Historic Building Details

HB Ref No:
HB05/14/023

Address :
Manor House Home Mary Street Ballycastle Co Antrim BT54 6QH

Townland:
Town Parks

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Survey 2:
B2

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

Date of De-listing:

Current Use:
Residential Home

Former Use
House

Conservation Area:
Yes

Industrial Archaeology:
No

Vernacular:
No

Thatched:
No

Monument:
No

Derelict:
No

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OS Map No:
8/8 SE

IG Ref:
D1207 4113

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Owner Category

Exterior Description And Setting

A 2/3 storey corner building, 10 bay long to Quay Road and 11 bay long to Mary Street. The NW façade or elevation to Quay Road has a central 3 storey block with 2 storey to the NE and a single storey wing to the SW. The central block, 3 bays wide, with shallow breakfront has a central doorway with pilaster each side with scroll/corbel supporting a projecting cornice/canopy. On each side narrow vertical windows with moulded architraves, lighting former entrance hall. On each side of these windows double hung sliding sash 2 pane windows with moulded architrave and keystone. At first and second floor 3 similar windows widely spaced. The 2 storey wing to the NE has a ground floor single window, double hung sliding sash 2 pane taller than those of the central block and with moulded architrave, while 1st floor has 2 double hung sliding sash 2 pane windows without architrave. The wings to the SW are windowless with change of roof level. Walls are rendered and painted, roofs natural slates, 3 storey block hipped, the others gabled. There are no chimney stacks except a tall one almost at the end of the SW wing and clearly an addition to a boiler house built behind. The NE façade or elevation to Mary Street, and screened behind an enclosing wall contains the principal entrance to the nursing home. This entrance has a single storey projection with hipped roof forming an outer porch to the entrance hall proper. It is set against a two storey block six bays long which extends another two bays at a lower level. It has little architectural merit, though the extended two bays has built up segmental arched gateways. The two storeys abuts against the principal block of the former Manor House and the two storey wing of it which returns on Mary Street is two bays wide, each gabled, one with a two storey canted bay with flat roof. The canted bay has three double hung sliding sash windows on each floor, all with moulded architraves with stringcourses at cill levels and between floors. The bay has two windows at ground floor and two directly above, each double hung sliding sash two pane with moulded architraves. The bargeboards on gables are plain with small overhang. At the SE end of the central two storey connecting link is a further two storey block, stone built and painted with a mostly irregular arrangement of windows and a number of segmental gateways built-up. Probably former coach and outhouses. Quoins and dressings to original openings are in rusticated sandstone. Its chief feature is a large stone/brick built chimney, though the bottom part which is in rubble construction may have been the turret from which flags were flown, so suggests C Brett in the" Glens of Antrim", UAHS Book. Apart form the central block frontage to Quay Road and the short return two bay façade to Mary Street, this building complex appears to have been very much altered in the last two centuries and probably little of the original architecture remains. The building is sited at the corner of Quay Road and Mary Street with its present restricted garden bound by walls on 4 sides. Access to the grounds and main entrance is from Mary Street. The edifice enjoys from the NE a pleasing prospect of Ballycastle bay, Rathlin Island, Islay and the N Atlantic.

