The Laurels

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

Detached gable-fronted single-storey with attic stone and yellow brick former gate lodge, dated 1878, possibly to the designs of John Lanyon. Rectangular on plan facing east and positioned opposite the principal entrance to Larchfield House (HB19/06/003A) on the west side of Upper Ballynahinch Road, with a single and two-storey grey brick extension abutting the rear elevation, built c.1970.

Pitched natural slate roof with terracotta ridge-comb tiles and large yellowbrick chimneystack. Plain timber bargeboard to gables and replacement metal rainwater goods to timber fascia and overhanging eaves. Gabled dormer to north pitch with single-pane timber sash window and modern skylight to south pitch. Random coursed cut stone walling with yellow brick quoins and several yellow brick bands. Segmental-headed window openings formed in stop-chamfered yellow brick with angled yellow brick hood mouldings, sandstone keystones, springer stones and splayed flush sills with leaded single-pane timber sash windows.

Gabled front elevation abutted by single-storey three-sided canted bay window and recessed open-sided corner entrance porch. To the apex of the gable is a carved stone tablet depicting the Graham family crest in relief and the build date '1878'. Single window opening to the attic floor symmetrically-placed above the three-sided canted bay. The bay has a lead-lined roof with original moulded cast-iron rainwater goods to a yellowbrick angled cornice. The entrance porch to the northeast corner comprises a single polished stone column to the corner on stepped plinth block with stiff-leaf capital supporting moulded corbels in turn supporting a chamfered stone lintel to each elevation. Within the porch the walls are entirely yellow brick with a segmental-headed door opening to each wall (as per window openings) with an original herring-bone timber sheeted door having two leaded lights and opening onto a concrete platform and two steps.

South side elevation is two windows wide.

Rear elevation abutted by two-storey flat-roofed grey brick extension and extending as a single-storey grey brick projection with hipped slate roof and uPVC windows.

North side elevation has a single window opening to the centre, a further door opening to the right (detailed as per window openings) with an original door (as per front entrance) with leaded overlight.

Setting:
Road-fronted and located on the west side of Upper Ballynahinch Road opposite the principal entrance to Larchfield House with a decorative wrought iron railing on low stone wall enclosing large garden to the south elevation.

Roof Natural slate
RWG Replacement metal / cast-iron
Walling Random coursed cut stone
Windows Leaded single-pane timber sash

Historical information

A gate lodge associated with the Larchfield estate appears on the first edition Ordnance Survey map of 1834 located to the northwest of Larchfield House, the seat of Mussenden family, a local landowning and merchant elite (HB 19/06/003A). The 1834 map depicts the lodge as an oblong building; however it is not recorded as a gate lodge until the second edition of the Ordnance Survey maps in 1859. In c. 1830 the gate lodge was valued with the main house and out offices at £53 17s (HB 19/06/003B). William Mussenden, the occupant of Larchfield at that time, died in 1860 leaving the estate to a Mr. Ogilvie B. Graham; over the next decade Graham made numerous changes to the site at Larchfield. By 1862 the value of the estate had increased to £100 with the expansion of the main house and its extensive stables buildings and by 1878 both of Larchfield’s gate lodges were replaced with new buildings.

Lisburn Lodge was constructed in 1878 on the site of the previous gate lodge. The new lodge was valued at £6 and was captioned on the later editions of the Ordnance Survey map as ‘Lisburn Lodge;’ however the later maps (1900-1920) showed no discernible alteration to the lodge which continued to be depicted as a small oblong structure.

Dean suggests that both Lisburn and Hillsborough Lodge were designed by John Lanyon whose father, Charles Lanyon, may have designed the extensions to Larchfield House prior to 1859 (Dean; Brett, p. 117). Dean believes that John Lanyon was associated with the construction of both lodges due to their resemblance to Belfast Castle Lodge which Lanyon had designed. A plaque, bearing the Graham crest and the date 1878, is situated on the gable wall of the lodge; the family motto Memor Esto (‘Be mindful’) is recorded on the plaque.

The first survey image of the lodge shows that a two and one-storey return had been added to the lodge by 1982; the lodge is currently used as a private dwelling renamed ‘the Laurels.’

References:

Primary Sources

1. PRONI OS/6/3/15/1 – First Edition OS Map 1834
2. PRONI OS/6/3/15/2 – Second Edition OS Map 1859
3. PRONI OS/6/3/15/3 – Third Edition OS Map 1900-1901
4. PRONI OS/6/3/15/4 – Fourth Edition OS Map 1919-1920
5. PRONI VAL/2/B/3/35 – Griffith’s Valuation 1862
6. PRONI VAL/12/B/20/1 A – Annual Revisions 1866-1875
7. PRONI VAL/12/B/20/1 B – Annual Revisions 1876-1885
8. PRONI VAL/12/B/20/1 C – Annual Revisions 1886-1897
9. PRONI VAL/12/B/20/1 D – Annual Revisions 1897-1914
10. PRONI VAL/12/B/20/1 E – Annual Revisions 1915-1929
11. First Survey record 1982

Secondary Sources

1. Brett, C. E. B., ‘Buildings of North County Down’ Ulster Architectural Heritage Society, 2002.
2. Dean, J. A. K., ‘The gate lodges of Ulster: A gazetteer’ Belfast: Ulster Architectural Heritage Society, 1994.

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

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

Criteria for listing: historic interest

V. Authorship
X. Local Interest

Evaluation

Detached gable-fronted single-storey with attic, stone and yellow brick former gate lodge, dated 1878, possibly to the designs of John Lanyon. Rectangular on plan facing east and positioned opposite the principal entrance to Larchfield House (HB19/06/003A) on the west side of Upper Ballynahinch Road and almost identical to the estate's other gate lodge (HB19/06/003D). Despite the modern rear extension, the house retains its Victorian character, external detailing and materials and has group value with the other listed buildings on the Larchfield Estate.

General comments

This record has been renumbered. Formerly HB19/06/022