Gate Screen and Lodges, St. Malachy's Parish Church of Ireland, Main Street, Hillsborough, County Down, BT26 6AE

Symmetrical gate screen and pair of single-storey pinnacled former school-houses, built c.1773, at the entrance to St. Malachy's Church (HB19/05/001A) on Main Street Hillsborough. Largely replaced c.1991. Two pairs of tall decorative iron gates with iron pediments and decorative iron side panels, attached to tall square-plan sandstone ashlar piers with engaged columns to the corners surmounted in a capital moulding and ball finials. A small pair of hexangonal sandstone gate stops with domed tops are located at each gateway. Spanning the space in between both gateways is a spear-headed iron railing with regular decorative iron panels and set on a sandstone ashlar wall with stone coping, repeated to either end. Gable-fronted single-storey former school-houses to either side of gate screen, that to the north is the Sexton's house, that to the south is The Parish Room. Pitched natural slate roofs, black clay ridge tiles set behind front gables having sandstone piers to either end and to the apex with stone pinnacles. Repeated to the rear gable of the Parish Room only. Cast-iron guttering to moulded masonry eaves. Rubblestone walling with rough hewn squared quoins. Lancet window openings to the front gables with square-headed window openings to the side elevations and stone sills. 2/2 timber sash windows to the side elevations with Gothic panes to the upper sash and hood mouldings. Sexton's House: Five windows deep, extended by a further three windows to include the Maginess Room. Maginess Room has a tall rendered chimneystack rising from its south wall with a stone pinnacle flu. Square-headed window openings to this section with tripartite iron lattice windows. Equilateral-headed door opening to the front gable with stone surround and vertically-sheeted timber door and over-panel, having sandstone panel above stating 'Sexton'. Door opens onto cobbles extending across the gate screen to the Parish Room. Lean-to extension to the north side elevation with stone walling and timber casement windows. Side area enclosed by spear-headed wrought-iron railing. Rubble stone walling to North boundary. Parish Room: Four windows deep with a square-headed door opening to the easternmost bay having a vertically-sheeted timber door and overlight. Door as per Sexton's House with sandstone panel above stating 'The Parish Room'. Site landscaped and enclosed by rubble walling to South.