Architects

Macrae Hanlon Spence Partnership

Historical Information

Hugh Boyd, who purchased village and estate of Ballycastle on perpetual lease from the earl of Antrim in 1727, erected the Manor house c 1730. Adjacent to the house he erected a brewery and tanyard , soapworks and estate office. Boyd died in 1765. The O.S. Memoirs records the house in near ruinous state with paupers residing in it. It was described by the memoirs as ' very roomy and spacious and the courtyard offices and garden very extensive' The house as recorded in the valuation of 1859 was very similar to that recorded in the valuation of 1832 apart from additional single storey cart or 'car' houses. By this time the paupers had left and Alexander Boyd a decendant of Hugh was resident. The annual valuations of the house record no change until 1896 when they record a 'new portion measuring 21x19x2 (storeys) and also an 'added storey' of 26x25 with a note saying '2 reception rooms and 2 bedrooms added- contract £350- but a portion of this is on internal remodelling such as removing bits of old walls roofs etc; total expenditure will be £450.00' The added storey appears to have been to the north wing and the new portion directly to the rear of this. It is likely that the victorian style surrounds to the windows were added at this time. Despite this a reduced frontage to Quay Road is shown on the OS maps of 1898 and 1904 with new properties to the SW. In 1902 the valuers note that part of the ground floor of the house was used as a rent office. The Boyd family continued to reside in the Manor House until the death of Kathleen Isabel Boyd in 1942. In 1947 the property was aquired by Dr Bernardo's and was converted to a children's home. Circa 1985 the present owner converted it to a Nursing Home for the elderly. The interior was renovated and day room constructed and added. Presently (2004) it is proposed to change the use of the building again, this time to apartments. No work has been carried out to date on this scheme and the building is vacant. The building, specifically the a proposal to demolish the coach house and tower were the subject of a planning appeal in 2003 (ref:2002/A261) following refusal by the Department to allow their demolition as part of a revised apartment scheme. The Planning Appeals commision found in favour of the applicant and overturned the decision. In conclusion the PAC argued that: 'There is a tension in policy terms in that the Commission finds on one hand that the proposal would enhance the appearance of the listed building as a whole and its setting and thereby preserve its special architectural interest which is reflected mainly in the Manor House. Likewise it would visually enhance the appearance and character of the Conservation Area. Against this the flag turret as a feature of special historic interest would be lost and there would be some diminution of the historical character of the Conservation Area. Nonetheless Manor House would remain and its historic connection with Hugh Boyd and the Boyd family would be retained. The Commission is satisfied that an appropriate scheme of alteration along the lines illustrated on behalf of the appellants could be designed and on balance finds that the planning gain in terms of the architectural character and appearance of the listed building and visual enhancement of the conservation area would outweigh the loss of the flag turret.' The commission rejected a proposal from the Department that the the coach houses should be considered special because though altered and extended they may be a scarce reminant of the 18th century industry assocated with Hugh Boyd which was an important generator of the current form of the settlement of Ballycastle. They may have formed part of his original soap works, used as a dyeworks in the nineteenth century and then as a coach house before being converted into accommodation in the twentieth century: ' there is doubt that the remaining portion of the east wing is part of the original soapworks- the Department while considering that this part of the east wing could have been part of the soapworks, accepted that it was possible that the east wing was a complete rebuild.' Original architect not known. References Primary Sources 1. O.S. Map 1832 Antrim sh. 9. 2. O.S. Map 1832 Rev. 1856 Antrim sh. 9. 3. O.S. Map 1904 Ballycastle 4. O.S. Memoirs of Ireland IX, 1830-2, 1835, 1838-9 Ed by Angelique Day, Patrick McWilliams, & Noirin Dobson. p. 94. 5. Richardson, A Guide to Ballycastle and Neighbourhood. p. 13. 6. Notes, 1st Survey EHS Hill St., Belfast 7. 'Demolition of east wing of existing building and existing chimney. 49/51 Quay Road Ballycastle.' Planning Appeals Commission Report 2003 ref 2002/A261 Secondary Sources 1. UAHS, Glens of Antrim p. 51 2. Ballycastle Conservation Area Booklet

Criteria for Listing

Architectural Interest

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

Historic Interest

V. Authorship X. Local Interest

Evaluation

The Manor House of the Boyd Estate. A 2/3 storey building of georgian proportions enhanced by some restrained victorian detail., 10 bays long to Quay Road and 11 bays long to Mary Street with return 'coach house' including attached industrial brick chimney known as the 'flag turret'. The georgian building with extensions along Quay Road and the 'flag turret' are the main historical survivals on the site . These parts of the complex are considered to be of special architectural and historical interest. The building is admirably sited looking over the sea and promenade. The coach house and flag turret are also well sited and are prominent landmarks on the seafront. The historic parts of the building are of considerable historic interest because of their association with Hugh Boyd who established the town of Ballycastle, its former colliery, glass manufactory, soapworks, brewery, erected the fine Georgian church in the centre of the town and constructed many of the flanking buildings on Ann and Castle Street. Their architecture including some internal features are also of special interest.

General Comments

Date of Survey

12 September 2000