Craigowen Lodge, 208 Bangor Road, Holywood, BT18 0JE

A single-storey three-bay Italianate lodge, designed by Thomas Turner, built 1851, located at what was once the entrance to Craigavad House, now the Royal Belfast Golf Club (HB23/16/001), on the north side of the Bangor Road, Craigavad. Rectangular on plan with central portico. Pitched corrugated metal roof with sandstone kneelers and overhanging eaves resting on timber brackets. Slender ashlar chimney with scroll moulding; plinth with cornice and two terracotta pots. Cast-iron ogee rainwater goods with cast-iron brackets. Walling is buff sandstone with a raised plinth and continuous string course at sill level; quoins to string course. All windows are blind; round-head, bead moulded and banded surround with engaged colonette reveals having carved acanthus leaves at capitals. The principal elevation faces west; entrance door (now boarded) is in round-headed bead moulded opening. Central projecting portico flanked by window openings. Accessed by four stone steps with fretted stone balustrade to north and south, the Portico comprises two semi-circular arches carried on a central column and two columns to either side, which are engaged to stone piers. The capitals are ornately carved acanthus leaves and scallop shells. Spandrel with ornamental bracket resting on carved maiden’s head; two further timber brackets to north and south resting on sandstone ovolo-shaped support. The north elevation has paired window openings below a carved roundel depicting a scallop shell. Decorative carved timber brackets under eaves to centre of gable and at both corners, resting on sandstone supports. The rear elevation is concealed by overgrown planting. The south elevation is a mirror of the north elevation. Setting Located to the north of the busy A2 carriageway, the land surrounding the gate lodge is much overgrown; trees and modern field gate to north; trees and rubble stone wall to east. Bounded to road by a modern smooth rendered wall having coping stones and piers with pointed caps; inverted entrance with piers and pointed caps; modern metal gate containing vertical bars topped by pointed finials. Roof: Corrugated metal Walling: Sandstone Windows: Blind RWG: Cast-iron