Extract from The Gatelodges of Ulster (UAHS, 1994):
Drumalis, Larne: Glenarm Road Lodge c.1890, architect
S P Close:
Single storey of irregular plan below hipped roofs, eaves projecting
to form a shallow verandah with cast iron trellis for climbing
plabntrs. Roughcast walls with stone plinth, stringcourses, corners
and segmentally-headed windows and dressings. Above the door a
canopy with fretworked gable, carried on wooden brackets.
See: Young, Belfast and the Province of Ulster, 1909.
Larne is not covered in any of the UAHS Lists at present, but Drumalis house itself was open on the European Heritage Open Days in September 2000, and with any luck it will be open again next year. The Heritage Open Days are a valuable opportunity each year to visit over a hundred buildings that are not generally open to the public, and Drumalis was one of this year's treats.
One of the ironies of historic buildings is that age is not always the most significant factor, and sometimes later alterations to a building can be seen to be more important than the original. A case in point is Drumalis, the house built by Sir Hugh Smiley in 1872, shortly before he married in 1874 and long before he was created a baronet in 1903. He started with a very modest house, to which his wealthy wife required additions, and with their Scottish connections they commissioned some very interesting alterations from George Walton in 1893. A number of architects were involved in the Smileys' development of the house, including S P Close, while the front conservatory appears to be by Samuel Stevenson. Sir Hugh died at Drumalis in 1909, and Lady Smiley sold it in 1926. Since 1930 it has been in the possession of the Order of Sisters of the Cross and Passion, who maintain it to a very high standard.
Externally, the building is quite plain apart from a four-storey tower, ornamental iron ridge cresting and a forest of chimneys, each complete with its set of pots. Inside however, there are some splendid items of Walton's work - albeit sometimes rather incongruous in their high Victorian setting.
At the top of the main staircase the bedroom doors are inlaid
in Muchaesque scrolls, and the late Victorian wash hand basins
(and a shower to die for, complete with mahogany casing and five
settings including "Wave") are all present and in working
order. Of particular interest are a borrowed light into the butler's
pantry
,
some screen windows at the first floor with a peacock pattern
in amber and "vaseline" glass 
,
and some sinuous brass door handles 
in high Art Nouveau style. Northern Ireland is not rich in Art
Nouveau, and Drumalis has some unexpectedly intriguing designs.
Recently, part of the land at Drumalis was sold to Fold Housing Association for development, and one (or some say two) gate lodges were demolished in the process.
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