The Lodge

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

Single-storey over basement Regency style villa with overhanging hipped roof and stylised classical porch, which is believed to have been built c.1837 as a two-storey structure, but reduced a storey -and probably extended- c.1840, and perhaps extended again c.1860. Built as an agent’s residence, the property is located within its own spacious grounds bordering on the S side of Seaforde Demesne, approached via a drive opening off the N of Main Street, to the NW of Seaforde village.

The front elevation faces roughly S and is asymmetrical. To the right of centre is a small stylised classical style projecting porch which is reached via a flight of three stone steps. To the front of the porch is a six-panel timber door with a simple rectangular fanlight. The door has a moulded surround. The corners of the porch are framed with simple stylised moulded pilasters. The porch gable has an overhanging roof and a gable tympanum whose ‘base’ is supported on paired brackets. The E and W faces of the porch each have a centred semicircular arch-headed window with timber sash frame with Georgian panes (9/6).

Either side of the porch is a window with Georgian paned timber sash frame (6/6). The windows each have moulded surrounds the side panels of which drop slightly to rest on a broad string course. The porch and these windows sit within a projecting bay which has a shallow hipped roof. The bay is framed with raised plain pilaster-like panels. To the left of the bay are two windows as before while to the right is a single similar window.

The whole of the front elevation sits over a basement ‘ravine’ with the porch acting as a ‘bridge’ into the house. There are windows at basement level directly beneath each of the upper level windows, each of these has a timber sash frame (6/3). The ends of the elevation are finished as before with raised plain pilaster-like panels.

The W elevation is blank to the upper level whilst to the right side of the ground level are two plain doors. The left hand side of the ground level is abutted by a single-storey outbuilding.

The E elevation has a centrally positioned canted bay with a windows as before to each face.

The N elevation is two storied with a wide, left of centre, bay which projects forward slightly. To the left of this bay is a small two-storey canted bay. To the front face of the ground floor of the bay is a glazed and panelled door. To each side face is a window with a six pane fixed light timber frame. To the first floor each face has a window with a timber sash frame, (all 6/6 but with those to outer sides much narrower). To the right of the bay on the ground floor is a window with timber casement frame. To the right is a further window with a c.1980s replacement frame with top opener above a fixed light. This window used to be deeper; the lower section has been blocked and the old sill left in place. Directly above this window is a further window with a timber sash frame (6/6).

To the left and right of the bay the elevation sets back slightly. To the left there is another sash window, as previous. To the right of the bay there is a tall sash window, (6/12), which lights the stairwell; this window was deepened in the 1960s and now cuts through a string course. To the right of these there are two ground floor windows with timber sash frames (6/3) with two more windows with similar frames to the first floor (6/6).

The façade is finished in lined render and painted. The roof is hipped and slated and has an overhang which is supported on paired brackets. There are four irregularly positioned rendered chimney stacks with matching octagonal pots to three of these. Cast iron rw goods.

To the W and partly attached to the house is a collection of single storey outbuildings. These, along with a screen wall create a small courtyard. To the W of is a two storey stable block. This is rendered with in / out stone dressings to some of the door openings. The interior still retains all the original stalls.

Historical information

On the OS map of 1834 a house is shown close to this general site, but its size, orientation, and positioning are markedly different to that we see today. This particular building is not recorded in the first valuation of c.1835, and as such may have been a modest structure. The current occupant states that the present house was built in the later 1830s as an agent’s residence, and originally consisted of two storeys and the basement, but was reduced by a storey sometime around 1840. This reduction in height, (again, according to the current occupant), was occasioned by the infamous Great Wind of January 1839, which blew down some trees screening the building from the view of Seaforde House (to the north). The then owner of Seaforde House was displeased at having his vista ‘spoilt’ by the now exposed dwelling and proceeded to have the upper storey removed! The writer has been unable to verify this story, but the building’s odd asymmetrical appearance could imply major remodelling. The plan suggests that the original structure may simply have consisted of the three openings wide symmetrical square central block. If this was the case, then the extensions to the east and west could, conceivably, have been added as compensation for the loss of the upper storey.

The house, along with the outbuildings to the west side, are all shown on the OS map of 1859, with the former marked ‘The Lodge’. Although the scale of the map does not allow us to make accurate judgements, the plan appears slightly shorter, as if the recessed section to the east was not yet built. However, we do know it was present by 1862, for the measurements, 22yrds x 11 x 1(storey) and 6 x 9 x 1 supplied in the valuation of that year, appear to accord with the building as we see it today. The valuers do not mention the porch, however, nor is it shown on the 1859 map.

No major external changes to the building are noted in the annual valuation revisions between c.1863 and c.1929, however alterations were carried out c.1930 when, amongst other things, the ground level to the north was lowered and the canted bay was added to the rear elevation; the porch may have been added around this time also. There were further changes in the 1940s and 1960s, with the stairwell window to the rear elevation deepened on the latter occasion to designs by Robin McKinstry. In the late 1970s the building was split into two properties, but is now, (June 2004), a single dwelling once again.

The overwhelmingly male (and occasionally military) list of tenants indicates that The Lodge did indeed originally serve as an agent’s residence. The valuation of 1862 records one William Parsons as the occupier, with a Henry Alexander following in 1869, Walter L. Stronge in 1888. Various members of the Forde family themselves are recorded as residents from for periods after 1914, and the house appears to have alternated between agents and members of the family in the following decades.

References- Primary sources
1 PRONI D.366 Forde papers
2 PRONI VAL/1A/3/37 OS map, County Down sheet 37, with valuation annotations, (1834-c.38)
3 PRONI VAL/2A/3/37A OS map, County Down sheet 37, with valuation annotations (1858-c.62)
4 PRONI VAL/2B/3/66B Second valuation, Loughinisland, (1862)
5 PRONI VAL/12B/18/24A-E Annual valuation revision books, Loughinisland etc. (1864-1929)
6 PRONI OS/6/3/36/3 OS map, Down sh 36, (c.1901)
7 Belfast and Province of Ulster directory (Belfast News-Letter), 1925- [Seaforde only appears in the directory from 1925 onwards.]

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

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

Criteria for listing: historic interest

X. Local Interest
V. Authorship

Evaluation

Single-storey over basement Regency style villa with overhanging hipped roof and stylised classical porch, which is believed to have been built c.1837 as a two-storey structure, but reduced to its present height -and probably extended- c.1840, and possibly again c.1860. Although this building has witnessed significant alterations to its interior over the years, its external appearance has been largely maintained and it retains important local significance as part of the wider Seaforde estate.