West gate lodge

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

One and a half storey 'picturesque Georgian' style rubble-built two storey gate lodge of c.1860 with a cruciform roof making each elevation a gable end. The building is situated at the south west or 'Town' gate of the Greyabbey estate and superseded an earlier lodge of c.1815, situated a short distance to the south east.

The roof of the lodge is pitched and mainly covered in Bangor blue slates, with felt to the rear (SW) gabled section. The roof has an overhang. Two yellow brick chimneys, one to the SW and one to the NW.

The front (NE) elevation is asymmetrical and consists of a large gable with a gabled porch to the left hand side. This porch has a semicircular arch on the NE side which leads to a timber panelled entrance door with semicircular radial fanlight above all set in an arched opening. On the SE and NW elevations of the porch are small semicircular headed window openings with Georgian panes. There are brick dressings to the arch heads of all the openings. The porch has a Bangor blue slated gabled roof with overhang and finial to barges.

To the right of the porch (on the main facade) are two semicircular headed window openings (as before only larger) with sash frames with Georgian panes. To the first floor is a window, as previous only smaller. Attached to the far right of this elevation is the main wall of the Rosemount estate with two simple square pillars and simple wrought iron carriage gates.

The NW facade of the gate lodge is also a gable and is blank.

The SE facade is a gable and is also blank (with evidence of a former window to the first floor), with a rubble built lean to to the ground floor. There is a tiny window to the NE elevation of the lean to (which is also rendered) with a similar window to the SW elevation. The lean to has a corrugated asbestos roof.

The SW gable of the lodge faces directly in to the school yard of the neighbouring Greyabbey Primary school and is now faced with modern brick. To the right hand side of this gable is a tall sloping wall which encloses the yard at the rear of the lodge.

This lodge was built to take on the role of an earlier lodge still situated to the SE of this, which became largely redundant when the road to Newtownards was re-routed in the 1820s. This earlier lodge is basically rectangular with a semicircular arched doorway to the left of the front NE facade and semicircular arched windows to the right.

Historical information

This gate lodge was built c.1860 and replaced an earlier lodge of c.1815 which became largely redundant in the 1820s when the main road to Newtownards was re-routed over a causeway beyond the western edge of the estate. The earlier lodge still stands to the south east of this one.

References- Primary sources
1 PRONI VAL/1B/33 1st valuation, Greyabbey, c.1834-38
2 'Ordnance Survey Memoirs of Ireland Vol.7: Parishes of County Down II', ed. Angelique Day and Patrick McWilliams (QUB 1991), pp.67-72
3 PRONI VAL/1D/3/17 Valuation plan, Greyabbey, c.1838
4 PRONI VAL/2B/3/4 Second valuation, Greyabbey, c.1859
5 PRONI VAL/2D/3/10 Second valuation plan, Greyabbey, 1859
6 PRONI OS/6/3/11/2 Ordnance Survey Maps, 1st Revision, c.1860 Co. Down 11
7 PRONI VAL/12B/23/16a-f Annual valuation revision books, Greyabbey, 1866-1930
8 PRONI VAL/12E/99/1 Valuation plan, Greyabbey, 1906-35

Secondary sources
1 Bob Trayte, "The Greyabbey and village" in 'Journal of the Upper Ards Historical Society No.16' (1992), pp.2-4
Secondary sources
1 'Archaeological survey of County Down' (1966), pp.405-408 (with plates)
2 J.A.K. Dean, 'The Gate lodges of Ulster- a gazetteer' (UAHS 1994), p.78
3 Jeremy Musson "Grey Abbey Co. Down" in 'Country Life' 30 October 1997

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

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

Criteria for listing: historic interest

X. Local Interest

Evaluation

One and a half storey 'picturesque Georgian' style rubble-built two storey gate lodge of c.1860 with a cruciform roof making each elevation a gable end. The building is situated at the SW or 'Town' gate of the Greyabbey estate and superseded an earlier lodge of c.1815, situated a short distance to the south east.