Historic Building Details

HB Ref No:
HB17/06/019

Address :
The Lodge 135 Old Newry Road Ballyvally Banbridge Co Down BT32 3NB

Townland:
Ballyvally

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Survey 2:
B1

Date of Listing:
17/05/1976 00:00:00

Date of De-listing:

Current Use:
House

Former Use
House

Conservation Area:
No

Industrial Archaeology:
No

Vernacular:
No

Thatched:
No

Monument:
No

Derelict:
No

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OS Map No:
220/12

IG Ref:
J1174 4448

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Owner Category

Exterior Description And Setting

A symmetrical detached single-storey twin gabled villa with adjoining two-storey hipped-roofed outbuildings; built c.1840 and located to the north side of Newry Road south of Banbridge town centre. U-shaped on plan with central round watch tower; canted bays and projecting porch to front; abutted to rear by two-storey slated outbuildings arranged in a U-shape forming a central yard. Pitched natural slate roof with blue/black angled ridge tiles, bargeboards to gables and rendered chimneystacks having tall terracotta pots; to centre is a conical copper roofed round watch tower topped by weathervane. Cast-iron half-round rainwater goods on projecting eaves and cast-iron hoppers and downpipes. Walling is painted ruled-and-lined render on contrasting plinth. Windows are a variety of timber-framed sliding sash with projecting painted sills; multi-paned tall timber-casements to canted bays. The principal elevation faces southeast and is symmetrically arranged. Gabled bays containing tall canted bay windows with panelled aprons and heads and dividing pilasters, flank a square pilastered porch with dentilled cornice. Classical porch has round-headed 1/1 window with margin panes to southeast, accessed to northeast via a granite step by a raised-and-fielded five-panel timber door having brass door furniture; surmounted by a transom light and moulded to impost level. Matching recess to southwest. The southwest elevation has three 4/4 windows at right and paired 4/4 windows at left. The northwest (rear) elevation is abutted to left and right gables by the adjoining two-storey outbuilding, creating a central yard. Central section not viewed; see surveyor’s comments. The northeast elevation has five evenly-spaced 4/4 windows. The two-storey outbuildings are arranged in a U-shape and have hipped natural slate roof with rendered chimneystacks to centre of northeast block. Walling is ruled-and-lined painted render with roughcast render to northwest elevation and smooth render to southwest gable. The rear (NW) elevation has a modern projecting porch. The northeast elevation has five 4/4 windows to first floor and four to ground floor; to centre at ground floor is a elliptical-headed carriage-arch containing timber-sheeted gates. Setting Situated on a large site north of Newry Road to the south of Banbridge town centre; with grazing land to south. Accessed from Newry Road to southeast by a long tarmac avenue with young trees. Original entrance comprises cast-iron railings with fleur-de-lis heads on a curved granite plinth; cast iron piers with acorn caps support original gates. Also accessed to south side of Old Newry Road to north. Entrance has red-brick and rendered square gate piers with pointed caps supporting original cast-iron gates. Yard to northwest has a converted coach-house to west with three segmental-headed arch openings each with modern timber-sheeted gates; that to centre is flanked by two timber-casement windows. Red-brick and rock-faced stone gate piers with pointed caps to northwest, having original cast-iron latch-gate. To southwest is a landscaped garden. To northeast is a walled garden with modern conservatory. Roof: Natural slate Walling: Ruled and lined render Windows: Timber-framed sliding sash RWG: Cast-iron

