Gate Lodge

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

A single-storey Ruskinian Gothic-revival style Gate Lodge in polychromatic brickwork, dating from c.1860 by architect W. J. Barre. Regular plan facing west, with a single-storey extension to east and a small entrance porch to north. Located within the grounds of Belmont Presbyterian church (listed under HB26.12.027 A) on a site fronting onto Sydenham Avenue.

Half-hipped natural slate roof with plain timber barge boards, pitched natural slate roof to extension and hipped natural slate roof to entrance porch. Elaborate chimneystack in polychromatic brickwork with corbelled coping and decorative clay chimney pots. Projected corbels support ogee cast iron guttering discharging to circular downpipes. Red brick walling with buff brick dressings and blue brick string course at impost level and sandstone plinth. Window openings are pointed segmental with splayed sandstone sills, buff brick dressings and blue-brick outer arch; replacement 1:1 double-hung timber sash windows (unless otherwise stated). Modern skylights to roof.

The principal elevation faces west and has three-bays. Pointed segmental headed door opening with buff brick dressings and blue brick arch header to central bay; diagonal-sheeted painted timber door opening onto a single stone step. The north bay has a double pointed-segmental headed window set within a taller lancet opening recess with a red brick tympanum. The south bay has a triple pointed-segmental headed window with buff brick dressings and a lozenge light (small diamond-shaped opening) above each window with polychromatic dressings.

The north elevation consists of the two-bay original building to west, the extension to east and a small projecting entrance porch. The west bay has a double pointed-segmental headed window and the east bay has a triple pointed-segmental headed window set within a taller lancet opening recess with red brick tympanum. Lozenge light to high level. Polychromatic string course to extension. The entrance porch has a modern square-headed window to west and south elevation incorporating a square-headed door opening facing west, with modern half-glazed diagonal-sheeted painted timber door.

The east elevation is rendered and has a double pointed-segmental headed window at high level.

The south elevation faces onto Sydenham Avenue and consists of the two-bay original building to west and the single-bay extension to east. A triple pointed-segmental headed window set within a taller lancet opening recess with red brick tympanum to west bay and a double pointed-segmental headed window to east bay. Lozenge light to higher level. Modern oriel window to the extension with timber casement window and clear leaded glazing.

The church (HB26.12.027A) is located within its own grounds with the adjoining modern hall and extension to north and east of the site, the Hall (HB26.12.027B) and a Gate Lodge (HB26.12.027C) to the southeast, car parks to the west and north. The site is fronting onto Sydenham Avenue. Partly lawned and concrete paved, the site is enclosed to the south by a red brick wall with stone coping topped by cast-iron railings. Square red brick gate piers with buff brick quoins and single-stage buttresses topped by cast-iron finials are supporting cast-iron gates to main entrance. Cast-iron gate and hedge to the southwest pedestrian entrance.

Materials:
Roof natural slate
RWG cast iron
Walling polychromatic brickwork
Windows timber sash

Historical information

Belmont Presbyterian Church (HB26/12/027A) was constructed in 1860-61. The congregation was formed from local missions organised by Ballymacarrett Parish. Sir Thomas McClure of Belmont House provided the current plot of land and personally financed the construction of the building (Haines, p. 48).

The gate lodge to Belmont Presbyterian Church was also built in 1860-61 and was designed by W J. Barre in a remarkably early Ruskinian Gothic style. A Newry-based architect, Barre (c. 1826-1867) moved to Belfast after winning the competition to design the Ulster Hall in 1860. The design of Belmont Presbyterian Church and its associated gate lodge was the first contract Barre undertook following his move to Belfast and was the result of yet another architectural competition, although Barre was the sole entrant. The builder contracted to undertake the construction of the church and its lodge was the local firm of Edward Armstrong. In 1863 the Annual Revisions set the combined value of the gate lodge, the church and a former schoolhouse on the site (the school now replaced with Belmont Primary School on the Belmont Road - see HB26/14/001) at £120 (DIA; Larmour, p. 54).

