Ballygrooby Lodge, Shane's Street, Randalstown, Antrim, Co Antrim, BT41 4NA

Ballygrooby Lodge is a mid-19th century gate lodge and entrance gateway complex in the Tudor style, built as the principal entrance to Shane's Castle estate. Known locally as the 'Grand Entrance', it has also been referred to historically as the 'Randalstown Gate'. It appears on the Ordnance Survey map of 1858 and was mentioned by travel writer J.B. Boyle in 1854 as the 'Randalstown gate' through which visitors entered the Shane's Castle demesne. Stylistically the complex dates to the 1840s and may be the work of architect James Sands, who was associated with the estate in 1848 and to whom other lodges at Shane's Castle have been attributed. Together with associated bollards, chains, and lamp standards, the lodge and gateway form a very attractive group in a pleasant setting at the entrance to a wooded demesne, and are of national interest as one of the most impressive estate entrance complexes in Northern Ireland.

The entire complex is built of basalt with rhyolite dressings, and comprises a large stone-built Tudor arched gateway with a tall octagonal tower to one side and a single-storey gate lodge to the other, both flanked by battlemented curved screen walls terminating in bartizan turrets.

THE GATEWAY — ENTRANCE (NORTH) ELEVATION

The archway faces north and has a label moulding with incised spandrels, surmounted by a crenellated parapet with a stepped centre containing a relief-carved armorial crest. Heavy machicolation sits below the parapet and continues at the same level around a flanking octagonal pier on one side. A taller octagonal tower rises on the other side to a similar crenellated parapet, oversailing on a machicolated corbel course. Both the tower and the pier have rhyolite quoins to their angles, a moulded rhyolite plinth, and a battered basalt base that is continuous with the archway. The tower has arrow loop and slit windows, mainly with rhyolite block dressings; the window slits contain perforated bricks. The pier has blind slits only, set into the basalt walling. A large iron bracket is attached to the tower to carry a lamp.

The archway contains a pair of large rectangular timber studded doors, each with 24 raised and chamfered panels, and each braced by a diagonal iron or steel rod. Above the doors is an artificial portcullis in timber, consisting of an outer frame scribed to the curve of the arch, with seven vertical members bolted to three horizontal members and the frame; each upright has pyramidal shapes to its lower end, and the central upright carries a flat metal plate to its lower part. This portcullis is a replacement, installed in 1993 after the original was removed some years earlier following decay.

To the left of the octagonal tower, a short flanking wall contains a single cusp-headed opening with hood mould in rhyolite block dressings, with a projecting plinth and battered base continuous from the gateway and tower, and a lower crenellated parapet. This wall terminates in a square pier with crenellations projecting over a corbel course. Projecting forward from this square pier is a long curved crenellated screen wall of coursed basalt, terminating in a circular bartizan turret of snecked basalt with a crenellated parapet of regular-coursed basalt, blind arrow loops in rhyolite dressings, and moulded rhyolite corbel courses to the base of the turret. The estate boundary wall, in roughly coursed basalt rubble with tall and short basalt rock copings, abuts the curved screen wall and bartizan turret.

To the right of the octagonal pier, a similar flanking wall contains a three-light cusped-headed rectangular window of the lodge. The windows are arched timber sliding sashes, vertically sliding, six over six with horns, with rhyolite tracery and block dressings, a label mould, and splayed cill. This flanking wall similarly terminates in a square pier, from which projects a crenellated curved screen wall terminating in a circular bartizan turret as on the left side, though the corbels at the base of this turret are of new granite rather than original rhyolite — the western bartizan was dismantled in 1990, its numbered stones put in storage, and it was rebuilt in 1994 with steel and concrete reinforcing members; the original Tardree rhyolite stones at the base were replaced at that time with Mourne granite. The estate boundary wall on this side is similar to the left and abuts the curved screen wall below the level of the projecting plinth.

THE GATEWAY — REAR (SOUTH) ELEVATION

The rear elevation of the archway, octagonal pier, tower, and flanking wall beyond the tower is similar to the entrance front, except that the tower has a doorway in its base: a Tudor arched timber studded door with eight chamfered and raised panels in a timber frame, set in rhyolite block dressings with a label moulding over.

The rear of the curved screen wall beyond the tower is of roughly coursed basalt rubble with old recessed lime mortar pointing, surmounted by rhyolite copings and crenellations. Two outbuildings are built against this wall, of basalt rubble walling with crude brick dressings to their openings; one has a lean-to roof of Bangor blue slates in regular courses, the other a single-pitch roof of similar slates, and each has a sheeted timber door.

THE LODGE

The lodge is built to the rear of the flanking wall beyond the octagonal pier, with its main entrance facing east.

East (entrance) elevation: The lodge is single storey and three bays wide, with a central entrance and a hipped roof behind a crenellated parapet. The walling is of snecked basalt with rhyolite dressings and string courses matching those of the gateway, including a battered base. The Tudor arched doorway contains a rectangular timber studded door with twelve chamfered and raised panels, surmounted by a Tudor-arched three-pane fanlight with studded timber rails and mullions, all in a chamfered timber frame set in rhyolite block dressings with a label moulding and panelled spandrels; the doorstep has modern tiles. Above the doorway the crenellated parapet steps up to contain a relief-carved armorial plaque. To each side of the entrance is a two-light window with cusped heads in similar detailing to that of the entrance front. A twin octagonal chimney stack in smooth cement render, lined, carries two tall hexagonal pots.

South elevation: The walling and detailing match the entrance elevation. The main portion contains a three-light cusped-headed window as elsewhere, with a shorter and lower wall set back to the left containing a rectangular window in rhyolite block dressings, sashed six over six with horns. Set back slightly further to the left is a later extension with a hipped roof of Bangor blue slates in regular courses, walls of smooth cement render painted, a timber eaves board, and cast iron gutter and downpipe.

West (rear) elevation: The extension is smoothly rendered with a hipped roof slated as previously described, cast iron gutter and downpipe, and a PVC soil pipe. There are four windows of modern rectangular timber fixed lights with top-hung vents and projecting concrete cills, and a modern rectangular flush timber door with a glazed panel and a concrete doorstep. The north end of the extension has a blank rendered wall. Attached to the extension at the rear of the curved screen wall is a small lean-to outbuilding with a slated roof and smooth rendered walls, lined and blocked, containing a rectangular flush timber door and a rectangular metal fixed-light window with a top-hung vent and projecting concrete cill. Attached to this outbuilding is an open lean-to shelter of coarse timber construction with a corrugated iron roof, which is in turn attached to a modern gabled wooden garage.

SETTING

The gateway and lodge stand near the edge of the town, facing the main road but set back from it with a stony forecourt area in front. In the angles between the archway and the screen walls are grassed areas bounded by plinth walls of rhyolite carrying stone bollards surmounted by iron ball finials connected by iron chains. The plinth wall to the left is low to the ground, while the one to the right develops into a high retaining wall of squared random rubble owing to the slope of the ground toward the main road. The estate boundary walls abut the screen walls on each side, with the boundary wall to the right extending to abut a railway viaduct. A pair of cast iron lamp standards stand in front of the archway, flanking the driveway. Through the archway the driveway is surfaced in concrete, with a concrete-paved area across the front of the lodge and along its end; beyond this the driveway is tarmac with a hardstanding adjacent to the lodge, and further still it is bordered by grass with mature trees filling the view in the distance. A stony path to the rear of the tower leads to a grassy area behind the eastern screen wall. The area to the rear of the lodge is bounded by a modern timber fence, with thick bushes beyond leading to the river bank and the railway viaduct.