The Lodge

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

A two-storey building in basalt rubble in a late Arts and Crafts style. Main entrance faces south.

South elevation asymmetrical: two-storey with a canted single storey bay to the left of an off-centre doorway and a curved corner to the right returning to the side elevation.
Roof of green Westmorland slates in diminishing courses; black ridge tiles; overhanging eaves with flat white-painted soffits; cast iron gutters with cast iron downpipe.
Walls of roughly coursed basalt rubble with later reticulated pointing; tooled edge to extremities and corners of reveals to openings; raised sandstone platband at window head height to ground floor; and narrow projecting sandstone eaves course to first floor. Two chimneys, of basalt rubble with projecting sandstone stringcourse at base.
Canted bay is of dressed sandstone on a low basalt rubble plinth; low pitched hipped roof of Westmorland green slates; windows are rectangular timber sliding sash, 1 over 1 with horns, with sandstone keystone to each face, and projecting sandstone cill; moulded cast iron gutter.

Main entrance is a new rectangular timber 6-panel door, raised and fielded, with new unmoulded timber frame, set in a rusticated sandstone surround, partly trimmed in modern cement render, with sandstone flat arch head, recessed in an opening with basalt reveals and a basalt flat arch to the head. Concrete doorstep, flanked each side by a pair of original sandstone plant tubs of simplified classical design, in an Art Deco idiom; tub to right of doorway has been broken but bound together with wire.
Above entrance is a first floor window, rectangular timber sliding sash, 6 over 6 with horns, with exposed sash boxes, set in a plain reveal with a recessed cill and the eaves soffit to the head. To the right of the entrance is a small rectangular metal 6-pane side-hung casement, with recessed cill and sandstone platband to the head.

Set back slightly to the right-hand side of the south elevation, the end bay curves round to the east in a quadrant, which is symmetrically arranged about its central axis to form the main exterior feature of the composition: curved bay roof with a chimney at its apex, and one window to each floor. First floor window is sashed 6 over 6 with horns, plain reveals and recessed cill; segmental headed flat arch of basalt voussoirs to head. Ground floor window is similar but sashed 3 over 6, and has an angled head to the flat arch.

West elevation comprises the west gable: two-storey with two windows to each floor; walling as previous to entrance front including platband; chimney to the apex. First floor windows are similar to entrance front, but sashed 8 over 8 with horns, with segmental head to flat arches. Ground floor windows are tripartite, sashed 6 over 6 to central lights and 2 over 2 to sidelights, with angled head to flat arches.

Rear elevation: roof, walls and rainwater goods as previous to entrance front. Three windows to first floor detailed as previous to front elevation, two sashed 6 over 6 and one sashed 3 over 3. Two windows to ground floor, one sashed 6 over 6 with angled head to flat arch; one small window, metal 6-pane casement in plain basalt reveals with recessed cill. Projecting forward at the left-hand side is a single storey rear return: hipped roof of pale green tinted tiles; walling of basalt rubble with reticulated pointing; tooled edge to main corners; sandstone frieze returning from platband of main block; overhanging eaves with flat soffit of white painted sheeting; timber fascia, cast iron gutter and downpipes. West side has what appears to be new openings as edges to reveals are not tooled: one window, deeply recessed, rectangular timber sashed, 3 over 6, with horns in exposed sash boxes, with lead-dressed cill board; to the right, a deeply recessed doorway, containing a pair of double doors, glazed with small panes, flanked by sidelights sashed 2 over 4 with lead-dressed cill boards; concrete doorstep, leading onto a modern concrete paved patio, partly bounded by modern concrete brick walling. North end of rear return has one doorway, containing a glazed modern flush timber door, deeply recessed in plain reveals with rusted flat steel lintel to head; old concrete doorstep leading onto small modern concrete flagged area bounded by modern concrete brick walls.

East side of rear return contains a deeply recessed glazed small-pane timber door, flanked by coupled and tripled sliding sashed windows, each light 2 over 4, with horns, with lead-covered cill boards; tooled edges to reveals to right-hand side and to doorway but the arrangement may not be original.

East elevation of main block of house, projecting forward slightly beyond the rear return: comprises a symmetrical end bay with a quadrant bay set back slightly to the left and curved round to the front elevation, as described previously. Main end bay has one window to each floor, sashed as previous to curved quadrant; small PVC waste pipes at base.

SETTING: the building stands detached within the grounds of an agricultural college, near to the nucleus of the college which is a 19th century classical house with a basalt wing contemporary with this house and with complementary detailing. Approached by a tarmac driveway leading to a tarmac car parking area to the east side, otherwise surrounded by well kept lawns and flower beds with mature trees beyond. Standing detached to the north and separated from it by a concrete paved passageway is a later single storey garage with hipped roof of modern green tinted tiles; basalt rubble entrance front, with wet dashed walls to sides and rear; panelled sheet metal garage doors, with rectangular timber small-paned fixed lights and vents, and ledged timber doors to sides and rear; cast iron gutters and downpipes; modern steel and timber car port attached to north side with modern timber fencing beyond.

Historical information

Built c 1925 as a house for the principal of Greenmount Agricultural College designed under the direction of R. Ingleby Smith, chief architect to the Government of Northern Ireland; contractors, T. McKee and Sons, of Belfast. Ceased to be used as a residence in 1993; now used as offices.

References – Primary Sources
1. The Architects' Journal, 11 November 1925, pp 719-725.
2. OS Map 1962-3, Co Antrim 50.

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

This is an early 20th century building of distinctive form and style, which displays some unusual features. It has undergone some inappropriate alterations, but it enjoys a pleasant setting within the grounds of an agricultural college, and together with other buildings in the grounds by the same architect, and in similar materials and architectural idiom, forms part of an interesting group.

General comments

This building was originally listed in the wrong ward and was previously to be found as part of HB20/14/019.