- Original gate lodge plans by Thomas Duff (etc.).
3 PRONI OS/6/3/49/2 OS map, first rev., Co. Down 49.
4 PRONI Second (‘Griffith’s) valuation, Kilcoo, 1863.
5 PRONI VAL/12E/111/1 Valuation town plan of Newcastle, 1864-1906.
6 PRONI OS/8/136/1-4 OS plans of Newcastle, 1901.

Secondary sources
1 P.J. Rankin, 'Historic Buildings, Groups of Buildings, Areas of Architectural Importance in the Mourne Area of South Down', (Belfast UAHS 1975), p.80-81.
2 Grenfell Morton ‘Victorian and Edwardian Newcastle’ (Belfast 1988).
3 J.A.K. Dean ‘The gate lodges of Ulster- A gazetteer’ (Belfast 1994), p.73.

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

Not listed

Criteria for listing: historic interest

Not listed

Evaluation

Single storey hipped roof house, originally built in1836 by Thomas Duff as a gate lodge to Earl Annesley’s Donard estate. Greatly enlarged and altered c.1993 with the addition of a large extension, the relocation of the main entrance and the insertion of PVC windows and doors.