Architects

Not Known

Historical Information

The current dwelling first appears, uncaptioned, on the second edition OS map of 1860 as a rectangular block with two rear returns. By the fourth edition of 1903-18 the house is captioned ‘The Lodge’ and outbuildings have been added to the rear and a porch to the front facade. The first occupier to be noted, at the time of Griffith’s Valuation (1856-64) is Stewart Craig who leased the property from the Marquess of Downshire. The buildings are valued at £14 and are sited on a plot of around 3 acres. Dimensions are given for the centre, two wings and two bow windows, as well as a single-storey shed. The valuation office classification suggests that the building dates from c1835 and it is possible that Stewart Craig was the builder of the house as he derived a relatively comfortable income from his employment in Banbridge. Craig was appointed in 1825 ‘weighmaster and butter-taster’ at Banbridge market house. His job was to weigh goods and taste and examine butter so that it could be branded according to quality. The weighmaster/butter-taster did not receive a salary but was paid a fee under the terms of the Butter Acts by those who wished to have their produce branded. Mr Craig was thought to clear from £300 to £400 a year from the markets and was responsible for maintaining the market place. While in his post, he expended what was thought to be ‘a large sum’ fitting doors and windows to the sheds and stores. Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays were the market days in Banbridge and Mr Craig devoted these days to the business of the market. Craig is recorded at length in the Commissioners report on Fairs and Markets, talking about his work and the difficulties of obtaining good casks or firkins to pack butter into. The name of Banbridge was synonymous at the time with high-quality butter. (Fairs and Markets Commission; Griffith's Valuation) The house was taken over by Sarah Henry in 1876 and then Hugh Glass in 1877. Hugh Glass bought the house for £450 and made improvements including the addition of a porch and further outbuildings. As a consequence the valuation was raised to £78. Hugh Glass was a solicitor and a newspaper report records him acting in a linen industry dispute between a manufacturer and a weaver, the weaver accusing the manufacturer of not paying her wages, and the manufacturer, in his turn, making a counter-accusation that she had ‘embezzled’ a quantity of yarn. (Belfast Newsletter). Hugh Glass died on 10th December 1891. The house then passed to his wife Mary Jane Glass, but the house was vacant at the time of the 1901 census. In 1911 Mary is resident with her nephew and a servant in her twenties is employed in the house. The census designates the house first class and it has fourteen rooms. The house was revalued in the First General Revaluation of 1933/4 at £44 and £40 on appeal. The associated plan shows the house with bow-windows and porch and a three-storey ‘observation’ tower to the rear. A two-storey return housed a billiard room on the ground floor with a large bedroom over. An enclosed courtyard comprised a number of double-height outbuildings and a covered way with a bedroom over. The stables had lofts over and a former carriage house is used as a garage with livery quarters over for a chauffeur. In the grounds of the house were a heated glasshouse and a toolshed. Accommodation comprised a porch, hall and two large receptions at the front. Upstairs were three small bedrooms, a kitchen, pantry and scullery and a small room for the maid over the kitchen. The house was lit by oil lamps as late as 1935. The grounds in front of the house were in grass which Mary Glass cut yearly and sold, although she also kept a goat. Mary Jane Glass died on 13th May 1940 and the house passed to Gerald U Finney in 1942, Robert Willis in 1945 and Robert Boyce in 1954. The house was listed in 1976 and continues in use as a domestic dwelling. (HB file) References: Primary Sources 1. PRONI OS/6/3/27/1 First Edition OS Map 1833 2. PRONI OS/6/3/27/2 Second Edition OS map 1860 3. PRONI OS/6/3/27/3 Third Edition OS Map (c1900) 4. PRONI OS/6/3/27/4 Fourth Edition OS Map 1903-18 5. PRONI VAL/2/B/3/64A-C Griffith’s Valuation (1856-64) 6. PRONI VAL/12/B/16/6A-H Annual Revisions (1864-1929) 7. PRONI VAL/3/C/4/1 First General Revaluation (1936-57) 8. PRONI VAL/3/D/4/3/E/3 First General Revaluation (1933-57) 9. PRONI Will of Hugh Glass died 10th December 1891 10. PRONI Will of Mary Jane Glass died 13th May 1940 11. Fairs and Markets Commission 1853 12. Belfast Newsletter 29th August 1872 13. NIEA HB file

Criteria for Listing

Architectural Interest

A. Style B. Proportion C. Ornamentation D. Plan Form I. Quality and survival of Interior

Historic Interest

X. Local Interest

Evaluation

A symmetrical detached single-storey twin gabled villa with adjoining two-storey hipped-roofed outbuildings; built c. 1840. The central round tower and unusual proportions of the house and adjoining outbuildings are of interest. Well proportioned and with architectural detailing largely intact. Representing the ongoing development of the area in the latter years of expansion, The Lodge survives in its original setting and is one of several houses that characterised the Newry Road hereabouts.

General Comments

Date of Survey

15 February 2012