Historic Building Details

HB Ref No:
HB05/15/024

Address :
Ramoan House 11 Novally Road Ballycastle County Antrim BT54 6HB

Townland:
Glebe

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Survey 2:
B+

Date of Listing:
11/03/1981 00:00:00

Date of De-listing:

Current Use:
Residential Home

Former Use
Rectories/ Manses etc

Conservation Area:
No

Industrial Archaeology:
No

Vernacular:
No

Thatched:
No

Monument:
No

Derelict:
No

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OS Map No:
8-11

IG Ref:
D1024 4027

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Owner Category

Public Body

Exterior Description And Setting

Substantial, two-storey over basement, hip-roofed former rectory, built 1811, extended slightly c.1840-50, with a large porch / conservatory to front of c.1910. The building, latterly a residential home, is set within large grounds to the north of Novally Road, less than half a mile southwest of Ballycastle. The building has an irregular plan. The front elevation faces S and is now symmetrical. To the centre of the ground floor is a large hip-roofed timber entrance porch / conservatory with glazing consisting of six over six timber sash windows set between pilaster-like mullions, and a recent-looking timber glazed door to the S face. To the left of the porch (on the main façade) there is a window with timber sash frame, similar to those to the porch but shorter. To the right of the porch there is a similar window with four evenly-spaced similar, but shorter, windows to the first floor (three over six). The long E elevation is symmetrical. To the basement level there are five, roughly square unevenly-spaced windows, with modern timber frames. To the first floor there are three large windows, each with tripartite timber sash frames, which originally had Georgian panes, but which are now largely filled with plate glass. To the first floor are three similar but smaller windows, which have retained their Georgian panes (two over two, six over six, two over two). The N elevation consist of the N face of the main portion of the building, to left, with the N face of the N return, to right. To the basement level of the main portion there is a doorway, with plain flat panel door, to right, a window with modern timber frame to left of this, and, to far left, a small lean-to shed (with timber-sheeted door to its N face). To the right of centre on the first floor there is a very small window with timber sash frame (two over two). Set in the intersection of the N return and the main section of the building, there is a relatively large, single-storey, lean-to section, with a window to its N face, with metal frame. The N face of the N return is lower to the right (W) side- this lower section added c.1840s-50s. To the first floor of this face there are two windows of differing size, both with timber sash frames (eight over eight with margin panes- typical of the 1840s-50s). The window to the left was undoubtedly inserted when the extension to the return was added. The W elevation has a complex irregular appearance. To far right is a portion of the main section of the building to left, where there is a window to the first floor with a timber sash frame (six over six). The ground floor of this portion is largely covered by the large lean-to section which has a doorway, with flat panel timber door, to left, with a window to right with metal frame. To right of all of this is the gable end of the lower section of the N return, which has a small window to the basement level with modern timber frame, a larger window to an intermediate ground / first floor level with timber sash frame (eight panes over eight with margin panes), and a small segmental-headed opening to the gable, (probably for a water tank), with a timber-sheeted door. To far right is the larger S return with a window to left on the ground floor with metal frame. Set between the two returns there is a two storey lean-to, with a corrugated asbestos roof. To the lower (basement) floor of this there is a window with a timber (single pane) frame. To the upper level there is a larger window with timber frame and leaded stained glass. Just above this lean-to (to the main portion of the building), there is a small window with six pane timber frame. To the S (‘inner’) face of the N return there is a window to left of the upper level with a timber sash frame (eight over eight with margin panes). To the N (‘inner’) face of the S return there is a doorway (with modern partly glazed door) to left on the first floor. This door opens on to a modern metal fire escape stair. To the right of the doorway there is a window with timber sash frame (four over two). The whole façade is largely covered in unpainted roughcast. The roof is slated and has three, rendered, ridge chimneystacks with corbelling. The large lean-to section to the N side of the N return has a corrugated-iron roof. Cast-iron rainwater goods. To the S of the building there is a tarmac-covered forecourt (now largely moss-covered) with a curving drive to S of this. At the head of the drive there is a gateway with wrought-iron gates and simple roughcast rendered square pillars with shallow, stone, pyramidal caps. Curving roughcast rendered walls stretch from either side of the gateway. To the E of the building there is a large lawn. To W there is another large lawn with a tall rubble-built wall to its N and W sides. To the N and NW there is a large yard, (which is partly grass-covered), with rubble-built single-storey gabled outbuildings to the W and N sides. The yard is enclosed to the NE by a rubble-built wall with a broad vehicle gateway with rough stone-capped pillars and a modern metal gate.

