Historic Building Details

HB Ref No:
HB05/15/016

Address :
Ballycastle Museum (former court house) 59 Castle Street Ballycastle County Antrim BT54 6AR

Townland:
Ballycastle Town Parks

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Survey 2:
B+

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

Date of De-listing:

Current Use:
Gallery/ Museum

Former Use
Court House

Conservation Area:
Yes

Industrial Archaeology:
No

Vernacular:
No

Thatched:
No

Monument:
No

Derelict:
No

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OS Map No:
8-12

IG Ref:
D1137 4064

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Owner Category

Exterior Description And Setting

Relatively plain two-storey terrace museum building, originally a court / market house, probably dating from the mid 1700s. The property is set on the south side of Castle Street, to the west of Ballycastle town centre. The asymmetrical front elevation faces N. Just to the left of centre there is a large doorway, which consists of a timber-sheeted double door and large three pane segmental fanlight, all set within a semicircular-headed recess (with keystone), which was originally open. To the left of this is an identical recess, whose timber-sheeted door is not used. To the right of the entrance what was once another identical archway, has been converted to a window, with a mullioned timber frame with three elliptical-headed lights, and the ‘fanlight’ (as before) over. To the right of this there is a narrower (domestic scale) doorway, with a panelled timber door. To the first floor there are three, relatively narrow, unevenly-spaced windows with horned timber sash frames (six over six). This frames have relatively broad boxes. The façade is finished in painted lined render, with a bevelled base course, aground floor string course at arch-springing level. There is a deeper string course between ground and first floor level. There is a traditional style projecting signboard between the main entrance and the window, with a projecting street lamp between the first and second (first floor) windows. The rear elevation is dominated by a large full-height gabled return which is set slightly to the W of centre. To the first floor of the W face of the return there is a ‘lean-to’ extension, with two windows with modern timber frames. To the right of the lean-to (to the first floor of the W face of the return proper), there is another window with a timber sash frame, as first floor front. To the (S-facing) gable of the return, there is a large flat arch doorway, with metal double door, to the centre of the ground floor, whilst to the right on the first floor there is an unusual, roughly square window with three semicircular-headed lights, with lattice panes moulded sandstone mullions. The window also has a moulded sandstone surround and sandstone cill. [C.E.B Brett, writing in 1971, states that this window ‘is said to have come from the Bonamargy Friary’.] To the E face of the return there is a window to left on the first floor, (as first floor front). To the right of this there is a recess of similar size to the window to left. This recess appears to have originally been a window (it retains iron security bars over). The gable of the return is finished in unpainted cement render, whilst the W and E faces are in rubble with rough ‘in-out’ sandstone quoins. Only a narrow section to the far left and a slightly broader section to right of the rear facade of the main section of the building is exposed. To far left ‘underneath’ the ‘lean-to’ extension to the return, there is a small window with what appears to be a sash frame. This window could only be seen from a distance, and it appears that it is now partly obscured by the return of the neighbouring property to the W. To the right on the rear façade of the main section there is a doorway (with timber-sheeted door) to the ground floor, with a window, as before, to the first floor. This portion of the façade is largely rubble constructed, with a small section cement rendered and some brick dressings to the openings. The gabled roof of the main section is slated; the covering on the return roof could not be seen. The rainwater goods are a combination of cast-iron and PVCu. To the rear of the building there is a relatively small open yard area, surrounded by a part rubble, part brick and part rendered wall. There is a small single-storey shed to the SE corner of this yard, with walls of red brick, with small sections in concrete brick and render, and a slated gabled roof. To the N gable there is a doorway with timber-sheeted door, and a window with timber sash frame.

