Bryansford gate and gate lodge, Tollymore Park, 2 Hilltown Road, Tollymore Park, Newcastle, Co Down, BT33 0PX

Distinctive gothick gate screen of 1786 and adjacent, hipped roof, single story gothick lodge of 1802, both set at the Bryansford village entrance to Tollymore Park, on the S side of the Hilltown Road. The gate screen [HB18/13/019a] is probably based on the designs of some time architect Thomas Wright of Durham, a friend of the 2nd Earl of Clanbrassil- the man responsible for most of Tollymore Park’s gothick embellishments. The screen is in ashlar granite and consists of a tall, narrow central carriage arch flanked by short, square, castellated turrets with pedestrian entrances. The tall central gateway has a pointed arch head with odd trefoil motifs to spandrels and a castellated parapet with square spirelet end pinnacles with small bap crockets. To either side of this are flying buttresses with scalloped undersides and bap crockets similar to before. The buttresses rest on the roofs of the flanking turrets. The parapet has a carved date panel- 1786. The turrets to E and W are identical with pointed arch gate openings and parapets with pinnacles as that to central gateway. Both pedestrian gateway have simple [?early 19th century] wrought iron gates with spear head railings and concave tops. The carriage gates are more ornate and may date from the later 1800s. High rendered wall to either side of gate screen. The gate lodge [HB18/13/019b] is situated to the W side of the gate. It is single storey with a hipped roof. The property was built in 1802 and skilfully extended to the E end at some point after 1859, with more incongruous additions to the W and rear dating from the mid to later 20th century. The front (S) façade was originally symmetrical, but now asymmetrical. To the left of centre is the pointed arch entrance doorway which has a timber sheeted stable door and plain fanlight. The doorway has a plain surround with small date panel above- 1802. To the left of the doorway is a relatively small pointed arch window with Georgian paned sash frame. To the right of the doorway are two similar windows. To the short W façade a lean-to extension has been attached. This has a timber sheeted door to S, a squat modern window to W and a Velux window to the roof. The E façade has a central ‘double lancet window with Georgian paned sash windows, as before. The rear is now dominated by a modern, lean-to like extension which was added in the later 1970s. This extension rises slightly above the original roof line. Modern window to exposed section of original façade to right of return. The façade is finished in lined render with bevelled quoins and painted. The roof is covered in natural slate. Two central rendered chimney stacks, cast iron and PVC rw goods.