The gate lodge was first valued separately in 1887. The lodge was individually valued at £6, at which it remained until at least 1930. The gate lodge was not valued separately under either the First or Second Revaluation (1935; 1956-72) making it impossible to gauge the individual value of the building. The gate lodge was listed in 1986. Dean, writing in 1994, described the lodge as ‘a beautiful early example of the use of polychromatic brickwork in a Ruskinian Gothick design by one of the most talented and short lived of Ulster’s mid-Victorian architects [who] succeeds in enlivening a rather square lump of a lodge with irregular fenestration and handling of colours’ (Dean, pp 64-65).

The NIEA HB Records state that the lodge had fallen into a poor state of repair, having been bricked up and used for storage purposes. However, in 1998-99 the Church trustees granted the building to a firm of Historic Building Specialists, Alastair Coey Architects, who converted the former lodge into office accommodation. An article in Perspective (c.1999) states that the conversion included the demolition of a small outshot kitchen to the rear and the reconstruction of the exterior wall to enclose additional accommodation. The main alterations to the building were the replacement of the roof, the addition of a hipped roof entrance porch to the north elevation, and the inclusion of an oriel window to the south elevation. The author noted that the additions ‘blend sympathetically’ and ‘the change is scarcely perceptible’ concluding that ‘Alastair Coey Architects deserve songs of praise from us all for their beautifully executed restoration and conversion of this gem of High Victoriana’ (NIEA HB Records; R.S.U.A. Perspective magazine).

References

Primary Sources
1. PRONI OS/6/3/4/2 – Second Edition Ordnance Survey map (1856)
2. PRONI OS/6/3/4/3 – Third Edition Ordnance Survey map (1902)
3. PRONI OS/6/3/4/4 – Fourth Edition Ordnance Survey map (1920-21)
4. PRONI OS/6/3/4/5 – Fifth Edition Ordnance Survey map (1931)
5. PRONI VAL/12/B/17/2A-2H – Annual Revisions (1863-1897)
6. PRONI VAL/12/B/43/N/2-9 – Annual Revisions (1897-1930)
7. PRONI VAL/12/E/192/H/31/1 – Annual Revisions Town Plan (1906-1935)
8. PRONI VAL/3/B/3/20 – First General Revaluation of Property in Northern Ireland (1935)
9. PRONI VAL/4/B/7/48 – Second General Revaluation of Property in Northern Ireland (1956-72)
10. Ulster Town Directories (1861-1943)
11. First Survey Record – HB26/12/028 (1975-1984)
12. First Survey Image – HB26/12/028 (No Date)
13. NIEA HB Records – HB26/12/028 (includes cut-outs from R.S.U.A: Perspective Magazine: 1999)

Secondary Sources
1. Brett, C. E. B., ‘Buildings of Belfast, 1700-1914’ Belfast: Friars Bush Press, 1985.
2. Dean, J. A. K., ‘The gate lodges of Ulster: A gazetteer’ Belfast: Ulster Architectural Heritage Society, 1994.
3. Larmour, P., ‘Belfast: An illustrated architectural guide’ Belfast: Friar’s Bush Press, 1987.
4. Haines, K., ‘East Belfast: Paintings and stories from harbour to hills’ Donaghadee: Cottage Publications, 2001.

Online Resources
1. Dictionary of Irish Architects – http://www.dia.ie/

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

A. Style
B. Proportion
C. Ornamentation
H+. Alterations enhancing the building
J. Setting
K. Group value

Criteria for listing: historic interest

R. Age
S. Authenticity
V. Authorship
X. Local Interest

Evaluation

A fine example of a Ruskinian Gothic-revival style Gate Lodge in polychromatic brickwork to the designs of the renowned local architect W Barre. The late twentieth century alterations contribute to the lodge's interest. It has group value with the adjoining Belmont Presbyterian church (HB26.12.027A) and hall (HB26.12.027B).

General comments

Record renumbered, previously HB26/12/028 AP 07/04/2014