The Laurels, (Formerly Lisburn Lodge), 376 Upper Ballynahinch Road, Aghanaleck, Lisburn, County Down, BT27 6XL

The Laurels, formerly known as Lisburn Lodge, is a detached gable-fronted single-storey building with attic, constructed in 1878 and possibly designed by John Lanyon. Built from random coursed cut stone with yellow brick quoins and bands, it sits on the west side of Upper Ballynahinch Road at Aghanaleck, facing east and positioned opposite the principal entrance to Larchfield House. The building is rectangular on plan.

The pitched roof is finished with natural slate and topped with a terracotta ridge-comb tiles. A large yellow brick chimneystack rises prominently. Plain timber bargeboards ornament the gables, and the eaves are overhanging with replacement metal rainwater goods to the timber fascia. A gabled dormer to the north pitch contains a single-pane timber sash window, whilst the south pitch has a modern skylight.

The windows are segmental-headed openings formed in stop-chamfered yellow brick with angled yellow brick hood mouldings, sandstone keystones, springer stones and splayed flush sills. All windows retain leaded single-pane timber sashes. The gabled front elevation is abutted by a single-storey three-sided canted bay window with a lead-lined roof and original moulded cast-iron rainwater goods to a yellow brick angled cornice. This bay contains a single attic window symmetrically placed above it.

The entrance is a recessed open-sided corner porch positioned at the northeast corner, comprising a single polished stone column on a stepped plinth block with stiff-leaf capital supporting moulded corbels that carry a chamfered stone lintel to each elevation. Within the porch, walls are entirely yellow brick with segmental-headed door openings on both visible walls. An original herring-bone timber sheeted door with two leaded lights opens onto a concrete platform and two steps.

The south side elevation displays two window openings. The north side elevation has a single window opening at its centre and a further door opening to the right, detailed as per the window openings and retaining its original door with leaded overlight.

At the apex of the front gable is a carved stone tablet in relief depicting the Graham family crest and the build date '1878'. The family motto 'Memor Esto' (Be mindful) is recorded on this plaque.

A two and one-storey grey brick extension was added to the rear elevation circa 1970, consisting of single and two-storey components. The extension continues as a single-storey grey brick projection with hipped slate roof and uPVC windows. Despite this modern addition, the house retains its Victorian character, external detailing and materials.

Historically, a gate lodge associated with the Larchfield estate appears on the first edition Ordnance Survey map of 1834, located to the northwest of Larchfield House, seat of the Mussenden family, a local landowning and merchant elite. The 1834 map depicts it as an oblong building, though it was not formally recorded as a gate lodge until the second edition Ordnance Survey maps of 1859. In circa 1830, the gate lodge was valued at £53 17s alongside the main house and outoffices. William Mussenden, then occupant of Larchfield, died in 1860, leaving the estate to Ogilvie B. Graham. Over the following decade, Graham made numerous changes to the Larchfield site. By 1862, the estate value had increased to £100 following expansion of the main house and extensive stable buildings. By 1878, both of Larchfield's gate lodges were replaced with new buildings. This lodge was constructed on the site of its predecessor and valued at £6. Later Ordnance Survey maps captioned it 'Lisburn Lodge', though maps from 1900 to 1920 showed no discernible alteration, depicting it as a small oblong structure.

John Lanyon is believed to have designed this lodge, as well as the estate's other gate lodge, Hillsborough Lodge, based on their architectural resemblance to Belfast Castle Lodge, which Lanyon designed. Lanyon's father, Charles Lanyon, may have designed extensions to Larchfield House prior to 1859. The lodge is now used as a private dwelling, renamed 'The Laurels'.

The building benefits from group value with other listed buildings on the Larchfield Estate, and is positioned within a setting enclosed by decorative wrought iron railing on a low stone wall, with a large garden to the south elevation. The extent of listing includes the gate lodge, gate, wall and railings.