Former Police Station and Jail

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

Complex principally comprises a canted three storey cement-rendered block delimiting north side of a yard with a two storey four bay ‘Constable’s House’ on the south, flanking Charlotte Street. A substantial two-storey flat-roofed ‘Guard’s House’ gives access to the main block on the east side. On the west side the yard is delimited by a gable ended single-storey 1960s block. The yard is surfaced in concrete and entered from the road via post-war iron mesh gates adjacent to the east side of the Constable’s House. The complex is delimited on its west side by a twelve foot wall with an 1980s iron security fence outside; this iron security fence also delimits the complex on the north side, while the former court house flanks the east side.

The Main Block: Formerly the main prison block, later remodelled as a police station. Comprises a three storey cement rendered block with three-sided or canted plan enclosing a yard on its south side. Shallow pitched and hipped slated roof; cast-iron rainwater gutters and downpipes; stepped rendered cornice with raised rendered continuous quoins. The canted block has two four-bay ‘wings’ flanking a single bay centre which contains the main entrance. Except for a few blocked opening on the ground floor, the South fenestration has a full complement of windows, all of which have raised rendered surrounds with plinth blocks and projecting sloping sills. The first and second floor windows have timber sliding-sashes of 2/2, save for a few modifications. Ground floor windows have multi-paned metal windows; 8 panes (opening outwards) over 16 panes, half of which (8 panes) forms a casement; those to east of the central entrance have been blocked at some stage in the post-war era. The centrally placed entrance (which leads into the staircase hall) had a moulded cement architrave with double doors (modern) and window light above. The two-bay side elevations of the block have in both cases a centrally placed top floor window; on the west side this is multi-paned narrow sliding-sash opening of 4 panes over 6; on the east it has a timber sliding-sash of 2 over 2 with a modern picture window opening below. The rere elevation has no ground floor windows (it is on a higher level than front); there are ten surviving first and second floor windows, and except for a modern replacement on the west side, these are timber framed sliding-sash of 2/2. None of the opening here have raised rendered surrounds. There are a number of small single-storey extensions to the rere; one on the east side a small gabled block; a lean-to on the west side and a low shallow flat-roofed extension in the centre.
Guard House Extension: Served as the entrance into the police station main block. Two storey flat-roofed extension attached to the east side of the main block, occupying two-bays. Prominent overhanging concrete eaves with steel railing above. Side elevation facing into yard has two large now blocked opening on the first floor and one small opening of 1960s appearance on ground floor. The two-bay front has a door opening flanked by a window on the ground floor and a picture-window opening above.

The Constable’s Residence: Four bay two-storey gabled block facing the street (set behind a retaining wall) with a two-storey three-bay lean-to extension facing into the yard to the rere. Bottom floor of ashlar basalt blocks and dressed stone quoins; first floor pebble-dash rendered. Concrete tiled roof with overhanging eaves and verge; cast iron gutters and downpipes. No chimneys present (there had been two at one time). Door flanked by small timbered-window (1/1) in the side elevation of the lean-to rere extension. Windows of front elevation all timber siding-sash of 1/1 panes.

Historical information

The earliest reference to the building comes from the Ordnance Survey Memoirs (Parish of Antrim, 1830-5, p8), wherein it states that the ‘Bridewell’ was situated ‘at the east end of Charlotte Street contiguous to the Conventor’s meeting house. It is a stone building, commodiously and appropriated divided into cells, yards etc. It was erected in 1830 at the expense of 130 pounds defrayed by the county. This house is kept very clean and is periodically visited by the rector of this parish and the officer of the police. The gaoler is the only person employed in the establishment. His salary is 20 pounds a year. Ground plan of Bridewell (with annotations inc. scale) final elevation of keeper’s house’. The building is clearly shown on the first edition of the six-inch Ordnance Survey map (1830-1) – marked ‘Jail’, it has a same canted or three sided plan outline as the present main block building today. This building is linked symmetrically by two triangular yards to a small rectangular building (the keeper’s house) set back from Charlotte Street. The first valuation (14th March 1833) refers to ‘Bridewell: body of building 41ft x 17½ x 12; addition 18 x 10 x 12; female day room and cells 42 x 19½ x 12; male day room and cells 9as previous0. All Grade 1A. Garden 83 x 53, 95 x 40 = 13 perches’. This clearly indicates that the original canted building was one storey in height, as was the keeper’s house; the two symmetrical yards were evidently exercise yards for female and male prisoners.

