House [Hunting lodge] at Mount Stewart

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

Small, single storey picturesque ‘toy fort’ Gothick hunting lodge of c.1810, situated in a clearing within a wooded area in the N of the Mount Stewart estate, c.2 miles NW of Greyabbey.

The roof is covered with Bangor blue slates with decorative barges and a finial. The roof of the main lodge lies behind the castellated parapet and is only visible from the rear N side.

The front S facade is symmetrical has two slightly projecting outer bays each with a pointed arch window with casement frame with (now boarded) quatrefoil opening above. The outer wall of the bays are slightly battered. In the slightly recessed inner bay with gabled timber projecting porch. The porch has diagonally sheeted timber double doors with pointed arch sidelights and quatrefoil window in gable apex. The porch sides also have diagonal timber boarding. There is a quatrefoil opening (as outer bays) above the porch. The top of the facade is ‘castellated with stone pyramidal pinnacles to corners and inner edges of outer bays'.

The E and W facades each have a similar arrangement as the outer front bays with castellations and pinnacles. Each side has a yellow brick chimney stack which rises from the castellations. The N edges of both the E and W sides each merge into a wall. The E wall joins on to a small single storey lean to outhouse. Its roof is covered in corrugated iron. The rear elevation is blank except for a small square opening in the centre into which is set a wooden frame with quatrefoil opening. The S, E and W facades are finished in lined render with sandstone dressings to openings. The rear is finished in rough cast.

Historical information

Though there is no concrete evidence relating to the date of construction of this building, it is believed to be contemporary with the other Gothick gate lodges within the estate, which have been provisionally dated to c.1804-13. This was a period which saw extensive developments within Mount Stewart in terms of building and plantation of the grounds themselves, work reflected in the estate account books and ledgers. The lodge is shown on the OS map of 1834, minus the front porch which is undoubtedly a late Victorian addition. The chimney stacks are awkwardly positioned and are probably late Victorian also.

References- Primary sources
1 PRONI D.654/H2/4 Londonderry Papers Estate ledger with loose index 1803-9
2 PRONI D.654/H2/5 Londonderry Papers Estate ledger with loose index 1810-19
3 PRONI OS/6/3/11/1 Ordnance Survey Maps, 1st Edition, 1834, Co. Down 11
4 PRONI VAL 1B/33 First valuation, Greyabbey, c.1834-38
5 PRONI OS/6/3/11/2 Ordnance Survey Maps, 1st Revision, 1860, Co. Down 11
6 PRONI VAL/2B/3/4 Second valuation, Greyabbey, c.1859
7 PRONI VAL/12B/23/16a-f Annual valuation revision books, Greyabbey, 1866-1930

Secondary sources
1 Anne Casement, 'Mount Stewart Landscape Study' (National Trust Northern Ireland Region 1995), pp.21-24, 52-53

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

A. Style
B. Proportion
C. Ornamentation
D. Plan Form
H-. Alterations detracting from building
K. Group value

Criteria for listing: historic interest

X. Local Interest

Evaluation

Small, single storey picturesque ‘toy fort’ Gothick hunting lodge of c.1810, situated in a clearing within a wooded area in the north of the Mount Stewart estate.