37 Main Street

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

A detached two-bay, two-storey, interwar red brick house to designs by K.F. Lewis; built c.1940 and located to the north side of Main Street in Castlerock, overlooking the Promenade. L-shaped plan with single-storey canted projection to west and conservatory to re-entrant angle; original adjoining red brick garage and modern single-storey flat-roof extension (of no interest) to east.

Steeply pitched hipped Westmoreland slate roof with diminishing course slating, angled terracotta ridge tiles, leaded valleys and swept eaves; tall red-brick chimneystacks with chamfered stalks and concrete caps. Plastic rainwater goods on heavily projecting timber eaves. Walling is stretcher-bonded red brick with header-bonded plinth course; concrete string-course above ground floor. Windows are replacement timber sash or timber casements with projecting concrete sills.

The principal elevation faces south, extended by conservatory to left and single-storey extension to right (see later). Main section is two openings wide at each floor (right window opening is wider). Ground floor is canted at right with tripartite timber mullioned window to centre and 6/6 windows to either side. Recessed entrance to left in a splayed opening with string-course rising to shallow arch over; 6/6 window to canted bay at right and to left wall. Ashlar sandstone doorcase with carved spandrels and moulded reveal contains an original round-headed hardwood timber door with five vertical panels and cast-iron door furniture; accessed by a set of two curved stone steps.

The west elevation has projecting bay at left with canted bay projection at ground floor lit by three plate glass windows, rising to brick parapet with concrete coping enclosing a balcony; first floor has canted timber mullioned window and glazed timber door opening to balcony. South elevation of projection lit by two 2/4 windows at first floor, to either side of projecting chimneybreast; north elevation has canted timber mullioned oriel window and window over at first floor left. Right bay has four windows to first floor (group of three at right), over later red brick and timber conservatory to re-entrant angle, lit to south by three round-headed multi-paned timber windows c.1980.

The north elevation has two windows at first floor and three at ground floor, all of various sizes; canted timber mullioned oriel window to first floor right, having leaded-and-stained glass panels and supported on a carved sandstone corbel.

The east elevation is abutted at ground floor left by the flat-roof garage, flush with the modern single-storey flat-roof extension at right. Canted timber mullioned window and tripartite timber window to first floor; projecting chimneybreast at first floor left. Garage opens to south with original partially glazed timber-sheeted door in a chamfered reveal.

Setting:

Situated on a mature raised plot overlooking the Irish Sea, in a residential area to the north side of Main Street in Castlerock. Tarmacadamed driveway to south with lawned and landscaped garden at west. Steep grassy bank to rear of house. Garage at east abutted by red brick garden wall with round-headed arch containing original steel latch-gate. Original red brick boundary walls to south with mature hedging. Entrance from Main Street has polygonal red brick piers with pointed concrete caps supporting original ornate steel gates.

Roof: Natural slate
Walling: Stretcher-bonded red brick
Windows: Replacement timber sash or casements
RWG: Plastic

Historical information

No. 37 Main Street, a two-storey redbrick dwelling situated along the Castlerock coastline, was constructed in the interwar period; the exact date of construction is not known, however the dwelling was certainly constructed post-1935 as the building does not appear on the First General Revaluation of Property in Northern Ireland which was carried out in that year. The dwelling was constructed to designs by Kenneth Francis Lewis, a Belfast-based architect who was mostly active during the 1940s and 1950s (but also carried out some early work during the 1930s) (Dictionary of Irish Architects).

The seaside dwelling was first included in the valuation sources in 1956 when the Second General Revaluation recorded that a Ms. Mary Pollock owned the building which was then valued at £50. There was no alteration to either the occupant or the value of No. 37 Main Street by the cancellation of the revaluation survey in 1972. Field Inspection finds that the current owner of No. 37 Main Street possesses K. F. Lewis’ original plans for the dwelling; these show that the general layout of the building has not been significantly altered since its construction and this is also seen on the current edition of the Ordnance Survey maps (1980) for the area which depicts the building along its current layout, the sole addition being a modern single-storey flat-roof extension to its east side.

References

Primary Sources

1. PRONI OS/6/1/2/4 – Fourth Edition Ordnance survey map 1923
2. PRONI VAL/3/B/6/1 – First General Revaluation of Property in Northern Ireland 1935
3. PRONI VAL/4/B/5/5 – Second General Revaluation of Property in Northern Ireland 1956-1972
4. Ordnance Survey map – 12-2SW (1980)

Online Resources

1. Dictionary of Irish Architect - http://www.dia.ie

Evaluation

A detached two-bay two-storey interwar period red brick house to designs by K.F. Lewis; built c.1940 and located to the north side of Main Street in Castlerock, overlooking the Promenade. The original slender glazing has been lost, replaced by varying modern windows. The building does retain some historic detailing typical of the period, including Westmoreland slate roof with swept eaves and tall red brick chimneystacks. Some alterations, including a single-storey extension to rear and timber conservatory to west, are sympathetically styled. A good local example of domestic architecture dating from the interwar period. This distinctive dwelling is prominently sited along the coastline and makes an important contribution to the historic quality and character of Castlerock, however it does not contain sufficient special architectural and historic interest to merit listing.