'Stramore Lodge',

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

Large, sprawling two storey house of c.1932 in Arts & Crafts style, with white-washed rough cast façade, splayed gabled roof, a variety of bays including a conical roofed example, and rounded Cumbrian-like, chimney stacks. The building, which is believed to be by Blackwood & Jury, has had a large sun room added to the south end and a garage to the north-west corner in 1960s, and the original front doorway has been blocked. The window frames are generally of a simple plain casement variety. The building is set to the W of Warren Road, c.1.5 miles NW of Donaghadee.

The W elevation faces away from the road and was originally the rear but now contains the main entrance. It is a complex elevation with a profusion of bays, gabled and otherwise. To the left hand end is a single storey flat roofed garage projection. To right of this is a large two storey asymmetric gable, which merges in turn with a much lower one and a half storey section. To right of this is a shallow single storey hipped roof bay which contains a recessed porch area; above the left side of this bay rises a first floor gables bay and to the right of this (but set further back) is an exposed bay-less and gables-less second of the first floor. To the right hand end (actually on the S facing gable) is a large sun room with a curved end and a pitched roof rising to a flat roof.

The main entrance is located roughly to the centre of the elevation, within the low one and a half storey section. It consists of a semicircular headed opening with semicircular shaped ‘hood’ above whose ends are supported on simple brackets.. The door itself is the same shape as the opening and is timber sheeted with a small glazed panel.

To above left of the doorway (at half landing level) is a broad casement window. To ground floor left again are two small single pane windows, with a larger window to left again (with hopper opener). To the first floor above these windows (within the large asymmetric gable) there is a large casement window, with a much smaller single pane window to lower left of this (at half landing level). To far left on the ground floor (within the single storey flat roofed garage section) there is a large casement window. To S face of this section is a modern ‘up and over’ garage door.

To immediate right of the main entrance is a long single storey hipped roof bay. To the left half of this section is a relatively large recessed porch (or veranda) area with wide casement window to the back wall. To right of the porch (where the façade projects once again) there is a larger casement window. To the short S face of this section there is a narrow single pane window. Out of the roof above the recessed porch there rises a large, slate clad, gabled bay with two narrow single pane windows thereon. To right of this there is a ‘set back’ portion of first floor façade, whereon there is a square casement window set within a flat roofed half-dormer.

The short N elevation consists of a large projecting single storey flat roofed section (which has two small single pane windows to left). To left to the first floor level is a relatively small gabled bay, with a ‘set back’ portion of façade to right of this- both sections without openings.

To the ground floor level of the short S elevation is the large curved end sun room, which has large plate glass windows, with the glazing in some windows curved in line with the wall. To the ‘set back’ first floor gable there are two small single pane windows.

The long E elevation (which was originally the front) is as complex as that to W. To left hand end is the sun room, whose roof continues along to right to form a veranda-like area. To the back wall of the veranda there is a large single pane window. To the first floor above the veranda is a square casement window set within a flat roofed half-dormer. To the right the veranda roof abuts a large, two storey rounded bay with tall conical roof. To each floor of the bay are three square-ish casement windows. To ground floor right of this bay are three windows of varying size, two with casement frames. The window to the immediate right of the bay marks the position of the original main entrance and has retained the former entrance’s hipped roof ‘hood’. To first floor are two casement windows of differing size, that to right set within a relatively large gable. To the right hand end of the elevation drops to a one and a half storey. Here, to ground floor level, there is a single storey rounded bay with hipped roof rising to a flat area (as the sun room). This bay has three casement windows. Set back above this the upper floor façade has a small casement windows.

Most of the window frames to the W elevation steel set into timber frames and appear to be original, but many to the E elevation are PVC replacements. The whole façade is finished in white-washed rough cast. The (mainly gabled) roof has a slight splay (in pagoda fashion) and has a slight overhang with exposed rafter ends and plain barges. There are three tall rounded chimney stacks, all rendered. The rw goods are a mixture of cast iron and PVC.

To the NW of the house is a relatively large (but very small compared with the main building), two and single storey gabled dwelling with integral garage. This building, which is similar in style to the house having a white-washed rough cast façade, slated overhanging roof etc., was originally wholly an outbuilding, but has been converted to a dwelling in recent years.

In the garden to E of the house there is a small, bunker-like cement-rendered structure which was originally a pump house.

Historical information

This house was built in c.1930 for Sir Samuel Kelly, the coal merchant, possibly to designs by Blackwood & Jury. It originally contained two boilers, one employing fresh water, the other sea water. There was also, (not surprisingly), a large coal cellar. In 1945 it was bought by the present owner’s family, who added the sun room and garage and moved the entrance to the W side.

References- Primary sources
1 PRONI OS/6/3/2/[?6] OS map, 1939, Co Down 2

Secondary sources
1 Hugh Dixon, Ken Kenmuir and Jill Kennett, ‘Historic buildings…Donaghadee and Portpatrick’ (Belfast, 1977), p.29

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

Not listed

Criteria for listing: historic interest

Not listed

Evaluation

Large, sprawling two storey house of c.1932 in Arts & Crafts style, with white-washed rough cast façade, splayed gabled roof, a variety of bays including a conical roofed example, and rounded Cumbrian-like, chimney stacks. The building, which is believed to be by Blackwood & Jury, has had a large sun room added to the south end and a garage to the north-west corner in 1960s, and the original front doorway has been blocked. The window frames are generally of a simple plain casement variety.