Marble Hill

This charming single-storey gate lodge, built during the last decade of the nineteenth century, retains its early form and character. The roof with sprocketed eaves and the timber detailing lends this building a pretty Arts and Crafts architectural character, a style that was en vogue at the time of construction. Its visual appeal and integrity are enhanced by the retention of salient fabric such as the timber casement windows and natural slate roof. Visual appeal is added to the front elevation by the porch with hipped roof and by the bowed window to the west elevation. Of particular interest in the survival of the Roshine slate roof, which helps to give this building a charming picturesque appeal. Roshine slate is a locally-quarried schist that was commonly used as a roofing material, and for general construction, in the Dunfanaghy area in the nineteenth century. The number of Roshine schist slate roofs in North Donegal and the Dunfanaghy region is steadily dropping, which makes this particular example an important survival. Roshine roofs are almost exclusively found on vernacular structures and is unusual to find on a more formal composition such as this gate lodge. This small building through architect designed borrows from the local vernacular tradition having used locally available skills and materials thus increasing its significance. This building was probably built around c. 1895 shortly after the Marble Hill estate was purchased by Hugh Alexander Law (1872-1943) in 1894. It replaced an earlier gate lodge located adjacent to the west side of the attendant gateway that was extant in 1837 (Ordnance Survey first edition six-inch map). This building forms a pair of related structures along with the associated gateway (see 40901618) to the west, and part of a wider group of structures associated with Marble Hill (see 40901602), and is an integral element of the built heritage of the local area in its own rights.