Historic Building Details

HB Ref No:
HB06/09/003

Address :
'Rathmoyle' 122 Glenarm Road Larne Co Antrim BT40 1DZ

Townland:
Larne Town Parks

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Survey 2:
Record Only

Date of Listing:

Date of De-listing:

Current Use:
Residential Home

Former Use
House

Conservation Area:
No

Industrial Archaeology:
No

Vernacular:
No

Thatched:
No

Monument:
No

Derelict:
No

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OS Map No:
70/8

IG Ref:
D4071 0344

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Owner Category

Commercial

Exterior Description And Setting

Substantial, two storey, irregular Free Style suburban residence of c.1898 with full height ‘conical’ roofed curved bays and rendered façade. The property, which now serves as a residential home, is set on a slight rise at the junction of Glenarm Road and Hawkinge Avenue, on the northern outskirts of Larne. The building is roughly L-shaped in plan form with the main square plan gabled section to the E and a large full height gabled return to the W. At its W end the return links to a single storey flat roofed section (which appears to originally have been a walled off yard), which in turn links to a large two storey gabled former outbuilding. The main entrance is to the E face of ground floor of a large bay to the left hand side of the S gable of the main section of the building. The entrance itself consists of a large panelled timber door with rectangular fanlight. Covering the lead up to the doorway is a lean-to ‘veranda’-like open porch with geometric patterned (somewhat oriental influenced) wrought iron framework supporting an obscured glass lean-to roof. The porch area has a terrazzo floor. To the S face of the bay containing the entrance, there is a tall (and relatively narrow) sash window with clear glazing to the bottom sash and four square-ish panes to the top- in typical Edwardian manner (most of the windows are similar). To the W face of the bay there is another narrow opening, which appears to be filled with a mainly glazed door [this could not be seen fully]. The upper floor of this bay is curved and has three windows, as before, on a cill course. The bay is topped with a projecting eaves course and a ‘conical’-like, (actually curved hip), slated roof with saw-tooth fire clay ridge tiles and decorative finial. To the right hand side of the first floor of the S gable of the main section of the building (i.e. to right of the entrance bay) there is a window, as previous but with an odd lead flashing-like shallow hood above. To the right edge of the gable (i.e. the SE corner of the main block of the house) there is a narrow decorative stylised ‘bartizan’-like projection at first floor level, [?influenced by relatively near by Ballygally Castle], with an ogee roof topped with a decorative finial. The E elevation of the main section of the building consists mainly of two large full height curved bays. To both floor s of each there are three windows, as before. To each floor there is a cill course and high above each of the ground floor windows is a cornice-like projecting hood mouldings which are grouped so closely together as to almost form a string course. The bays are topped with an eaves course and roof as bay to S gable. To the right edge of this elevation there is another ‘bartizan’-like projection- as left (described above). The N gable of the main section of the building has a window to right on the ground floor with another to right on the first floor, both as before. To W (right) of the N gable of the main section is the N face of the return, which is set slightly further back from the line of the gable itself (i.e. it is not flush with the gable). To the ground floor of this face there is a large modern picture window to left and a doorway, with modern glazed door, to right. To the first floor there are three unevenly spaced windows. The window to right is as before, but the other two have plain upper sashes (filled with obscured glazing- they are bathroom windows). To the left side of the S face of the return there is a full height bay, much as E elevation of main section of building. To the right of this there is a single plain sash window to each floor. The ground floor window has hood moulding above, as the bay. A flat roofed single storey section, stretches from the W gable of the return. This portion appears originally to have been a walled off yard, but is now internally integrated with the return itself. To the N face of the flat roofed portion there is a plain-sheeted door to left and a modern glazed door to right with equally modern sidelight. A recent-looking open lean-to is attached to this N face. The lean-to looks as if it acts as a carport. To the S face of this single storey portion there is a modern glazed door. The single storey portion links to a relatively large two storey gabled former outbuilding, now converted to living accommodation. To the N gable of this there is a modern picture window to the ground floor. To the W face there is another modern picture window to right on the first floor, with a much smaller window (with modern frame) to left. To the right on the ground floor (to right of the abutting single storey section) there is a squat, high-level window- also with modern frame. The W face appears to be blank. To the first floor of the S gable there is window with modern frame. All sections of the building are finished in unpainted cement render. To the ground floor of the S and E of the main house and the return the render is lined (channel joints). The main section, return and former outbuilding all have gabled slated roofs. The main section and return also have saw-tooth fire clay ridge tiles and finials, as well as relatively tall rendered parapets with verge courses and ‘kneelers’. Both have cornice-like eaves courses also. There are three rendered chimneystacks (to the three main gables) each topped with a cornice-like course. Cast iron rw goods. The property has a small garden to E and a tarmac driveway to N with larger garden to N of this. This section of the garden contains a timber framed greenhouse.

Architects

Not Known

Historical Information

This building is shown on the OS map of 1903 as ‘Manhattan House’. The actual date of construction is uncertain but the revaluation notebooks appear to indicate 1898. They also indicate that the original resident may have been one John Wilson (he was there in 1908 at least). The name ‘Manhattan House’ seems an unusual name for a Larne property- or indeed any Irish property- of this date, and leads one to suspect that the original owner had some New York connection (perhaps a mercantile connection). Strangely no ‘Manhattan House’ appears to be is listed in the Larne section of the ‘Belfast and Ulster’ directories at any stage during the 1890s or early 1900s, however. It is possible that the name itself was dropped some time prior to 1921, for it is not shown on the OS map of that year or any later editions. The property, now named ‘Rathmoyle’ has been a residential home since c.1986, and immediately prior to this housed a veterinary surgery. References- Primary sources 1 PRONI VAL/12B/7/14-15 Annual valuation revision lists- Larne Parish / Larne Union etc., 1864-c.1930s 2 PRONI VAL/12E/39/4/1-6 Valuation town plans of Larne, 1896-1908 3 PRONI VAL/12E/39/5/1-6 Valuation town plans of Larne, 1897-1908 4 PRONI VAL/12A/1/65-68, 89 Larne Urban District valuers’ notebooks, c.late 1890s-1905 5 PRONI OS/6/1/40/3 OS map (6in), 1903 6 PRONI OS/6/1/40/4 OS map (6in), 1921 Secondary sources 1 Information supplied by staff of Rathmoyle private residential home (July 2001)

Criteria for Listing

Architectural Interest

Not listed

Historic Interest

Not listed

Evaluation

Substantial, two storey, irregular Free Style suburban residence of c.1898 with full height ‘conical’ roofed curved bays and rendered façade.

General Comments

Date of Survey

20 July 2001