Historic Building Details

HB Ref No:
HB20/09/002

Address :
The Steeple Steeple Road Antrim Co Antrim BT41 1BJ

Townland:
Steeple

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Survey 2:
B+

Date of Listing:
31/10/1974 00:00:00

Date of De-listing:

Current Use:
Office

Former Use
House

Conservation Area:
No

Industrial Archaeology:
No

Vernacular:
No

Thatched:
No

Monument:
Yes

Derelict:
No

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OS Map No:
96/14 NW

IG Ref:
J1542 8788

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Owner Category

Exterior Description And Setting

A two-storey house with shallow bows either side of the main entrance. Main entrance faces west. West elevation is symmetrical, 5 windows wide with central entrance in a rectangular porch. Hipped roof of Bangor blue slates in regular courses, with wide overhanging eaves; flat soffit, moulded; moulded cast iron gutter; 2 chimneys, smooth cement rendered, with plain projecting cornice; 5 pots on north stack, three on south stack, all original earthenware of octagonal section. Walls smooth cement rendered, lined and blocked, with projecting plinth, moulded string course at first floor level, plain projecting platband at first floor cill level, with slight projections for cills, moulded frieze with dentil cornice. Windows are rectangular timber, vertically hung, sliding sash, 6 over 6, without horns, to first floor; and 1 over 1, with horns, to ground floor; plain reveals to first floor; moulded surrounds to ground floor, with projecting stone cills carried on a pair of moulded brackets. Rectangular open porch, flat roofed, with distyle 'in antis' unfluted Doric columns; moulded entablature with dentil cornice, returning along the sides; lead dressings to projecting cornice and to blocking course, all painted white similar to walls of porch. Side walls of porch have recessed panels between Doric pilasters, and contain one window, rectangular metal fixed light, single pane with narrow margin lights of blue and red tinted glass; moulded surrounds with projecting moulded cill carried on a pair of small brackets carved with acanthus ornament; small circular section cast iron downpipe in angle of north side of porch with main wall. Four sandstone steps up to porch, between a pair of projecting painted sandstone plinths; cement repair to bottom step; floor of porch laid with modern tiles, appropriate. Inner walls of porch smooth rendered and painted with similar surrounds and brackets to windows as to outer face; plastered and painted ceiling with dentil cornice and central plaster rose of moulded acanthus leaves; globular white glass shade to light. Doorway comprises a rectangular timber glazed and panelled door, 3-panel, with modern brass handle and finger plate, appropriate, with large single pane sidelights, with fluted timber pilasters and moulded entablature, all recessed in an elliptical archway with double roll-moulded surround; wide single pane arched fanlight; wooden panels below sidelights are moulded to give the appearance of brickwork with recessed joints; circular bronze bell pull mounted in extreme right-hand pilaster. North elevation is two-storey with a basement to the rear; 6 windows wide to first floor. Hipped roof, slated as to entrance front, with wide overhanging eaves; plain soffit. Moulded cast iron gutter with a PVC downpipe to right-hand side. Cast iron soil pipe. Wall rendered as entrance front, with projecting plinth but without string courses, frieze or cornice; projecting pilaster to each extremity, the one to the left plain, the one to the right with mouldings returning from front elevation. Windows on ground and first floor are sashed as previous to first floor of entrance front, with plain reveals and plain projecting cills, all 6 over 6, except end two to left which are in narrower openings and are 4 over 4. Similar narrow windows to ground floor are almost completely covered by a rectangular projecting block rising from the basement, with hipped slated roof. Projecting block has similar rendered walls; moulded cast iron gutter on projecting timber eaves board carried on pairs of small shaped brackets; cast iron downpipe to east side. Basement has a rectangular doorway and two windows in wall of main block; modern flush timber door with plain rectangular fanlight; window to right of door is a pair of coupled rectangular timber sliding sashes, each 6 over 6 with horns; window to right is a modern rectangular timber fixed light with side-hung casement and top-hung vent. The east and west sides of projecting block each have one window, sashed 6 over 6 without horns, similar to windows of ground and first floor. West end of basement well has two chambers with segmental brick vaults; vault to left roughly cement rendered. Internal walls smooth cement rendered; exterior wall rendered, lined and blocked; chamber to left has rectangular timber doorway with wooden frame, but door missing; chamber to right open fronted. Concrete surface to basement well; retaining wall is smooth rendered, lined and blocked. East elevation has similar roof, eaves, and walling to north elevation. Consists of two storeys on a basement storey, with a ¾ height rectangular projection. East elevation has 2 chimneys, equidistantly placed on ridge; rendered as previous chimneys; 4 original pots on one to south, and 5 on one to north. Moulded cast iron gutter with cast iron downpipes. Main wall to right of the projection has two windows on each floor: rectangular timber, sashed 6 over 6 without horns, to ground and first floor; with one similar to the basement and a pair of similar windows coupled to the right of that. Left-hand ground floor window has iron bars affixed. Main wall to left of the projection has one window on the ground floor, sashed 6 over 6 as previous, with a later rectangular flush timber door to the left of that, giving access onto a flat concrete slab canopy projecting from the building, with tubular steel K-clamp type railings. Two similar 6 over 6 windows to basement storey. Rear projection has hipped slated roof; smooth rendered lined and blocked walls; moulded cast iron gutter on overhanging eaves. North side of rear return has one rectangular timber window, sashed 1 over 1 with horns, to basement; east side has two small rectangular timber windows in basement, 4-pane horizontally pivoted, with plain reveals and projecting cills. South side has a rectangular timber window to first floor, sashed 1 over 1 with horns; a pair of rectangular timber coupled windows, sashed 1 over 1 with horns, to ground floor; and a rectangular flush timber door with plain fanlight, to basement. South elevation of main block is two-storey, symmetrical, 5 windows wide. Hipped slated roof with overhanging eaves on deep soffit as previous to entrance front. Walling rendered as to entrance front, with a moulded string course at first floor level; frieze and dentil cornice; pilasters to each extremity. Windows on each floor are similar to those on entrance front, with similar surrounds and brackets to ground floor. SETTING: The building stands set well back from the main road within its own extensive grounds. The building stands on a slight eminence overlooking extensive parkland to the front, which contains groups of mature trees and also an Irish Round Tower of the early Christian period; public park now separated from house and its immediate grounds by a concrete post and wire mesh fence. Immediate grounds of house contain lawns with shrubs, with a tarmac parking area to the front and north side; tarmac path along south side. There are a number of rubble stone one and two-storey outbuildings standing to the east, or rear, with slated roofs but with many original openings in walls altered, and now of no special interest or merit. A group of prefabricated single storey buildings stands to the north-east. To the north of the house stands a single storey gabled building with basalt rubble walls and corrugated iron roof, formerly a pavilion; now of no architectural interest. The house is approached from the rear by a wide tarmac driveway separating it from the stone outbuildings; driveway bounded on west side to rear of house by a concrete post and tubular steel fence; rest of driveway, from entrance gateway, bounded on west side by a rubble stone and roughly coursed stone wall with basalt rock copings; containing sets of small gateways to the garden and parkland. Gateway in wall to garden at northern end of driveway comprises a pair of squared greystone piers with a looped iron barred gate, concrete capstones; gateway in wall to parkland, further to south, comprises a pair of short octagonal stone piers with ogee stone caps, but gate now missing; adjacent to the latter are modern steel framed and wire mesh gates at an intermediate position on the rear driveway. At the entrance opening to the rear driveway off the main road is a single storey gatelodge with rendered walls and hipped slated roof and red brick chimneys, of no architectural interest or merit. Front boundary wall of grounds to main road is formed by a basalt rubble wall, re-aligned in the 1980s. Near the southern extremity of the front boundary wall is the re-positioned gateway to the front driveway, comprised of low rendered curving screen walls with square piers ornamented with a Greek key frieze; no gates. Along the front driveway stands a single storey caretaker's house with rendered walls and hipped slated roofs, built in the 1980s.

