Arcadia

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

Symmetrical detached two-storey stucco-fronted and pedimented former bathing house, built c.1936 to the designs of A.J. Clarke, on a rocky outcrop on the east strand of the Portrush peninsula. Extensively renovated c.2000 with a two-storey extension added to the east and in use as a coastal cafe. Rectangular on plan and encircled by a cantilevered concrete terrace extending to the southeast as a children’s play area.

Hipped natural slate roof with synthetic ridge tiles, bowed to the north elevation and to the extension. Ogee-moulded cast-iron guttering to modillioned eaves cornice and square-profile cast-iron downpipes. Painted stucco rendered walling with projecting plinth course, clasping corner pilasters and a continuous cornice over the ground floor. Square-headed window openings with moulded sills and replacement uPVC windows.

Symmetrical west front elevation is three windows wide with a central pedimented bay and a glazed canted entrance porch c.2000. Open-bed pediment rises from two-tier pilasters framing a semi-circular window opening to the first floor having a hood moulding and an elaborate scrolling cartouche. The pilasters (and corner piers) are flat-panelled; the ground floor piers have disc mouldings to the capitals while the first floor capitals comprise a cartouche and margent flanked by strapped fasces (repeated to the corner piers). Lugged and kneed architrave surrounds to first floor windows with stepped keystones. Plain window surrounds to the first floor with I-beam steel mullions to windows and porch.

Bowed north side elevation is three windows wide, square-headed window openings to the ground floor and oculi to the first floor set in vertical moulded panels. Elongated stepped keystones to the first floor oculi flanked by margents and set in a moulding over a flat panel dropping to the ground floor window and having a block keystone.

Symmetrical east rear elevation, built c.2000, having replaced a former dance hall structure abutting this elevation. Double-height bowed extension built in glazed brick to the upper floor. Plain walling and windows to remainder.

Three-sided canted south side elevation is blind with each plane defined by pilasters as above and a central open-bed segmental pediment and a blind panel to each level with moulded surrounds.

Setting

Built on a rocky outcrop between two beaches with a concrete foundation and a cantilevered concrete terrace projecting northwards with stainless steel railings (C.2000). Terrace extends southeast with a concrete children’s playground enclosed by concrete wall.

Roof Natural slate
RWG Cast-iron
Walling Stucco render
Windows UPVC

Historical information

Portrush developed around the harbour head and the northern end of Main Street, and by 1837 had become a popular resort for visitors, particularly during the bathing season, attracted to its two-mile beach terminating at White Rocks. The nearby Giant’s Causeway provided a marketing tool to attract a large number of visitors — local people claimed Portrush held a strategic position to the site ‘situated practically next door’ with ‘unequalled health-bestowing freshness with exhilarating breezes’—the ‘Brighton of Ireland’ (Young).

An isometric perspective map of the town of Portrush, outlining the Property of The Earl of Antrim showing building lots to be let and their proposed descriptions, of 1857, does not cite the presence of any built structure on the footprint of Ryan Rock where Arcadia stands today (PRONI D2977/36/6/13). It was not until 1905 that a small shop on the site was rated at £5 (PRONI VAL/12/B/4/22A). By 1913 its rateable value had risen to £52 reflecting the erection of a more permanent structure built by the town-councillor and local businessman, Robert A. Chalmers, to extend the commercial activities at Craigvara to include tearooms and bathing-boxes. Chalmers was in partnership until the late-1920s with the building-contractor, J. Campbell Jr, running a confectionery and grocery business. [Byrne]). A photo taken in 1911 (Young) shows a single-storey brick building already established, with two windows on the west elevation flanking a glazed bay, a canted bay-window set in the south elevation, and a balustraded flat roof purporting to have been used for ‘summer evening dances’ (Young). Attached to it was a two-storey brick-built building consisting of a castellated tower over the entrance giving access to all amenities, and an element with pitched roof and timber-framed gable set over a segmental-arched window above a canted-bay shop-window. The detached bathing-boxes (shown on the valuation map of 1897-1916) were to the east and south-east of the building (PRONI VAL/12/E/46/2/2). There were also landscape gardens (sloping up to Causeway Street) that had a central cast-iron fountain (dated 1911) adapted from designs for Pompeian lamp-brackets (Girvan).

7 Craig Vara continued to trade with these services until the 1930s: Chalmers and Campbell were the occupiers, although the leasehold was divided into three in 1935: Margaret A. Martin became the lessor of no. 7 (occupied by Campbell and Chalmers to run tearooms and bathing-boxes) rated at £90; Mrs Richardson separately leased a ‘kiosk’ to Campbell and Chalmers for £15.10s. (numbered 7a); and an unspecified number of amusement kiosks (owned by Campbell and Chalmers but occupied by Ernest Barry) were rated at £15.10s. (numbered 7b).

