North (Town) gate screen and walling, Montalto House, Dromore Road, Ballymaglave north, Ballynahinch, Co Down, BT24 8PX

Broad, decorative gate screen of c.1867 by William Brown, fronting the north (or town) gateway to the Montalto estate, with square, urn-topped stone pillars and iron gates, the latter added in the early 1900s to replace the original timber versions. The screen is situated on the S side of Dromore Road, to the W of Ballynahinch town centre. The screen is relatively wide with carriage gates to the centre with tall pillars, and a curving outer screen terminating in shorter end pillars. The main gate pillars have square shafts in rock-faced basalt-like stone [?greywacke]. The shafts rest on a bevelled plinth and have side ‘jambs’ in sandstone to which the gates and railings attach. The shaft is topped with a fluted frieze with cornice and a swagged urn on ramped base, all in sandstone. There is a surveillance camera attached to the W pillar (next to the urn). The outer pillars are much shorter and plainer, having shafts largely as before, but with a plain sandstone frieze and corniced pyramidal cap. The carriage gates sit between secondary cast iron posts with panels and ball finial. The gates themselves have a rising curve to the top and scroll decoration between the rails and short additional rails with arrow heads. The gates are no opened by a (hidden) electric motor. To the rear (E) the posts have recently added tubular ‘props’ (which do not appear to be physically attached to the posts). The shorter outer railings have scrolled decoration but a generally much plainer. The railings rest on a low bevelled sandstone base. To the E side there is a pedestrian gate, with post similar to main gate only thinner.