Whitegate Lodge

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

A rectangular single-storey, three-bay lodge with rendered walls and slated roof. Main entrance faces east.

East elevation symmetrical with a central entrance in a shallow gabled breakfront. Roof of Bangor blue slates in regular courses. Two chimneys, spaced equidistantly on ridge: of square section with plain block cornices, but set at 45° to the base; stonework looks like rhyolite.
Walls smooth rendered, lined and blocked, with rusticated quoins to extremities, projecting plinth, and projecting eaves course. Cast iron gutters and downpipes. One window in each side bay: modern rectangular timber fixed lights with top-hung vents, with chamfered reveals and projecting concrete cill, with label moulding over.
Central bay projects, with similar quoins to extremities; oversailing eaves with elaborate openwork timber barge boards decorated with cusped tracery incorporating quatrefoil motifs.
Entrance comprises a four-centre arched opening which contains an original rectangular timber 6-panel door surmounted by an arched 3-pane fanlight, with a moulded timber frame, set in chamfered reveals surmounted by a label moulding; above doorway in apex of gable is a relief carved painted stone armorial plaque. Concrete ramped doorstep.

South gable is rendered as previous, with similar elaborate decorative timber barge boars to overhanging eaves as previous; one window, similar to previous on entrance front.
Projecting forward at the left-hand extremity is a small later extension with single pitch roof, continuous with slope of main pitch to rear: walls smooth rendered; course of ridge tiles to top of east wall; flush verge to south wall.

Rear elevation: except for quoins at left-hand extremity, the entire original rear wall is covered by a lean-to extension. Main roof slated as previous; roof of extension similar but to shallower pitch. Walling is roughly coursed basalt rubble with projecting brick eaves course, and brick block dressings to windows, with smooth rendered finish to the right-hand end portion containing the rear doorway and one window. Windows are modern rectangular timber fixed lights and top-hung vents, and a casement. Projecting concrete cills to windows except for the one to left of doorway which is of rhyolite. Doorway contains a modern rectangular flush timber door with glazed panel set in plain reveals; concrete step. Cast iron gutters and downpipes.

North end wall of lean-to extension is a blank wall, smooth rendered, lined and blocked, with flush verge to roof; cast iron gutter returns across from rear elevation, with cast iron downpipe from rear roof of main block of house.
North gable similar to south except there is an armorial plaque in the apex, of similar design to previous.

SETTING: The building stands in a rural area within the grounds of a large estate. It sits end-on to the main road set back from it slightly within its own garden, and facing onto a tarmac driveway to the estate with a main entrance gateway adjacent. Across the front of the lodge is a small garden enclosed to the front by original iron railings containing a small gate opposite the entrance to the lodge. Concrete path to front entrance with stony path to each side within front garden; garden closed at south end by a hedge; front garden closed at north end by the basalt rubble estate wall.
To the rear is a yard bounded to north and south by basalt rubble walls, with a modern corrugated iron gate on the south side; a gabled basalt outbuilding and open shelter close the west side of yard.
Outbuilding is rectangular with roof of Bangor blue slates in regular courses; walls of roughly coursed basalt rubble; two rectangular sheeted timber doors and a large pair of sheeted timber garage doors, all set in roughly cemented reveals. Two windows: one to left-hand end is rectangular timber 6-pane fixed light in wide exposed frame, with timber cill; one to right is a modern rectangular bottom-hung vent with similar frame and cill. Cast iron gutter and downpipe to outbuilding.
End gables are of basalt rubble. To right-hand end is a lean-to modern garage of timber and corrugated iron, with an open timber and corrugated iron shelter to the right of that.
Rear of outbuilding is of basalt rubble with one sheeted timber door.
An orchard lies to the rear of the outbuilding.

MAIN GATEWAY: Gateway comprises a pair of large iron gates of plain design, mounted on a pair of rectangular openwork iron piers with decorative panels to front and rear. Close to, but not connected with the ironwork piers, are ironwork stays from which extend railings, to each side of the gateway, curving forward at the outer extremities to abut square masonry end piers.
Ironwork stays have a cast iron urn finial.
Screen to west incorporates a small pedestrian gate.
End piers are of snecked basalt with rhyolite frieze, moulded cornice and cap.
Extending to each side from the end piers, for a considerable distance, are basalt rubble estate walls.

Historical information

Built as a gate lodge to Shane's Castle; precise date of building not known, but it appears on the OS map of 1858. Stylistically it may be dated to the 1840s, and may be a work by the architect James Sands who was involved with the Shane's Castle estate in 1848, and to whom other lodges on the estate have been attributed. Has been referred to by one recent author (Dean) as Ballygrooby Lodge but without justification. Original windows in entrance front replaced by windows of different pattern by 1970. Gates widened in 1990 by removal of pedestrian gates and extension of main gates.

References – Primary Sources
1. OS Map 1858, Co Antrim 49.
2. Original photograph in Welch Collection, Ulster Museum.

Secondary Sources
1. UAHS, West Antrim (Belfast, 1970), p 21 (item no 59).
2. J.A.K. Dean, The Gate Lodges of Ulster (Belfast, 1994), pp 27 and 28 (reproduces Welch photograph).

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

A. Style
B. Proportion
C. Ornamentation
D. Plan Form
H-. Alterations detracting from building
I. Quality and survival of Interior
J. Setting
K. Group value

Criteria for listing: historic interest

X. Local Interest

Evaluation

This is a mid-19th century gate lodge in a Tudor style with unusually ornate barge boards; it enjoys a pleasant setting at an entrance to a wooded demesne. It has group value with the other listed buildings on the estate.

General comments

This record was originally numbered as HB20/04/037.