Lodge

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

A symmetrical single-storey two-bay painted rubble stone gate lodge in the neoclassical style; possibly originally built c.1800 and rebuilt c. 1850 and located north of the Ballynahinch Road at the entrance to Ballylintagh Park. Rectangular on plan with extension to rear and L-shaped extension to north.

Hipped natural slate roof with blue/black angled ridge tiles and yellow brick chimneystack to centre. Plastic rainwater goods. Walling is painted rubble stone; painted roughcast render to extensions. Windows are paired segmental-headed timber (without glass) in painted brick surround with projecting masonry sills and surmounted by label mould.

The principal elevation faces west and is symmetrically arranged with paired windows to either side of a timber-sheeted door in painted brick surround.

The north elevation has a paired window to centre; abutted at left by L-shaped extension with corrugated metal roof sloping to rear, which abuts the rear extension to south; west elevation has two doorways.

The east elevation is fully abutted by extension under corrugated metal sloping roof having three metal-framed windows.

The south elevation has a paired window to centre.

Setting:

Set at a lower level from the road at the entrance to Ballylintagh Park, accessed via curved painted masonry entrance walls with rubble coping stones terminating in square piers having caps topped by oval ball finials. Inner gate piers are channelled on a chamfered plinth with pointed caps surmounted by cast-iron lion heads, supporting early decorative cast-iron gates. To right is a modern latch gate. The lodge is set back from the lane with painted masonry square piers and caps divided by three steel shafts; to centre are vestiges of modern latch gate; to left are early decorative wrought-iron gates.

Roof: Hipped natural slate roof
Walling: Rubble stone
Windows 1/1 timber-framed (glass missing)
RWG: Plastic

Historical information

In his Gazetteer of Ulster Gate Lodges, Dean suggests that the currently abandoned gate lodge at Ballylintagh Park was built c. 1850; however, a lodge occupying the same footprint can be seen on the first edition of the Ordnance Survey maps for the Ballylintagh townland. The original gate lodge is depicted on this 1833 Map as an oblong building located along the Ballynahinch Road at the main entrance to Ballylintagh House, an extensive gentleman’s seat which had been occupied by members of the Cowan family from as early as 1774 (PRONI – D971/42/B/2). The occupant of the house at this time was a Mr. Andrew Cowan, a Magistrate of Co. Down and owner of a number of mills and businesses throughout the north of Ireland. Cowan was last recorded as occupant of Ballylintagh in 1843 and by 1862 Ballylintagh house had passed hands to a Mr. James Smith; Griffith's Valuation (1862) does not provide a separate valuation record for the single-storey lodge, however it does record that the Ballylintagh estate, which included the gate lodge, was valued at £30. Dean records that the gate lodge was constructed c. 1850; the Victorian features of the current gate lodge suggest that the earlier lodge (recorded on the first edition Ordnance Survey map) was either extensively remodelled or entirely rebuilt at this time.

Ballylintagh House was visibly extended and enlarged in the later editions of the Ordnance Survey map (1903-1920), however there are no discernible alterations to the layout of the gate lodge visible on the maps during this period. Dean however tells us that the gate pillar’s ‘layered pyramidal caps which carried coronets with unicorn crests (lacking their horns)’ were added in 1874.The gate lodge and its demesne have fallen into a state of disrepair; the gate lodge itself has been unoccupied for some time, since at least 1944 when Dean was writing (Dean, p. 62).

References:

Primary Sources

1. PRONI D971/42/B/2 – Lease, mortgage, reconveyance etc. to Andrew Cowan 1774
2. PRONI D607/E/398 – Letter from James Cowan to Lord Downshire 1797
3. PRONI OS/6/3/21/1 – First Edition OS Map 1834
4. PRONI OS/6/3/21/2 – Second Edition OS Map 1859
5. PRONI OS/6/3/21/3 – Third Edition OS Map 1903
6. PRONI OS/6/3/21/4 – Fourth Edition OS Map 1919-1920
7. PRONI VAL/2/B/3/45 B – Griffith’s Valuation 1861

Secondary Sources

1. Dean, J. A. K., ‘The gate lodges of Ulster: A gazetteer’ Belfast: Ulster Architectural Heritage Society, 1994.

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

Not listed

Criteria for listing: historic interest

Not listed

Evaluation

A symmetrical single-storey two-bay painted rubble stone gate lodge in the neoclassical style; possibly originally built c.1800 and re-built 1850; located north of the Ballynahinch Road at the entrance to Ballylintagh Park. The lodge is well-proportioned and retains some of its original detailing; the prominent chimneystack typical of the style. As the gate lodge to Ballylintagh Park, the site retains part of the original gates and entrance and is of local interest. Although of interest, 20th century alterations and loss of historic fabric to the lodge and gatescreen, result in loss of character and it is not considered to meet the criteria for listing.

General comments

This record was completed without access to original source material held by the Public Record Office of Northern Ireland. This record was renumbered from HB19/07/023.