Lizard Manor, 45 Rusky Park, Aghadowey, Coleraine, Co. Londonderry, BT51 4AH

Lizard Manor is a symmetrical three-bay two-storey large country house in the Georgian style, built around 1860 and situated in mature grounds to the south side of Rusky Park, south of Coleraine.

The building comprises a rectangular main block with a central breakfront to the front and two-storey canted bays to east and west. A rear rectangular block has a single-storey extension to the west and is abutted at the north by a three-storey return, which is further abutted by a two-storey servant's block.

The roof is hipped natural slate with leaded ridges and hips. Rectangular and square rendered chimneystacks have corbelled caps and clay pots. Plastic rainwater goods sit on projecting timber eaves with sheeted soffits and carved timber brackets. The walling is smooth render on a plinth with straight-channelled quoins, a platband between floors, and a moulded string-course below the eaves. Windows are 6/6 timber sash without horns in moulded architraves with projecting stone sills, unless otherwise stated.

The principal elevation faces south and is symmetrically arranged about a central two-storey breakfront. The breakfront is flanked by two windows at each floor and has paired 4/4 windows at first floor over a round-headed doorcase. A raised-and-fielded four-panel timber door with brass door furniture is flanked by fluted square piers with heads carved with swag-and-tails and eight-paned sidelights. The door is surmounted by a large timber spider-web fanlight in a broach-marked surround, resting on two semi-engaged columns with carved acanthus leaf capitals, and is accessed via two concrete paved steps.

The west elevation comprises a two-storey canted bay with a window to each facet. A 6/6 window insertion at ground floor centre has two panelled timber aprons. The rear block is slightly recessed and is two windows wide at first floor, abutted at ground floor by the single-storey flat-roof extension with a canted bay to front; windows appear to the left and right cheek.

The north (rear) block is abutted to the right of centre by the three-storey return. The exposed section to the right of the return has a 4/4 window to first and ground floor. The exposed section to the left of the return has a large 6/6 window to ground floor right, abutted by a small modern cement-rendered lean-to coal house.

The west elevation of the return has three diminished windows to the second floor, three windows at first floor (that to the right is bipartite 6/6), and a projecting multi-paned box bay timber window to ground floor right.

The east elevation of the return has two widely spaced windows at second floor; 8/8 windows to first floor left and right, flanking a narrow 6/6 window. The ground floor has a bipartite six-paned timber window at left, a modern enlarged window opening to left of centre, and an 8/8 window at right.

The servant's block is lit to the north by two windows at each floor, with a diminutive window also to the ground floor left. The west elevation has a window at first and ground floor and a timber-sheeted door with latch handle surmounted by a timber fanlight. The east elevation has a bipartite 6/6 window to first floor and a window to ground floor right; a timber-sheeted door with latch handle to the left is surmounted by a three-paned timber transom.

The east elevation has a two-storey canted bay at left with a window at each facet. The rear block is slightly recessed and is three windows wide at each floor.

The house is situated on a large mature site in a rural location to the south of Coleraine. It is accessed from Rusky Park to the north via a long tree-lined tarmacadamed avenue, with wrought-iron railings to the entrance and tall modern metal gates. The house is surrounded by mature grounds with a variety of mature trees. To the north is an original tennis court and a large walled garden with tall Flemish-bonded red-brick walls visible from Rusky Park.

To the west is a slated red-brick former stable-block comprising a large two-storey rectangular block with a central gablet and two perpendicular single-storey wings flanking a central cobbled yard. The yard opens to the east with a square-headed carriage arch entrance with timber lintel. The south and south-east wings both have modified openings; the main block to the west has a 2/2 timber sash window and a replacement timber-sheeted door.