The Lodge, 1 Donaghadee Road, Groomsport, Co Down, BT19 6LG

An asymmetrical two-storey three-bay Victorian house with attic and basement, built c.1865, located on the Donaghadee Road, opposite Groomsport Parish Church (HB23/01/014). The house is rectangular on plan with slightly projecting gabled right bay and central projecting steeply gabled porch; return to rear (west), now abutted by a substantial modern extension. Roof is pitched natural slate with blue/black angled clay ridge tiles; porch includes two courses of fish scale slates. Octagonal chimneystacks are grouped in twos and threes, supported on sandstone bases. Ornate timber bargeboards to main house, cast-iron bargeboards to porch. Cast-iron ogee rainwater goods with fleur-de-lys fixings over exposed rafter ends and eaves board. Walling is ashlar sandstone over chamfered plinth set with cast-iron ventilation grilles. Windows are grouped in sets of two and three 1/1 timber sashes divided by sandstone transoms and mullions all in ashlar sandstone surrounds with flush chamfered sills (unless otherwise stated). Some original glazing remains. Principal elevation faces east and has openings to each floor at each bay arranged about the central porch, which is profiled with offsets at either side of the front elevation. All are as stated with the exception of the first floor central window, which is a single 2/2 sash, and a diminutive 1/1 sash lighting attic to right gable. The porch has a door opening to either cheek, each comprising a shouldered opening with stop-end chamfered reveal with timber sheeted door accessed by three stone steps with reproduction metal railings; the left entrance door has a figurative knocker and decorative strap-hinges. Front elevation of porch has a four-centred arched Y-tracery window. Left gable has a window at each floor, including an attic window as before; that to ground floor is contained in a canted bay. To its left, the return is set back slightly and has two windows to first floor and a projecting bay window to ground floor. The rear elevation is almost completely abutted by a modern extension, of no interest. The exposed section is yellow brick. The right gable is abutted by a lower two-storey extension. Setting The house is set back from the road with a large paved parking area to front, accessed via modern steel gates and enclosed from the road by a roughcast and modern stone / yellow brick boundary walls. The site is heavily encroached by modern buildings to either side, although the lodge remains prominent due to its scale. Roof: Natural slate Walling: Sandstone Windows: Timber RWG: Cast iron