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

A fine mid-19th century gate lodge in Tudor style, built as an entrance lodge to Shane's Castle and appearing on the 1858 Ordnance Survey map. The building is stylistically dated to the 1840s and may be a work of architect James Sands, who was involved with the Shane's Castle estate in 1848 and to whom other lodges on the estate have been attributed. The exact construction date is not known precisely, but falls between 1840 and 1859.

The lodge is a single storey building with rendered walls, gabled roofs, and a later gabled extension to one side. The main entrance faces north. The roofs of the main block are laid in Bangor blue slates in regular courses with dark toned ridge tiles. They feature deep overhanging eaves with plain soffits and unusually ornate 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 present throughout.

The walls are smooth rendered, lined and blocked, with a projecting plinth and raised quoins to all corners of the original block, painted white. A central chimney stack, resembling painted ashlar stonework, rises from the roof with a painted stone cornice and three tall hexagonal pots.

The north elevation of the main block is three bays, consisting of a large gabled projection to the right and a smaller gabled porch to the left, with the main roof swept down low over a small window in the recessed wall between. 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. Above the door sits a small relief carved painted stone armorial plaque. An original octagonal metal handle is mounted on the door, with one sandstone doorstep and one of concrete at ground level.

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 window of similar design and construction, but surmounted by a label moulding, with a larger armorial plaque occupying the apex of the gable above.

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 in each of the three faces, glazed with diagonal wooden glazing bars, and stone weatherings to the roof of the bay painted to match the rest of the walling. A large 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, surmounted by a label moulding.

The rear elevation of the main block comprises a large gable to the left 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 with shaped corbel courses to the base, rendered in painted stonework, and a small version of the armorial plaque in the apex of the gablet.

The west elevation of the main block is mostly obscured by a lower gabled and slated extension, with small areas 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. It has a projecting plinth and eaves course, with a roof slated to match 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 gutters and a PVC downpipe, along with a modern plastic ventilator grille. The gable to the west contains a window with rectangular timber 2-light side-hung casements with diagonal glazing bars, set in plain reveals with a projecting concrete cill. A cast iron soil pipe is present. The south side of the extension contains two similar windows, cast iron gutter and downpipe.

All windows in the lodge are replacements of 1996 to the original pattern. Interior details are not documented.

The building stands in a rural setting within the grounds of a large estate, facing the main road but set back from it slightly, with the main gateway to the estate adjacent. A tarmac driveway from the main road is bordered by lawns, and a stony drive runs across the entrance front of the house. A concrete path surrounds the immediate perimeter with well tended gardens beyond. A low single storey gabled outbuilding of basalt rubble and brickwork stands immediately next to the extension; modern rendered and corrugated iron garages or sheds stand to the rear.

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, which terminate in a pair of square masonry piers. The gates show evidence of extension and repair, with the western gate having a broken base and central rails and damaged uprights. The iron pier to the west has a cast iron crown finial sitting askew; the corresponding pier to the east has its finial missing. Ironwork stays to the east have a cast iron urn finial, but the corresponding stays to the west are without finials. The curved screen to the west has some uprights bent due to impact damage from vehicles. The masonry piers are of snecked squared basalt with a 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, constructed of coursed basalt rubble with basalt rock copings.

The gateway was widened in the 1970s or 1980s by removal of pedestrian gates and extension of the main gates. The building enjoys a pleasant setting and has group value with other listed buildings on the estate. Recent alterations detracting from the building include window replacement in 1996, though to the original pattern.