Lodge and council cemetery, Straidkilly Road, Glenarm, Ballymena, Co Antrim, BT44 0AJ

Lodge and Council Cemetery, Straidkilly Road, Glenarm

A mildly picturesque single storey cemetery gate lodge built in 1882, designed by Samuel P. Close. The building is constructed of semi-coursed, roughly squared white limestone with yellow and cream brick dressings. It combines a simple gabled section to the north (facing Straidkilly Road) with a large hipped roof portion to the south, and features overhanging eaves with exposed rafter ends throughout. The roof is covered in natural slate with cast iron rainwater goods.

The front (west) elevation is asymmetrical. To the right stands a timber-sheeted door set within a segmental arched opening with in-out brick dressings. To the left is a large hipped roof projection with paired plain sash windows on its west face and one centred plain sash window on its south face. The north face incorporates a small lean-to section, which is largely obscured by its structure. The east elevation has been significantly altered in the conversion process and now contains two modern openings—each comprising a sheeted door and modern window with rendered dressings—leading to male and female public toilets.

The south elevation displays the south face of the hipped roof section on the left, with one centred plain sash window, and a large gabled bay to the right with two plain sash windows. Centrally placed within the gable is a simple slate shield-shaped panel inscribed with the date 1882. The hipped roof is topped with a brick chimneystack at its centre. Each gable features a small timber finial at its apex. Verges are overhanging with plain bargeboards and exposed purlin ends.

The lodge was originally built as a caretaker's residence for the surrounding council cemetery, which was laid out at the same time. The cemetery to the north and west contains numerous late 19th, 20th and 21st century headstones. It is bounded by a low random limestone rubble wall to the east and north, and a much lower basalt wall with simple iron railings to the south. Square basalt gate screen piers with pyramidal caps mark the entrance.

Much of the building was converted to a public WC prior to the late 1970s, and the east façade was substantially altered in this process. The lodge is situated within a conservation area.