North Lodge, 53 Downshire Road, Newry, Co Down, BT34 1EE

North Lodge is one of a pair of two-storey detached houses, originally two bays but now with additions. Dating from the early 19th century (1800–1819), it retains most original features characteristic of an early lodge. The building is set back on the east side of Downshire Road.

The main block has a hipped artificial slate roof with clay ridge and hip tiles, and one rendered chimney rises behind the ridge on the rear pitch. Semicircular metal rainwater goods are fitted throughout. The principal façade, which faces west to the main road, features walls of painted wet dash with a smooth render basecourse and stepped quoins, but has no door on this elevation.

Centred to the ground floor are a pair of narrow fixed pane windows with coloured leaded transoms (circa 1900) in roll-moulded stop-end chamfered timber frames sharing a common painted cill. To left and right of these are single 1/1 sliding sashes with horns and painted granite cills. Above at first floor are three equally spaced 1/1 sashes, half the height of those on the ground floor. The left elevation is abutted by a two-storey lean-to; the exposed section of the main block matches the façade treatment with stepped quoins but no openings. The right gable of the lean-to, painted lined render, faces the road and contains the main entrance. A single granite step leads to a four-panelled painted door with beaded muntin, raised and fielded panels and ornate Victorian brass furniture, with a modern glass transom above, all inset within an exposed timber frame resting on painted granite plinths. A modern coach lamp is positioned to the left at doorhead level.

The right elevation of the main block is abutted at ground floor by a single-storey annex stepped back from the façade. The exposed section of the main block to the left is wet dashed with stepped quoins; the wall at first floor level is smooth cement rendered with no openings. The annex has a pitched artificial slate roof running parallel with the side of the house, plain timber bargeboard to its façade gable, and painted lined render walls. The façade gable contains a pair of 1/1 sliding sash windows with horns sharing a common granite cill. The side wall forms the boundary with the adjacent property. A two-storey return abuts the rear gable.

The rear elevation of the main block is abutted at its right by a two-storey return with a natural slate roof and wet dashed walls; its end gable is blank. The right cheek continues the left elevation of the main block and has four ground floor windows, mostly top-hung with painted concrete cills. Between the third and fourth windows from the left, the wall is indented to accommodate side gates. At the right end of the lean-to is a fixed pane window set inside a sliding sash box, with stained glass pieces depicting a Bishop glued onto the inside surface. Three equally spaced top-hung timber windows light the first floor. The left cheek of this return has a modern timber and glass door with modern transom at ground floor left, and two modern timber casements to the remaining wall. First floor comprises two modern top-hung windows with granite cills, roughly in line with ground floor windows.

Abutting the rear of the one-storey annex is a two-storey return with a pitched natural slate roof and rendered chimney to the party wall. Walls are painted smooth render; the gable and left cheek are blank. The right cheek has a t+g sheeted door with two-paned transom to the ground floor left and a 6/6 sliding sash window with horns and granite cill to the right. First floor has a 1/1 sliding sash window with horns and painted granite cill, in line with the ground floor window.

To the front is a mature garden with mature trees and shrubs. To the rear is a long two-storey outhouse, converted into a games room, with pitched natural slate roof and painted rubble walls. Behind it are the remains of two low outhouses, possibly once used for domestic animals. Land to the rear, now under separate ownership, was once the orchard to the property.

The building is shown on the 1834 Ordnance Survey 6-inch map and was occupied in 1838 by Robert Hamilton. It has been cited as 'North Lodge' from the 1902 edition of the Ordnance Survey onwards. A 1920s photograph shows the house substantially as it appears today, although the right return originally had more decorative bargeboard. The owner believes it was once the home of Newry's town clerk, Mr Cronin.