Gate Screen, Gilford Castle, 5 Banbridge Road, Gilford, Co Down, BT63 6DJ

Gate Screen at Gilford Castle

The gate screen at Gilford Castle stands at the north entrance to the estate, fronting onto Banbridge Road east of Gilford, County Down. Built in the early twentieth century around 1905, it forms an imposing entrance to the Castle grounds, though less ornate than might be expected for the architectural style of the house itself.

The screen was designed by the architectural practice Young & Mackenzie as part of improvements commissioned by Katherine Carleton, who purchased Gilford Castle in 1904. The scheme was inspired by a gateway at Fowey Hall in England designed by the architect C E Sayer for a Mr Hanson; Sayer granted permission for the design to be replicated here. The ironwork was manufactured by Musgrave & Co of Belfast, while the piers were executed by Richard Lutton of Portadown.

The structure comprises large, finely dressed sandstone gate piers over plinth, with the stone cut back slightly at the corners. The caps are corniced and feature gableted ends to each side, each north-facing gablet inset with a stone plaque bearing the letter 'C' in monogram—the shield of Katherine Carleton. The piers are topped by polygonal pedestals supporting the bases of lamp standards, which originally held gas lamps; ladders set into the rear of each pier provided access for maintenance. The piers support fixed cast and wrought-iron rails with curlicues and spear-head finials. Matching gates are hung on cast-iron framework piers, cross-shaped in plan, topped with curlicues and additional lamp bases.

The screen is flanked by convex walls with roughcast rendered finish, stone plinth, and ramped coping. Beyond the entrance, estate walls comprise coursed rubble blackstone with stone soldier coping. Evidence of gas lighting survives, although the lamp fixtures themselves are gone.

The gate screen forms an important feature within the estate and contributes to the group value of related structures including the stable yard, walled garden, and farm entrance with lodge. The Gilford Castle estate itself is of considerable historic interest, built on wealth generated by the local linen industry at its height. The castle, completed in the early 1870s for Benjamin Dickson, a partner in the local linen thread company Dunbar McMaster, represents a fine and largely intact example of Scottish Baronial architecture.