Historic Building Details

HB Ref No:
HB05/13/018 B

Address :
80 Castle Street Ballycastle Co Antrim BT54 6AR

Townland:
Ballycastle Town Parks

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Survey 2:
B2

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

Date of De-listing:

Current Use:
Shop

Former Use
House

Conservation Area:
Yes

Industrial Archaeology:
No

Vernacular:
No

Thatched:
No

Monument:
No

Derelict:
No

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OS Map No:
8/12 NE

IG Ref:
D1141 4068

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Owner Category

Private

Exterior Description And Setting

Large three storey shop with flats over, originally a house possibly dating from the mid to later 1700s and at one time part of a larger property with the present no.78, renovated in 1985 when the shop front was retained and the upper floors converted to three flats. The property is set on the N side of Castle Street, close to Ballycastle town centre. The asymmetrical front elevation faces S. To the ground floor is a repaired shop front with off centre timber door with rectangular fanlight increased with pilasters. Flanking these are broad rendered piers beyond which are large shop windows also flanked by pilasters. The window to left is smaller having a four-light timber frame with arched heads to the upper lights, whilst that to right has a considerably larger five light frame with arched heads as before. The whole ensemble is crowned with a painted signboard. To the first floor are four unevenly spaced windows with sash frames (2/2- horizontal glazing bars- probably late 19th century). To the second floor are four similar but shorter windows. The third window (from left) has a noticeably out of plumb cill, as does the first floor window directly below it. Several decorative iron brackets at first floor level [?for signs ?hanging baskets], with another differently styled bracket to second floor [?for a lamp]. The front façade is finished in painted lined render. The W gable, which faces into a narrow lane, merges (to right) with a large two storey return. To ground floor of the gable / return there are two windows of differing size, but with frames similar to front. To right is a recessed timber door, then a small window with another door to right again. To the first floor are six windows of differing size, but with frames similar to before. To the second floor are three window, much as before but of differing size. It is plain that most of the openings to this elevation are relatively recent insertions. To the right hand (N) side the gabled has been cut into by a flat-roofed dormer-like extension. This whole elevation is finished in painted render. To the N end the return merges with a large lean-to structure. There is a two storey back return, 3 bays long, in line with the alleyway with windows at both floors. The roof (outside of the flat-roofed dormer-like extension to rear) is slated. Rendered chimney stack to E and to W. Metal rw goods.

Architects

Smyth & McMurphy Murdock & Hunter

Historical Information

The first valuation of December 1834* records that a large old (grade ‘1C+’) house of similar dimensions to the (combined) present nos.78 and 80, on the site of this and its neighbour to the west, then occupied by an Alexander McDonald and a John McCambridge. As the later valuations do not record any demolition we can assume that western section of the former large dwelling of 1834 is that we see today. The (combined) property may have been one of the nine three storey houses mentioned in the OS Memoirs of 1835 (though it may have been classed as 2½ storey), and like much of the structures within Castle Street may date from c.1740-70, when the town assumed much of its present form under improving landlord Hugh Boyd. Margaret McKay is recorded as the next tenant in 1870, with Bernard Boyle following in 1881, John Herrigan in 1885, Daniel Herrigan (1898-1915), John Black (1915-22), Alexander McCambridge (1922-27) and Mary J. Magill (1927-57+). In 1985 the upper floors were converted to three flats. Latterly the shop unit has housed a betting shop and a café. [*Note on primary sources- Though Ballycastle has its full compliment of valuation books dating back to 1834, the earliest extant valuation plan of the town (indeed the earliest large scale plan) is that dating from 1898. This means that though the first and second valuations -of 1834 and 1859 respectively- present the usual detailed accounts of properties throughout the town, bereft of their contemporary plans it is almost impossible to discover exactly to which buildings the valuers are referring. The writer has circumvented this problem however by adopting the somewhat involved method of reading the records backwards- i.e. taking the more recent (mid 20th century) valuations and tracing each building back from these, using the 1898 map as a marker along the way.] References- Primary sources 1 ‘Pigot & Co’s City of Dublin and Hibernian Commercial Directory (Manchester 1824) 2 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 3 PRONI OS/6/1/8/1 OS map, Co Antrim, sh 8, 1832 4 PRONI VAL/1B/135 First valuation, Ramoan parish, 1834 5 Samuel Lewis, ‘Topographical history of Ireland’ (London, 1837) 6 ‘Slater’s National Commercial Directory of Ireland (Manchester, 1846) 7 ‘Slater’s National Commercial Directory of Ireland (Manchester, 1856) 8 PRONI OS/6/1/8/2 OS map, Co Antrim, sh 8, 1856 9 PRONI VAL/2B/1/28c Second valuation, Ramoan parish, 1859 10 PRONI VAL/12B/2/3a-g Annual valuation revision books, Ballycastle ED, 1864-1921 11 ‘Slater’s Royal National Commercial Directory of Ireland (Manchester, 1870) 12 PRONI VAL/12E/8/1/1-3 Valuation plan of Ballycastle, 1898-c.1935 13 PRONI VAL/12E/8/2/1 Valuation plan of Ballycastle, c.1905 14 PRONI VAL/12B/2/5a-c Annual valuation revision books, Ballycastle UD, 1921-31 15 PRONI VAL/3G/6/1/1-3 Valuation plan of Ballycastle, 1934-50 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

Criteria for Listing

Architectural Interest

A. Style B. Proportion J. Setting K. Group value

Historic Interest

X. Local Interest

Evaluation

Large three storey shop with flats over, originally a house possibly dating from the mid to later 1700s and at one time part of a larger property with the present no.78, Renovated in 1985 retaining original shop front which is currently painted in non-traditional colours. Notwithstanding this ‘busy’ east elevation, the building still makes an important contribution to the Castle Street streetscape.

General Comments

Date of Survey

02 May 2003