Burn Lodge

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

A two storey, single-bay lodge, built 1812 in Neo-Renaissance style and located at the entrance to Crawfordsburn house to the east of Crawfordsburn village. Square on plan with substantial lower return to north (c.1910); projecting single-storey porch and single-storey return to rear.

Hipped natural slate roof with terracotta ridge tiles and pinnacles. Painted masonry chimneystack with clay pots. Ogee cast-iron rainwater goods with hoppers on moulded sandstone eaves. Walling is painted roughcast render with smooth render plinth. Windows are round-arched timber 1/1 sliding sash with horns in moulded painted ashlar surrounds. Sills are painted masonry.

The principal elevation faces west. The main body of the gate lodge to right is surmounted by an octagonal first floor with octahedral roof, the upper floor having Tuscan colonnettes to each corner set into recesses with squared abacus and topped by an entablature. The projecting porch is pedimented with double-leaf eight-panelled timber door; spoked fanlight in moulded surround to stringcourse at springing level. To left is a canted bay with three window openings.

North elevation has semi-circular-headed niche to left cheek of porch with moulded surround having stringcourse at spring level. Main elevation is blank to right and to left has gable end with pediment; central moulded scroll motif over paired windows. To left is a simple timber gate leading through to rear yard.

The rear elevation mirrors the principal elevation. To right the south wall of the 1910 extension contains a glass and panelled modern timber door; east wall is blank. Walled rear yard.

The south elevation presents a symmetrical elevation, with wings to either side. Central breakfront to ground floor containing a square-headed window with moulded surround having stringcourse at spring level. First floor contains oeil-de-boeuf window with moulded surround.

Setting

The lodge has a leafy backdrop and is separated from the main road to the south by a rough-cast rendered wall with coping stones. The principal elevation fronts onto Old Windmill Road having cast-iron railings with gate and roughcast rendered pier. The rear of the property is currently used as a small-holding and is separated from the neighbouring property by hedgerow.

Roof: Natural Slate
Walling: Roughcast
Windows: Timber
RWG: Cast-iron

Historical information

The lodge is shown on the first edition Ordnance Survey map of 1834 captioned ‘Gate Lodge’. According to Patton, there have been three mansions on this site, a house of c.1780 which was replaced c.1820, and which was in turn replaced by a house to Vincent Craig’s design in 1906. Two lodges survive, this one dates from c.1812 and was therefore built during the life of the earliest house on the site. Patton and Dean give the architect as John Nash. (Patton, p.61, Dean, p.71)

Dean comments, “In the Royal Pavilion Art Gallery and Museum, Brighton is held one of the notebooks of George Stanley Repton. This Repton was the son of the noted landscape architect and partner of John Nash, Humphrey Repton. George had remained with the Regency architect after his father’s acrimonious break-up from the partnership c.1802. This notebook contains fifty drawings of subjects, executed or otherwise, for many of which neither location nor client has been identified. Three of these drawings are perspectives for Classical park entrance lodges, all variations on a theme and all perhaps proposals for the same locus. One of these has been established as having been erected here on the old Crawford estate.” Dean concludes that Nash met Crawford in County Tyrone while Nash was working on the Earl of Caledon’s mansion. (Dean, p.71)

The Townland Valuation (1828-40) lists three porters lodges on the plot – the current building would appear to be of dimensions 18x17.6x12 and valued at £2.4.7s. At this time the property is owned by William Sharman Crawford Esq. Subsequently the gate lodge is added into the valuation for the estate. It is again valued separately in the fieldbook dating from 1894-1903 and is now the property of R.G.S. Crawford and valued at £4.10s. It lies vacant for some time and is then occupied by William McWha.

On the fourth edition of 1919-31 it is apparent that the gate lodge has been extended by the addition of a further wing. Dean states that this is probably by Vincent Craig who designed the replacement Crawfordsburn House in 1906.

Before the death of R.G.S. Crawford, the records are altered to show that the gate lodge is now a house (a note of 1938 indicates it is now the gardener’s house) and at an unknown date Samuel Brown becomes the occupier. The valuation of the house is raised to £12 but following an appeal in 1935, by the representatives of R.G.S. Crawford, is lowered again to £10. The valuer finds that the house is a ‘modern type detached gate lodge in good condition. Quite well-built. Acetylene gas from farmyard. Water pumped to tank in roof. No sewerage. First floor is rather low.’ The accommodation at this time comprises a reception, kitchen and pantry on the ground floor and two bedrooms on the first floor. A plan and dimensions are given.

The property is currently in use as a House.

References:

Primary Sources

1. PRONI OS/6/3/1/1 – First Edition OS Map 1834
2. PRONI OS/6/3/1/2 – Second Edition OS map 1858
3. PRONI OS/6/3/1/3 – Third Edition OS Map 1900-02
4. PRONI OS/6/3/1/4 – Fourth Edition OS Map 1919-31
5. PRONI OS/6/3/1/5 – Fifth Edition OS Map 1938-41
6. PRONI VAL/1/A/3/1 – Townland Valuation Map (1828-40)
7. PRONI VAL/1/B/315 – Townland Valuation (1828-40)
8. PRONI VAL/2/B/3/1 – Griffith’s Valuation Map (1856-64)
9. PRONI VAL/2/B/3/1B – Griffith’s Valuation (1856-64)
10. PRONI VAL/12/B/23/7A-K – Annual Revisions (1866-99)
11. PRONI VAL/12/B/23/8A-C – Annual Revisions (1894-1923)
12. PRONI VAL/3/D/4/17H/9 – Valuers’ RV Binders (1933-57)

Secondary Sources

1. Dean, J. A. K. “The Gate Lodges of Ulster: A Gazetteer.” Belfast: Ulster Architectural Heritage Society, 1994.
2. Patton, M, “Bangor, An Historical Gazetteer” Belfast: Ulster Architectural Heritage Society, 1999

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

A. Style
B. Proportion
C. Ornamentation
D. Plan Form
K. Group value

Criteria for listing: historic interest

V. Authorship
X. Local Interest

Evaluation

A detached single-bay, two-storey gate lodge, built in 1812 to designs by John Nash and later extended to designs by Vincent Craig. This is a fine example of a Neo-Classical-style lodge. It forms part of the original Crawfordsburn House Estate and therefore has group value. Although a rather substantial extension was constructed c.1910, it retains much of its original character. It is of interest for its unusual design and sophisticated architectural detailing. It is one of the very few examples of work by Nash in Ireland.

General comments

Please note this record has been renumbered from HB23/15/009

Included in Helen's Bay Area of Village Character