43 Belfast Road

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

No.43 Belfast Road is a small, formal, single storey house which has been greatly extended and completely renovated recently and now sports a very large rear extension and picturesque gabled dormers to the front. The house is set at the end of a lane to the N of the Belfast Road (c.1 mile NW of Newtownards), and was the former gate lodge to Milecross Cottage. Milecross Cottage itself was rebuilt in the early 1900s and is now an unusual and striking Edwardian residence.

The front facade faces S and has a central full height projecting gabled bay with decorative shaped barges and finial. The bay contains a panelled and glazed front door with plain fanlight. Above the door is a decorative moulded plaque with the initials G D [George Dickson]. To the left of the bay is a window, now with PVC frame, with a similar window to the right of the bay. The front facade is finished in lined render with quoins. Attached to each end of the front facade is a low rendered wall with sturdy corner pillars. This wall encloses a small front garden. The front of the pitched roof has two recently installed gabled dormers with PVC windows, decorative shaped barges and finials. Velux window to rear of roof.

The W gable is blank.

The E gable has a ground floor window to the right, with PVC frame. Both gables are finished in lined render. The roof of this original section of the house has Bangor blue slates and an overhang with decorative shaped barges. Two rendered chimney stacks.

The rear of the house is now dominated by a large full height (two level) gabled return/extension which was added recently (1994). This extension is larger than the original house and has various PVC windows of different sizes and patio doors to the rear. The extension facade is finished in lined render. The roof is covered with asbestos free slates and has a overhang decorative shaped barges. Velux windows to roof. Small lean to projection to E facade of extension.

Historical information

This house was built c.1855 and was originally the gate lodge to the nearby (and now rebuilt) Milecross Cottage. Recently the house has been greatly extended at the rear and gabled dormers have been added to the front. The initials G.D. stand for George Dickson, the man probably responsible for the building of Milecross Cottage and this lodge, and member of the famous local horticultural family. A descendant of Dickson now lives in this former gate lodge.

References- Primary sources
1 PRONI Ordnance Survey Maps, 1st rev. 1858-60, Co. Down sheet 5.
2 PRONI 2nd (‘Griffith’s’) valuation, parish of Newtownards, townland of Milecross, 1863.

Secondary sources.
1 J.A.K. Dean 'The gate lodges of Ulster- a gazetteer' (UAHS 1994), p.83.

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

Not listed

Criteria for listing: historic interest

Not listed

Evaluation

A once largely plain single storey gate lodge of c.1855, recently greatly extended at the rear and made more picturesque with the equally recent insertion of gabled dormers to the front.