Architects

Not Known

Historical Information

The OS Memoirs of 1833 describe this former rectory as ‘a very comfortable modern dwelling house…quite destitute of planting’, built in 1811, at a cost ‘of £550 which was defrayed by a grant from the Board of First Fruits’. The valuation of 1835 records dimensions similar to the property we see today, however the lower two-storey (gable-ended) section of the north return, and the near by single-storey lean-to section were not present at this stage. They are noted in the 1859 valuation, however, with the valuers also recording the presence of a single-storey ‘gate house’ measuring 14yrds x 6.* OS map evidence suggests that this ‘gate house’ may have stood directly opposite the gate, on the other side of Novally Road, just in front of where the present modern rectory now stands. The conservatory / porch to the front of the building appears to be an Edwardian addition, however we cannot certain of its exact age, as the valuers report no major alterations to the building post 1859. The property continued to serve as the rectory for Ramoan parish until 1980, when the abovementioned modern rectory was built on the south side of the road. The building was subsequently sold to the Save the Children Fund, who remained there until 1983, when it was acquired by the Probation Board for Northern Ireland for use as a residential house. *The extensions to the rectory may have been added in 1848, when the new parish church was being built. References- Primary sources 1 OS Memoirs, Parish of Ramoan, (1831-39), reprinted in ‘Ordnance Survey memoirs of Ireland…’ ed Angelique Day, Patrick McWilliams and Noirin Dobson (Belfast, QUB, 1994), p.92 etc 2 PRONI OS/6/1/8/1 OS map, Co Antrim, sheet 8 (1832) 3 PRONI VAL/1B/135 First valuation, Ramoan parish (1834) 4 PRONI OS/6/1/8/2 OS map, Co Antrim, sheet 8 (1856) 5 PRONI VAL/2B/1/28c Second valuation, Ramoan parish (1859) 6 PRONI VAL/12B/2/3a Annual valuation revision book, Ballycastle ED (1862-64) 7 PRONI VAL/12B/2/3b Annual valuation revision book, Ballycastle ED (1865-76) 8 PRONI VAL/12B/2/3c Annual valuation revision book, Ballycastle ED (1876-84) 9 PRONI VAL/12B/2/3d Annual valuation revision book, Ballycastle ED (1884-93) 10 PRONI VAL/12B/2/3e Annual valuation revision book, Ballycastle ED (1892/3-98) 11 PRONI VAL/12B/2/3f Annual valuation revision book, Ballycastle ED (1898-1907) 12 PRONI VAL/12B/2/3g Annual valuation revision book, Ballycastle ED (1908-21) 23 PRONI VAL/12B/2/5a Annual valuation revision book, Ballycastle UD North and South Wards (1921-27) 14 PRONI VAL/12B/2/5b Annual valuation revision book, Ballycastle UD North Ward (1927-30) 15 PRONI VAL/12B/2/5c Annual valuation revision book, Ballycastle UD South Ward (1927-30) 16 PRONI VAL/3B/1/5 First general revaluation of Northern Ireland, Ballycastle UD, 1935 17 PRONI VAL/3C/1/6 First general revaluation of Northern Ireland, 1936-57 18 PRONI VAL/4B/1/12 Second General Revaluation of Northern Ireland, Ballycastle UD (1956-72) Secondary sources 1 Brett, C.E.B., ‘Historic Buildings…The Glens of Antrim’ (Belfast, 1971) 2 Information supplied by the owners (September 2004) Other
references 1 EHS HB05/15/024 First Survey report (September 1972) 2 EHS HB05/15/024 Photograph (September 1972)

Criteria for Listing

Architectural Interest

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

Historic Interest

X. Local Interest

Evaluation

Substantial, two-storey over basement, hip-roofed former rectory, built 1811, extended slightly c.1840-50, with a large porch / conservatory to front of c.1910. This building retains its essential architectural and historic character and enjoys an extensive and secluded setting.

General Comments

Date of Survey

06 October 2004