Architects

Not Known

Historical Information

Built in 1827 for George Clarke; architect not known. Apparently built to replace an earlier house on the site as depicted on late 18th century maps; the name 'The Steeple' derives from the presence of an ancient Irish Round Tower which stands close by. Bought in 1927 by the Fawcett family; bought from them c 1956 by Antrim Rural District Council. Front gatelodge demolished and main front gateway moved nearer to house in 1980s when new line of Steeple Road was created, and a new caretaker's cottage was built near to the old Round Tower. The building lies within the area of an ancient monument in State Care, no. ANT50:9. References – Primary Sources 1. OS Map 1832, Co Antrim 50. 2. Ordnance Survey Memoirs of Ireland, Vol 29: Parishes of County Antrim XI, 1832-3, 1835-9 (Belfast, 1995), p 21. 3. S. Lewis, A Topographical Dictionary of Ireland (London, 1837), Vol I, p 38. Secondary Sources 1. UAHS, Antrim and Ballymena (Belfast, 1969), p 12. 2. C.E.B. Brett, Buildings of County Antrim (UAHS, Belfast, 1996), p 171. 3. R.M. Young, Belfast and the Province of Ulster (Brighton, 1909), p 284 (illustration).

Criteria for Listing

Architectural Interest

A. Style B. Proportion C. Ornamentation D. Plan Form H-. Alterations detracting from building H+. Alterations enhancing the building I. Quality and survival of Interior J. Setting

Historic Interest

X. Local Interest

Evaluation

This is an early 19th century building in a classical style with the proportions and internal ornamental features characteristic of that style. It is a building of considerable local interest which enjoys a pleasant and historic setting.

General Comments

Date of Survey

08 October 1999