Ivybrook Lodge, 20 Drumalane Road, Newry, Co Down, BT35 8AP

Ivybrook Lodge comprises two abutting buildings set at 20 Drumalane Road, Newry. The older property, the original Ivybrook Lodge, fronts the east side of Drumalane Road and is abutted along its rear (east-facing) wall by a larger ashlar granite extension of later date which now forms the main façade to the pair and fronts a landscaped garden.

The Old House

The original building is a rectangular two-storey structure with basement and attic, arranged in two bays, with a projecting gabled porch addition facing the road. A lower single-bay, two-storey unit projects from the south gable. The roof is pitched and slated with tiled verges. One cement-rendered chimney with projecting cap rises from the west pitch, aligned with the ridge. Half-round metal rainwater goods are fitted throughout. All walls are cement rendered unless otherwise stated.

The west façade (to the road) has stepped rendered quoins. The porch rises almost to first floor level on the right bay and carries a 6/3 sliding sash window at the half-landing between first floor and attic. The left bay has 6/6 exposed box sliding sash windows at ground and first floor, both with granite cills. The porch has a pitched natural slate roof, hipped at its interface with the main house. The gable carries a decorated timber bargeboard with radial motif and stylised shamrocks. A six-panelled door with raised fields at the base leads to a half-landing between basement and ground floor; its sidelights are now blocked. Above is a second door, approached by external steel stairs from street level, leading to a half-landing between ground and first floor. This is modern stained timber with sidelights, set within a segmental-headed opening. Narrow 1/1 sliding sash windows flank the porch at both levels on each cheek.

The north gable is two bays wide. The left verge appears to have been raised. A downpipe at the left carries water from the valley between the old and new blocks. The right bay has window openings at basement, ground and first floors; only the ground floor window is original—a 4/4 sliding sash—while the other two are modern top-hung replacements. The left bay is lit by larger windows. At ground and first floor is a tripartite window comprising a 6/6 sliding sash with three-paned transom to the centre and a 2/2 sash with single-pane transom to each side. The basement window is also tripartite: a 6/3 sash flanked by timber louvred openings. At attic level, to the right of centre, is a paired 1/1 sash. The east wall of this block is wholly abutted by the later extension.

The south gable is abutted at its left by a two-storey return with basement. It is entirely slate hung in natural slates except for the basement at the right, which is rendered. A pair of metal-sheeted double doors to the basement is accessed by 10 external granite steps with metal handrail. The gable is otherwise plain except for an exposed box 6/6 sliding sash window at attic level. The return has a pitched natural slate roof with walls line-rendered except for the right cheek, which has exposed random rubble granite at basement and ground floor. Its gable has a 2/2 sliding sash at first floor. The left cheek, which faces the road and aligns with the main block, has a 6/6 sliding sash window at ground floor. On the right cheek, a passage runs along at basement level with a modern tongue-and-groove door. At ground floor is a 1/1 sash window.

The Later Extension

A large symmetrical two-storey extension with basement and attic abuts the rear (east-facing) wall of the earlier house. It has a hipped natural slate roof. Two ashlar granite chimneys rising from the eaves are positioned on the west elevation but separate from the older building. The walls are of ashlar granite over a projecting chamfered basement course with raised V-jointed stepped quoins. The basement walls are roughly dressed; those above are smooth faced. Granite dentils support an ogee-moulded cornice incorporating rainwater gutters.

The main façade, facing east to the former garden, has a central doorway now serving as the main entrance to the entire building. Four granite steps (with wheelchair ramp and railing to the left) rise to the main door, which is of painted timber with four fielded panels, beaded muntin and modern letterbox. The door is flanked by a pair of square ashlar pilasters supporting a dressed lintel which also runs across two-paned cilled lights to either side. Above is a margin-paned overlight. The encasement has raised ashlar jambs with scrolled consoles at the top and an entablature featuring a shallow-gabled blocking course, above which is a modern electric light. To either side of the door is a one-storey canted window bay with overhanging flat roof, moulded cill and cornice. Margin-paned windows with transoms are fitted to each face of the bay (two sets in the middle bay). At first floor are five equally spaced 6/6 sliding sashes (no horns), with single-piece granite lintels and cills—one above the central door and two above each bay.

The south elevation has two 6/6 sliding sash windows at ground floor, each with a projecting cut stone drip mould, and identical windows to first floor, diminished in height and without drip moulds. An external passage runs along the basement, lit by two 8/4 sash windows each fitted with metal security grilles.

The west elevation of the extension is partly abutted by the earlier building. An exposed length of wall at the south end contains a spoked 6/6 sash window in a semicircular-headed opening at first floor. In the basement, a tongue-and-groove door is positioned at the right, with two windows to its left: one a modern top-hung casement and the other a 6/3 sash, both with security grilles. The door and one window share a three-piece keystoned granite lintel. The exposed section of wall to the north is blank.

The north elevation is similar to that on the west and also has a basement passage. A downpipe from a hopper runs between ground and first floor at the right. The first floor left window (as viewed from the north) has been replaced with a modern timber fire escape door and sidelight, with modern electric light above. An external flight of metal stairs descends from left to right from this door. The drip mould over the ground floor window at the right has been removed to accommodate the stairs. The two basement windows are modern timber casements. All windows on this elevation have granite cills and security grilles.

Immediately south of the original house stands a two-storey range of cement-rendered outbuildings, now of little architectural merit.