Reg No
15401322
Rating
Regional
Categories of Special Interest
Architectural, Artistic, Technical
Previous Name
Bracklin House
Original Use
Gate lodge
In Use As
Gate lodge
Date
1815 - 1825
Coordinates
259186, 258037
Date Recorded
23/11/2004
Date Updated
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Detached three-bay single-storey gate lodge, built c.1821, comprising central segmental-headed carriage with pyramidal-shaped bellcote over, flanked by single-bay single-storey 'lodges' to either side (north and south). Hipped slate roofs to each lodge with curved ridges. Constructed of rusticated water-weathered limestone with a rusticated water-weathered pier on square-plan surmounted by a pinnacle to either side of each 'lodge'. Cut stone shield motif over bellcote with incised date '1821'. Single segmental-headed opening set in segmental-headed recesses to each lodge, pointed-arched opening to bellcote with brick surround. Modern wrought-iron double gates with raised lettering reading 'Bracklyn Estate' to main opening. Gateway flanked to north and south by modern wrought-iron pedestrian entrances and by quadrant sections of rusticated water-weathered limestone walling terminated by piers on square-plan with pinnacles over. Road-fronted to west of Bracklyn House (15401405).
This curious entrance gateway is one of the most elaborate water-weathered features in Ireland and has a rather grotesque, yet picturesque, appeal. It is built in a very unusual combination of a Palladian-style plan with grotto-like Gothic detailing and is more like a folly than a gate lodge. This structure must be one of the most unusual gate lodges in Ireland and is a quirky addition to the architectural heritage of Westmeath. It contrasts attractively with the rigid neoclassical form of Bracklyn House itself and forms part of an important group of structures associated with this demesne, along with the main house (15401405) and the mausoleum (15401406).