Creeve Lodge

Detached five-bay two-storey house, built c. 1770 having slightly projecting single-bay breakfront to the centre of the main elevation (southeast) and two-bay two-storey return to rear (northwest). Recent extension to return. Possibly formerly in use as a mill manager’s house (c. 1838; Ordnance Survey first edition six-inch map). Pitched natural slate roof with rendered chimneystacks and raised cut stone verges to gable ends (northeast and southwest). Cut stone eaves course and cast-iron rainwater goods. Roughcast rendered walls over rendered plinth course, and painted rendered finish to central breakfront. Square-headed window openings with one-over-one timber sliding sash windows, rendered reveals and painted limestone sills. Central round-headed door opening with carved rusticated limestone block-and-start surround with architrave, replacement glazed timber panel door and with plain overlight. Set back from road in extensive grounds to the northeast of Longford Town. Multiple-bay single-storey outbuilding to rear (northwest) having pitched corrugated-metal roof with rendered chimneystack and rubble stone masonry walls, partially rendered to the southeast end. Square-headed window and door openings with timber battened doors and remains of timber windows. Segmental-headed carriage arch to centre of the main elevation (northeast) having roughly dressed voussoirs. Main entrance gates to the west having ashlar limestone gate piers (on square-plan) having wrought-iron gate, stile to north wall.

This interesting house, of mid-to-late eighteenth-century appearance, retains much of its early form and character. The central breakfront and the pitched slate roof with chimneystacks to either gable end suggest it could be quite early. The plain front elevation is enlivened by the fine cut stone block-and-start doorcase with architecture, which as an artistic element to the otherwise plain front elevation. This doorcase is finely carved and of an unusual design, not common in County Longford (although a similar doorcase is to be found on Main Street, Granard (13305026). The heavy keystones articulate the round-headed arch , and it is clearly the work of skilled craftsmen. The return to the rear is later, perhaps c. 1880. This house may have been associated with a number of corn mills to site during the early-nineteenth century, which were located to the north and northeast of the house in 1838 (Ordnance Survey first edition six-inch map), when the area was known as ‘Milltown’. There was formerly a mill pond just to the east of the house, now silted up. The simple rubble stone outbuilding (possibly associated with the former corn mills to site, now no longer extant) to the rear (northwest) and the plain but well-crafted gateway add considerably to the setting of this interesting composition. The location of this building close to boundary of Carrigglas Manor (13401414) hints that this house may have some connection with this great estate.