Historic Building Details

HB Ref No:
HB07/04/006

Address :
The Thatch Inn 57 Main Street Broughshane Co. Antrim BT42 4JP

Townland:
Broughshane Upper

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Survey 2:
B+

Date of Listing:
30/11/1976 00:00:00

Date of De-listing:

Current Use:
Public House

Former Use
Public House

Conservation Area:
No

Industrial Archaeology:
No

Vernacular:
No

Thatched:
Yes

Monument:
No

Derelict:
No

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OS Map No:
56/13 & 14

IG Ref:
D1521 0657

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Owner Category

Private

Exterior Description And Setting

The building occupies a roadside position at the centre of the village of Broughshane functioning as a public house and restaurant. It is of two storeys with a roughcast, and whitened, finish. The roof is thatched between cement skews. The ridge is of the wrap-over type, and the eaves are cut at an angle. There are exposed rows of scallops at the ridge, and at the eaves. At the front the building is entered by means of a sheeted, and studded, folding door. All windows are 6/6 vertically-sliding set in exposed boxes. There are three windows to the left of the entrance, and two to the right. There are six windows above corresponding in position with the openings below. All openings, and the extremities of the structure, are finished with plain dressings coloured black. The name of the Inn is painted unto a fascia that is protected by a cornice hood on brackets. A painted Royal coat-of arms is placed centrally on the first floor, and a similar sign projects at the right hand end of the elevation. There are small top-hung windows in the gables. The rear of the building retains an arrangement of plain sashed windows, mostly vertically sliding. It has been obscured by modern extensions that have been designed to complement the main building in respect of proportion, and finishes including natural slate roofs.

Architects

Historical Information

A building is shown on this site on the OS map of 1832 / 33 and all others thereafter. The valuation of c.1833 records the property as old at that date (quality letter ‘2C+’), with its dimensions given as 51½ft x 22½ x 16½ and 50 x 18½ x 6, and a rateable value of £6-7-0. At this stage the building was in the hands of a William Logan, who is listed by the valuers as an ‘innkeeper’. The second valuation of 1861 lists the same dimensions for the main part of the structure, with slated ‘offices’ (outbuildings) of 25½ x 19 x 16 and 50 x 11½ x 5 and an old thatched office of 49 x 18½ x 5. By this stage this ‘public house…and good business concern’ was in the hands of a Francis Graham, who was leasing it from a William Thompson, with the rateable value standing at a very respectable £13-15-0. The actual age of the building is uncertain. The fact that it was considered old by the valuers in 1833 suggests it is probably 18th century. There is an advertisement, in The Belfast News-Letter dated 19 May 1789, for the ‘long established inn in Broughshane, known by the name of the O’Neill’s Arms, where gentlemen will meet with good entertainment’, which the advertisement suggests had just come under the management of a William Weir. It is possible that this is indeed a reference to this building, but we cannot be certain. Francis Graham was succeeded as leaseholder by Agnes Graham in 1880, who sub-let the property to a David Russell from c.1884 to 1906. In 1889 (or perhaps slightly earlier, the valuation book is unclear) some of the outbuildings were demolished and the rateable valued lowered by £2, however by 1906 it had risen to £12-15-0. The following year the occupant is listed as Josias Graham, who remained there until at least 1929. The (somewhat crudely painted) coat of arms on the front of the building is said by some sources (including both Girvan and Brett) to commemorate an ‘impromptu visit of an English sovereign’. This appears highly unlikely, the arms possibly originally the O’Neill family crest which someone, perhaps mistakenly, has transformed into those of the monarch. References- Primary sources 1 Linen Hall Library ‘The Belfast News-Letter’ May 26-29 1789 2 PRONI VAL/1A/1/33 OS map, County Antrim sheet 33, with valuation
references (1832 / 33-c.38) 3 PRONI VAL/1B/14A-B First valuation, Racavan (1833) 4 PRONI VAL/1D/1/5 Valuation plan of Broughshane (c.1838) 5 PRONI VAL/2B/1/3B Second valuation, Racavan (1861) 6 PRONI VAL/2D/1/23 Valuation plan of Broughshane (1861) 7 PRONI VAL/12B/3/7A-E Annual, valuation revision books, Broughshane ED (1864-1929) 8 PRONI VAL/12E/16/1/1 Valuation plan of Broughshane (1903-[35]) Secondary sources 1 Girvan, W.D., ‘Lists of Historic Buildings…Antrim and Ballymena’ (Belfast, 1969), p.30 2 Pierce, Richard, Cooey, Alistair and Oram, Richard, ‘Taken for Granted…’ (Belfast, 1984), p.36 3 Brett, C.E.B., ‘The Buildings of County Antrim’ (Belfast, 1996), p.255 4 EHS files.

Criteria for Listing

Architectural Interest

A. Style B. Proportion C. Ornamentation D. Plan Form H-. Alterations detracting from building

Historic Interest

X. Local Interest Z. Rarity

Evaluation

" The Thatch" pub and restaurant retains all of its early features, and is an imposing element in the Main Street of Broughshane. . Only a few two storey thatched buildings remain in Northern Ireland. Internally the main elements of the layout remain, up-graded in parts to accommodate the function of the building. The roof structure has been strengthened by use of cut timbers, and steel, but the early construction is in place. The extensions have been designed to complement the original building. The Inn is considered to be important in the general run of listed buildings, and is at the forefront of the resource of thatched structures. It features in numerous tourism related publications.

General Comments

Date of Survey

27 February 2001