Antrim Gate Lodge, 12 Castle Road, Antrim, Co Antrim, BT41 4NA

Antrim Gate Lodge

A single storey lodge with rendered walls, gabled roofs with ornamental barge boards, a central chimney stack with three tall pots, and a later gabled extension to one side. The main entrance faces north.

The roofs of the main block are of Bangor blue slates in regular courses with dark toned ridge tiles. Deep overhanging eaves feature plain soffits and elaborate openwork timber barge boards carved with cusped tracery incorporating stylised flower and leaf motifs including trefoils and Tudor roses. Cast iron gutters and downpipes are fitted throughout. The walls are smooth rendered, lined and blocked, with a projecting plinth and raised quoins to all corners of the original block, all painted white. A central chimney stack resembles painted ashlar stonework with a painted stone cornice and three tall hexagonal pots.

The north elevation of the main block comprises three bays. A large gabled projection occupies the right side, while a smaller gabled porch sits to the left with the main roof swept down low over a small window in the recessed wall between them. The porch contains a four-centre arched opening with an original arched and panelled timber door set in chamfered reveals, surmounted by a label moulding. A small relief carved painted stone armorial plaque is set in the wall above the door, and an original octagonal metal handle adorns the door. One sandstone and one concrete doorstep provide access. The recessed main wall to the right of the porch contains a small window—rectangular timber 2-light side-hung lozenge-paned casements with diagonal wooden glazing bars, set in a rectangular surround with chamfered reveals and a deeply splayed projecting cill of painted stone. The gable to the right of the recessed wall contains a larger similar window surmounted by a label moulding, with a larger armorial plaque occupying the apex of the gable above. All windows are replacements of 1996 made to the original pattern.

The east elevation comprises a large gable containing a canted bay window to the left, with the side of the entrance porch set back to the right. The canted bay contains rectangular timber casements glazed as described, with similar reveals and cills, in each of the three faces, and stone weatherings to the roof of the bay painted to match the rest of the walling. A larger armorial plaque occupies the apex of the gable. The side wall of the porch to the right contains a four-centre arched opening with an arched timber fixed light, glazed as previous, with reveals and cill as previous, but surmounted by a label moulding.

The rear elevation of the main block comprises a large gable to the left similar to the entrance front, but with a 3-light window, with the main wall set back slightly to the right. The wall to the right contains an oriel window of very shallow projection surmounted by a small gablet above. The oriel contains a 2-light window as previous; shaped corbel courses in painted stonework form the base of the oriel, and a small version of the armorial plaque occupies the apex of the gablet.

The west elevation of the main block is mostly obscured by a lower gabled and slated extension, with a small area of walling visible to each side of it. The extension has smooth rendered walls, partly lined and blocked to the portion next to the main house on the north elevation, a projecting plinth and eaves course, and a roof slated as the main block. The gable to the west has overhanging eaves but plain moulded timber barge boards. The north side contains a rectangular timber glazed and sheeted door with cast iron gutter and PVC downpipe; a modern plastic ventilator grille is set in the wall to the right. The gable to the west contains a window—rectangular timber 2-light side-hung casements glazed as previous but set in plain reveals with a projecting concrete cill—and a cast iron soil pipe. The south side of the extension contains two similar windows, with cast iron gutter and cast iron downpipe.

Setting

The building stands in a rural area within the grounds of a large estate. It faces the main road but is set back from it slightly, with a main gateway to the estate adjacent to it. The driveway from the main road is tarmac, bordered by lawns; a stony drive runs across the entrance front of the house. A concrete path runs around the immediate perimeter of the house with well tended gardens beyond. A low single storey gabled outbuilding of basalt rubble and brickwork of no special interest stands immediately next to the extension; modern rendered and corrugated iron garages or sheds stand to the rear.

Main Gateway

The main gateway from the main road comprises a large pair of spear-headed iron gates mounted on a pair of rectangular openwork iron piers, flanked each side by curving screen railings of similar character to the gates, which terminate in a pair of square masonry piers. The gates show evidence of extension and repair; the one to the west has broken base and central rails and damaged uprights. The ironwork pier to the west has a cast iron crown finial sitting askew; the corresponding pier to the east has its finial missing. The ironwork stays to the east have a cast iron urn finial, but it is missing from the corresponding stays to the west. The curved screen to the west has some uprights bent from impact damage by vehicles turning. The masonry piers are of snecked squared basalt with rhyolite frieze, moulded cornice and caps. The capstone of the pier to the west has been partly dislodged. Extending to each side of the end piers for a considerable distance is the front boundary wall to the estate, of coursed basalt rubble with basalt rock copings.