In 1936 major building-works were carried out to a plan drawn up by the local architect, A. J. Clarke, commissioned by Messrs. Campbell and Chalmers. For the first time the building acquired the name ‘Arcadia’ (PRONI LA/65/8/JA/21). The aesthetic of the two-storey (west) elevation with its (now) pitched roof demonstrates similarities to another prominent coastal building (‘Seaport Lodge’ in Portballintrae, built around 1770 [Girvan]). This contemporary architectural plan for Arcadia (now numbered no. 8 Craig Vara Terrace) shows on the ground floor a café with orchestra-bay; a shop selling toys, confectionery, and pastries; and a soda-fountain. On the first floor was a coffee- and smoke-room; a dance-hall; and in the basement a refreshment area with open snugs. The rateable value (shop, tearooms, kiosks, and bathing-boxes) increased to £175, and when the ballroom was added and the bathing-boxes removed in 1939 it was rated at £400. Ernest Barry continued to occupy a number of amusement kiosks at 7a Craig Vara, leased from Campbell and Chalmers (PRONI VAL/3C/1/30). A literary source notes that an area to the south-west of Arcadia was once an outdoor theatre space (Byrne), with the seascape as its backdrop (something it shares with The Minack Theatre, in Porthcurno, Cornwall).

In the 1950s the then lessor of the shop, tearooms, kiosks, and bathing-boxes, Daniel Hall Christie, took on the whole site, and F.G. Blundell was the occupier. Blundell is attributed with extending the complex with a large ballroom (adjoining the original structure) to the south-east that could accommodate 1600 persons, with an outside balcony situated off its refreshment area that overlooked the dance-floor; this later became an enclosed balcony (Byrne). By this time the castellated and gabled elements had been altered to make the building fashionably Modernistic, and the fenestration of the main building had been drastically altered. In the early 1950s David Glover and his orchestra were frequent guest entertainers, and during the summer seasons Joe Loss and his band, Andy Stewart, and Robert Wilson also took the stage (Young). The rateable value at this time had risen to £1,200, reducing to £1,065 between 1956 and 1972 (PRONI VAL/4B/1/64). The heyday of the ballroom seems to have diminished after 1976 and no longer cited in the VAL books; by then the rateable value of £1,800 was attributed to a restaurant (no. 8a); 8 kiosks were commanding £1,700 in 1981 (nos. 8b/c/d/e/f/g/h/i/); a flat (no.8j) £200 in 1978; and 3 stores £450 also in 1978.

Arcadia was described as a ‘Mannerist stucco palais, worthy of the promenade at Nice’ by Young. The current footprint is pared right back to one building with the inclusion of a two-storey segmental bay on the north end and a canted two-storey bay to the south, with the addition of a semi-circular two-storey extension to the east. The 1930s pilaster-piers, string-courses, and modillioned cornice survive, together with architraves and keystones at first-floor level. To the south-east there are now an outside paddling-pool and a children’s play-area replacing the footprint of the 1950s ballroom.

Primary Sources
Maps
PRONI VAL/12/E/46/2/2 Map (1897-1916)
PRONI D2977/36/6/13 Hanna, Dan, “Isometric Perspective of the Town of Portrush in the County of Antrim, Ireland, the Property of The Earl of Antrim Shewing the Building Lots to be Let and the Description of Buildings proposed to be Erected” (1857)

PRONI LA/65/8/JA/21 Plan of Arcadia Ballroom in Portrush (nd)

PRONI VAL/12/B/4/22A Ballymoney Union Portrush (Urban) ED, Co. Antrim
(1895-1906)
PRONI VAL/3C/1/30 Urban District of Portrush, Electoral Division (1936-1957)
PRONI VAL/4B/1/64 2nd General Revaluation of Northern Ireland (1956-1972)

Secondary Sources
Girvan, W. D. “Historic Buildings Considered to be of Outstanding Merit or Importance in North Antrim, including the towns of Portrush, Ballymoney, & Bushmills prepared March 1971-May1972” Belfast: Ulster Architectural Heritage Society, 1972

Young, A. F “Old Portrush, Bushmills, and the Giant’s Causeway”, Catrine: Stenlake, 2002

Byrne, D.R, “Vintage Post”, Coleraine: The Ballywillin Drama Group, 2005
ARCADIA, 6 Craig Vara, Portrush

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

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

Criteria for listing: historic interest

R. Age
S. Authenticity
T. Historic Importance
X. Local Interest
Y. Social, Cultural or Economic Importance

Evaluation

Symmetrical detached two-storey stucco-fronted and pedimented former bathing house, built c.1936 to the designs of A.J. Clarke, on a rocky outcrop on the east strand of the Portrush peninsula. Extensively renovated c.2000 with a two-storey extension added to the east. It still retains well proportioned and elaborately detailed facades on three sides. Despite the loss of original windows and partial demolition, the Arcadia is historically important as a focal point on the seafront that has been a shop, tea-room, place to rent bathing boxes and perhaps most significantly, a ballroom capable of holding 1600 people. Generations of holiday makers have fond memories of this building which has an iconic presence in Portrush.

General comments

Listing Criteria R - Age; S - Authenticity and T - Historic Importance also apply.