Gate screen

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

Ballyalton House is situated c.1 mile W of Newtownards, to the W of the Ballyrainey Road. The gate screen is set at the roadside and reflects the mock Tudor gothic styling of the front facade of the house itself.

The gate screen consists of curved stone walls roughly 1.25m in height, finished with lined render and painted. There are two sturdy looking plain end piers with stone pyramidal caps, and there is coping to the tops of the walls and a moulded base.

To the N there is a further pier, and between both piers to the N there was undoubtedly once a small pedestrian gate to a now demolished gate lodge. The gates consist of four piers each made up of four pilasters (giving the piers a thick cruciform plan) each of which have cusped lancet panels. Above each panel is a moulded course above which is a quatrefoil frieze. The piers have a pyramidal-like moulded cap and a moulded base (as walls). There are central carriage gates and narrow outer pedestrian gates.

The gates are wrought iron with spear head decoration.

The ‘rear’ (or inner) face of the wall to the S has been recently repaired in breeze block and is unrendered. In front of the gate screen the owner has placed cast iron bollards, which, judging from the sea horse motif on each, were originally manufactured for use in Belfast.

There was originally a small gate lodge to the immediate N of the gate screen, but this was demolished in the late 1960s.

Historical information

Ballyalton house appears to have been built some time prior to 1833, but probably had its facade remodelled around c.1840-50. This gate screen probably dates from the same period and reflects elements of the Tudor gothic styling of the front elevation of the house itself. It should be noted, however, that a curved screen is also indicated on the 1834 OS Map, possibly indicating an earlier date. There used to be a small gate lodge to the immediate north of the gate screen, but this was demolished in the late 1960s. the present owner of Ballyalton house informed the writers that locals had described the former gate lodge as ‘ink pot’ shaped, but the OS maps appear to suggest otherwise.

References- Primary sources
1 PRONI VAL 1B/322 1st valuation, parish of Newtownards, townland of Ballyalton, 1833.
2 PRONI Ordnance Survey Maps 1st ed. 1834, Co. Down sheet 5.
3 PRONI Ordnance Survey Maps 1st rev. 1858-60, Co. Down sheet 5.
4 PRONI 2nd (‘Griffith’s’) valuation, parish of Newtownards, townland of Ballyalton, 1863

Secondary sources.
1 J.A.K. Dean 'The gate lodges of Ulster, a gazetteer' (UAHS 1994), p.62.

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

Sturdy looking but decorative gate screen and gates of c.1840s which reflect the Tudor gothic styling of Ballyalton House to which they belong. The accompanying gate lodge was demolished in the late 1960s. Tohether with the imposing Ballyalton House