Architects

Not Known

Historical Information

This building is recorded as Ballycastle’s market house, with the gaol within the return, in the valuation of 1835. The OS Memoirs of the same year describe it as a ‘plain 2-storey building…the lower part viewed as a sort of shambles or market place and the room above as a place for holding manor courts and petty sessions. The gaol or bridewell is in the rear of the market house and consists of two cells underground and 2 above. It is merely used for the confining riotous persons in, but was formerly used in connection with the manor court for the purpose of confining debtors in’. Lewis writing two years later, refers to the ‘very good market house and commodious court house, in which the courts and petty sessions are held’. The age of the building is uncertain. C.E.B. Brett, writing in 1973 (see secondary sources), states that it is ‘of about 1830’, however the valuers of 1835 thought it considerably older, their grade ‘1B’ indicating that they believed it to have been at least 25-30 years old at that point. As Castle Street appears to have been largely built in the mid 1700s, (probably the 1740s), it is likely to have appeared around this time. Moreover, its relative lack of finery or pretension [one might almost describe it as ‘vernacular’], suggests an eighteenth rather than a mid-19th century date. By 1859 the lower storey had ceased to be used as a market house and was rented out to an Andrew Sharpe, (listed as a grocer in Slater’s 1856 ‘Directory’). This level seems to have continued to be rented out until the 1920s, by which time the formerly open arches had been filled in with the present doors and window. In 1929 Ballycastle UDC took over the whole building, and, according to the valuations, used the ground floor as ‘stores’. The room above is believed to have witnessed use as a courtroom as late as the 1980s, however, it also is believed to have served as a public library and a credit union office. The ground floor currently houses the town museum, with the upper floor largely disused. [*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 which buildings the valuers are referring. The writer has circumvented this problem however by adopting the somewhat involving 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 Taylor, George, and Skinner, Andrew, ‘Taylor and Skinner’s Maps of the Roads of Ireland, surveyed 1777’ (Dublin, 1778), Map 20 etc. 2 Linen Hall Library, Belfast, ‘A Map of County Antrim…by J. Lendrick’ (1780) 3 ‘Pigot & Co’s City of Dublin and Hibernian Commercial Directory (Manchester 1824) 4 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 5 PRONI OS/6/1/8/1 OS map, Co Antrim, sheet 8 (1832) 6 PRONI VAL/1B/135 First valuation, Ramoan parish (1834) 7 Lewis, Samuel, ‘Topographical history of Ireland’ (London, 1837) 8 ‘Slater’s National Commercial Directory of Ireland (Manchester, 1846) 9 ‘Slater’s National Commercial Directory of Ireland (Manchester, 1856) 10 PRONI OS/6/1/8/2 OS map, Co Antrim, sheet 8 (1856) 11 PRONI VAL/2B/1/28c Second valuation, Ramoan parish (1859) 12 PRONI VAL/12B/2/3a Annual valuation revision book, Ballycastle ED (1862-64) 13 PRONI VAL/12B/2/3b Annual valuation revision book, Ballycastle ED (1865-76) 14 Slater’s Royal National Commercial Directory of Ireland (Manchester, 1870) 15 PRONI VAL/12B/2/3c Annual valuation revision book, Ballycastle ED (1876-84) 16 PRONI VAL/12B/2/3d Annual valuation revision book, Ballycastle ED (1884-93) 17 PRONI VAL/12B/2/3e Annual valuation revision book, Ballycastle ED (1892/3-98) 18 Bassett, George Henry, ‘The Book of County Antrim’ (Dublin, 1888), pp.92-102 19 PRONI VAL/12B/2/3f Annual valuation revision book, Ballycastle ED (1898-1907) 20 PRONI VAL/12E/8/1/1-3 Valuation plans of Ballycastle (1898-c.1935) 21 ‘Belfast and Province of Ulster Directory’ (Belfast, 1905) 22 PRONI VAL/12E/8/2/1 Valuation plan of Ballycastle, c.1905 23 PRONI VAL/12B/2/3g Annual valuation revision book, Ballycastle ED (1908-21) 24 PRONI VAL/12B/2/5a Annual valuation revision book, Ballycastle UD North and South Wards (1921-27) 25 PRONI VAL/12B/2/5b Annual valuation revision book, Ballycastle UD North Ward (1927-30) 26 PRONI VAL/12B/2/5c Annual valuation revision book, Ballycastle UD South Ward (1927-30) 27 PRONI VAL/3G/6/1/1-3 Valuation plan of Ballycastle, 1934-50 28 PRONI VAL/3B/1/5 First general revaluation of Northern Ireland, Ballycastle UD, 1935 39 PRONI VAL/3C/1/6 First general revaluation of Northern Ireland, 1936-57 30 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), p.47 2 Brett, C.E.B., ‘Court houses and market houses of the Province of Ulster’ (Belfast, 1973), pp.25, 28 Other
references 1 EHS HB05/15/016 First Survey report (10 October 1972) 2 EHS HB05/15/016 Photograph (?1972)

Criteria for Listing

Architectural Interest

A. Style B. Proportion C. Ornamentation D. Plan Form I. Quality and survival of Interior

Historic Interest

X. Local Interest Z. Rarity Y. Social, Cultural or Economic Importance

Evaluation

Domestically scaled and relatively informal two-storey museum building, originally a court / market house, probably dating from the mid 1700s. This building is one of the rare examples of street-bound court / market houses and one of Ballycastle’s most important pieces of built heritage.

General Comments

Date of Survey

24 September 2004