Eglantine Gate Lodge

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

Former gate screen and gate lodge to Eglantine House (HB19/04/002A), erected c.1845 to the designs of Charles Lanyon, on the east side of Hillsborough Road, gates no longer in use.

Gate Lodge:

Single-bay single-storey with attic-storey stucco-fronted gabled former gate lodge, built c.1845, with tetrastyle gabled portico. Cruciform on plan, facing north, with the east side elevation fronting onto Hillsborough Road, modern timber conservatory to rear and detached garage to southeast (c.1995).

Cruciform-plan natural slate roof of low pitch with black clay ridge tiles and central bracketed rendered chimneystack. Replacement metal and plastic rainwater goods to deep overhanging eaves supported with decorative moulded brackets to continuous string course. Purlin ends to all gables moulded as eaves brackets with timber fascia finish. Painted rendered walling with painted masonry plinth course, continuous plat-band at impost level and decorative moulded quoins. Round-headed window openings with smooth render surrounds, moulded sills with block supports and original multi-pane timber sash windows.

Front north elevation has three arch mouldings springing from a pair of Doric pilasters which flank the central door opening. Possibly replacement timber door with six flat panels surmounted by original webbed fanlight. The portico has three arches with moulded archivolts and scrolled keystones, rising from Doric red sandstone columns to the centre, square piers to either end, on moulded bases and plinth blocks. The portico has stone flags to the ground, an arch to either end and a blind keystoned oculus to the gable.

East side elevation has a single-bay gabled projection with an elaborate tripartite window surmounted by a diminutive round-headed window. Round-headed window openings to either side of the main east elevation, that to the rear end blocked up to the lower sash.

Gabled south rear elevation has three slender round-headed window openings tied together by a continuous sill and the impost plat-band. Keystoned oculus to the gable above with fixed-pane light.

West side elevation has a single-bay gabled projection with an oculus to the gable and round-headed window below. To the right is a modern octagonal-plan timber-frame conservatory.

Gate Screen:
Central cast-iron carriage entrance and wicket gates on decorative sandstone piers abutted by rendered quadrant walls, erected c.1845. Fronting onto Hillsborough Road on a north-south axis and slightly to the north of the gate lodge.

Decorative cast-iron double carriage gates supported on square-plan reticulated sandstone piers on plinth blocks with bracketed and panelled frieze and capstones surmounted by octagonal block finials. Matching wicket gate to either side supported on sandstone piers, as above except for plain frieze and capstone with no block finial (possibly replacement to south pier). Painted ruled and lined rendered quadrant walls to either side having moulded sandstone coping and scrolled sandstone bracket against the outer piers. A plainer sandstone ashlar pier terminates the quadrant walls to the road with a further scrolled bracket to each.

Setting:
Positioned on the west side of Hillsborough Road, the lodge faces north with its east side elevation behind the rubblestone boundary wall to the former demesne, fronting onto the bitmac avenue. The gate screen is set on a north-south axis slightly to the north of the lodge, facing east onto Hillsborough Road.

Roof Natural slate
RWG Replacement metal / plastic
Walling Painted render
Windows Round-headed timber sash

Historical information

A previous gate lodge at Eglantine existed and is shown as a small indistinct building on the first edition of the Ordnance Survey maps in 1834. Dean tells us that the current Gate Lodge was constructed around 1845 by Charles Lanyon, who also reconstructed Eglantine House at the same time. It was not until the second edition of the OS maps that a new gate lodge was named and depicted as a small cruciform building. Dean tells us that this gate lodge is one of ‘the most ostentatious and innovative of this series of Lodges by the architect’ (Dean, p. 74). It is reasonable to believe that a gate screen existed prior to 1845; however, the current gate screen is contemporary to the lodge and was likely also constructed by Lanyon. The cast iron carriage and wicket gates were supported by sandstone pillars which were sculpted with delicate scroll motifs (Dean, p. 74).

Between 1856-64 Griffith's Valuation lists the gate lodge under the collective heading of 'Ho, offs, gate lodge & land' but does not give its individual value. Later editions of the Ordnance Survey maps show no alteration to the Gate Lodge. The Annual Revisions continued to list the Gate Lodge along with other buildings that were part of the estate until 1905 when the gate lodge was given a separate valuation record. From 1905 the Gate Lodge was valued at £3. 10s. and in 1906 an observation was made by the valuer that the gate lodge 'was a house pre-1905' and a 'gate lodge post-1905.' However, from 1905 the number of occupants inhabiting the gate lodge changed with great frequency, but the value of the building remained at £3. 10s. until the end of the Annual Revisions for this area in 1929.

In 1994 Dean stated that the building had been steadily falling into dereliction. He supplied a picture of the lodge which shows it in a fairly dilapidated condition. However, he was relieved to note that the building was to be saved by a planned restoration scheme (Dean, p. 74). This scheme seems to have been carried out as the Gate Lodge today appears well preserved and sports a clean coat of paint. The Gate Lodge is currently occupied by private owners, its purpose as a gate lodge guarding the road to Eglantine House long defunct after the latter was destroyed by fire in the late 1980s. Eglantine House is currently undergoing extensive reconstruction; however, it is unclear how this will affect its old Gate Lodge and Screen.

References:

Primary Sources

1. PRONI OS/6/3/14/1 – First Edition OS Map 1834
2. PRONI OS/6/3/14/2 – Second Edition OS Map 1858
3. PRONI OS/6/3/14/3 – Third Edition OS Map 1902-1903
4. PRONI OS/6/3/14/4 – Fourth Edition OS Map 1919-1920
5. PRONI VAL/2/B/3/45A-C – Griffith’s Valuation 1856-64
6. PRONI VAL/12/B/20/16 A – Annual Revisions 1863-1879
7. PRONI VAL/12/B/20/16 B – Annual Revisions 1880-1888
8. PRONI VAL/12/B/20/16 C – Annual Revisions 1889-1905
9. PRONI VAL/12/B/20/16 D – Annual Revisions 1906-1914
10. PRONI VAL/12/B/20/5D – Annual Revisions 1915-1929

Secondary Sources

1. Dean, J. A. K., ‘The gate lodges of Ulster: A gazetteer’ Belfast: Ulster Architectural Heritage Society, 1994.
2. Rankin, K., ‘The linen houses of the Lagan Valley’ Belfast: Ulster Historical Foundation, 2002.

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

A. Style
B. Proportion
C. Ornamentation
H-. Alterations detracting from building
J. Setting
K. Group value

Criteria for listing: historic interest

V. Authorship
X. Local Interest

Evaluation

Cruciform plan decorative 1½-storey rendered former gate lodge and gate screen dating from c.1845 to the designs of Charles Lanyon on the west side of Hillsborough Road on the grounds of the former Eglantine Estate. Despite extensive renovation about fifteen years ago, with addition of a sunroom and new detached garage, this lodge retains its original plan form, handsome portico, roof details and original timber sash windows, which typify Lanyon’s work of that period. While the interior retains little original fabric, some of the original character of the interior is still evident. Set within its original landscape setting the building is enhanced by its gatescreen and has group value with Eglantine House (HB19/04/002A), to the north of the site. The structures make a positive contribution to the architectural character of the estate and the heritage of the Lisburn area.

General comments

Please note this record has been renumbered previously HB19/04/006