Inch Lodge, 75 Belfast Road, Magheracranmoney, Downpatrick, Co Down, BT30 9AY

Inch Lodge is a large, sprawling two-storey house situated at the end of a curving lane east of Belfast Road, approximately 2.5 miles northwest of Downpatrick. The building was originally constructed around 1840 as a rectory for Inch parish church, built by James Waring Maxwell of Finnebrogue. In its original form, as shown on the 1859-60 Ordnance Survey map, it consisted merely of a square block at the southern end with associated outbuildings to the northeast. The original main entrance was likely located to the west or south, with the south being most probable.

Around 1900, the house was greatly extended and remodelled in typical irregular Edwardian fashion, with work believed to have been carried out by Reverend Finch-White. This expansion doubled the footprint of the house, adding a large rendered portion to the north and reordering the interior. The property remained a rectory house until approximately 1930. It subsequently passed through various owners: a member of the Maxwell family, Mr Kerr (as leasee), Mr Marney (who purchased it in 1950), and the present owner's father (who acquired it in 1960 and undertook extensive renovation work, including reopening several windows to the older portion that had been blocked up).

The western elevation, which now serves as the main entrance, is asymmetrical and complex in appearance. Roughly to the right of centre is a recessed panelled door. To the left of the doorway the façade is set back, featuring three ground floor sash windows with Georgian panes (all 3/6) and two first floor sash windows with vertical glazing bars (both 2/2). Between the doorway and this set-back section are small sash windows with Georgian panes (6/6) to both floors on the north-facing portion. Further left, the façade is set back again, with a modern glazed door and small sash window to the ground floor and a larger similar window to the first floor; this section has a bevelled north edge. To the right of the main entrance, the façade projects slightly and is finished in rubble with unsuitable raised pointing (unlike the rest of the west elevation and most of the building, which is painted render). This projecting section contains two modern-framed windows resembling Edwardian models to the ground floor and two shorter similar windows to the first floor; these windows were blocked up until the 1960s and now have odd raised render surrounds concealing the reopening work.

The northern elevation comprises an attached outbuilding to the left and the house to the right. The house façade has two double sash windows with Georgian panes (6/6) to the ground floor and another to the left on the first floor, with a single sash window (6/6) to the right. The façade is recessed on the right side, ending in a bevelled edge with a small sash window of Georgian panes (4/4) to the ground floor and a larger window (6/6) set at a higher intermediate level. The entire north façade of the house is rendered and painted. The attached outbuilding is two-storey, constructed in a mixture of rubble and brick, featuring a large segmental arched carriage entrance, an upper level sash window, and a ground level timber-sheeted pedestrian door.

The short southern façade is relatively uncomplicated, consisting of two large five-sided flat-roofed bays with windows to the three central sides of each. These windows feature Edwardian-style sash frames with Georgian panes to the smaller upper sash (both eight-pane and six-pane varieties). This façade is rendered and painted.

The eastern elevation is the most complex. To the left, the façade repeats the right-hand portion of the western elevation, finished in rubble with raised pointing and containing two modern-framed windows to each floor with incongruous rendered surrounds. To the right, the façade is set back slightly and rendered. Halfway along the façade is a high rubble wall enclosing a yard. To the left of this wall is a modern ground floor door with a PVC conservatory immediately to its right. The first floor contains two sash windows with Georgian panes (the left 3/6 and the right tripartite, 3/6 to centre). Beyond the yard wall is another tripartite window to the first floor and a similar-looking casement window. Within the enclosed yard is a short south-facing portion of façade with a partly glazed door and a sash window (6/6) to the ground floor and a pitched roof half-dormer with double sash window (6/6 and 6/6) to the upper floor. To the east of this portion is a small single-storey shed leaning against the large two-storey outbuilding to the north. A long single-storey outbuilding leans against the high yard wall to the south side of the yard.

The main roof is predominantly hipped with a large overhang and boxed-in eaves, entirely covered in natural slate with four relatively tall rendered chimney stacks. Cast iron rainwater goods are present throughout.

To the southwest of the house, north of the drive, stands a small pump house dating to around 1910. It features a pyramidal slated roof with overhang and exposed rafter ends, a rough-cast façade, and a timber-sheeted doorway set under a small gable to the east. A small two-pane window is located to the north. Within the pump house is a large hand-operated wheel pump.