The building, as marked on the first revision 1850s Ordnance Survey map, is much the same in plan except that the keeper’s house is now shown as a T-plan, probably the same ‘existing’ building as surveyed in 1923 prior to its alteration. There is also a small rectangular building where the present entrance on Charlotte Street, east of the Constables’ House; this may be the ‘turf house’ see below. The adjacent court house was added to the east side of the site in 1838. The second valuation (January 1860) refers to the ‘Grand Jury - Sessions house, Bridewell and Yard; from Earl of Antrim, rent – none’. It gives the dimensions as: ‘Bridewell: Front projection 7 x 2ft x 1; main building 13yds x 1ft x 5yds x 1ft 6in x 1; return 6 x 3yds 1ft x 1; male prison 13yds 2ft x 6yds 2ft x 1; female prison [as previous]; turf house 7yds 2ft x 3 x 1.’ [Also within same plot] Sessions house: Front house 19yds 1ft x 3 x 1[storey]; east addition 4yds 2ft x 15½yds x 1; west addition [as previous]; court house 10 x 15½yds x 1 1/2; water closet 2 x 3½ yds x 1. [All grade 1A-]. It is not clear when the prison building was taken over as the district police station, but there appear to have been no major changes to the building until 1923 when detailed plans for the overhaul of the ‘Head Constable’s House’ (formerly the ‘Keeper’s House’) were drawn up by the Department of Works and Public Buildings of the Ministry of Finance (then based on 113 & 118 Royal Avenue, Belfast). The surviving plans, elevations and specifications for works are dated 16thAugust 1923 and 8th November 1923. The plans show the existing Head Constable’s house as a single storey building, 41’2” x 16’2”, being the ground floor of the present building with a canted return on the north side accommodating a ‘sitting room’. The front elevation facing the street, had a two-bay breakfront (still evident in the plan) surmounted by a large pediment. Internally it has a bedroom on the east side; a kitchen in the centre and on the west end, an entry porch (from the street) and a pantry behind. The canted bay return obviously originally faced onto the prisoner’s exercise yards, with one side facing the male and the other the female yards. The 1924 remodelling involved adding a second storey to the house, and removing the canted return to the north and replacing it with a two storey lean-to extension that accommodates the staircase and the new entrance. The 1923 plan of the ‘Head Constable’s House’ also depicts part of the plan of the ‘Guard Room’ extension, clearly indicating that this extension, or an earlier version of it, was present by 1923. There are no other building records for the main three side prison building, but internally it is clear that this building was remodelled at this time; the Art deco staircase in the centre is clearly of this date as are the three Art Deco chimney-pieces in the building. Most of the timber sliding-ash windows probably also were inserted in the 1920s, the only 19th century windows being the metal-framed ones on the ground floor facing the yard and a small rectangular windows in the top floor of the west gable end. Although the building ceased being a jail, it retained holdings for prisoners where were transferred through a special door into the adjacent Court House for trial. The court house closed in 1990, but the police station remained in these buildings until a new station for was completed in 2012 (started April 2011) on the opposite side of the street (at 74-76 Charlotte Street). The PSNI had moved out of the building by 2013 leaving the premises vacant.

References:
FIN Files, MBR, Hill Street, FIN 19/2/114-127, PRONI File No B695/1923
Evaluation
Ordnance Survey Memoirs, Parish of Ballymoney, Part of Antrim V (1830-35) (1837-8) Vol. 16, ed. A. Day and P. McWilliam (152) Institute of Irish Studies, QUB.

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

A. Style
B. Proportion
C. Ornamentation
D. Plan Form
H-. Alterations detracting from building
K. Group value

Criteria for listing: historic interest

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

Evaluation

An important surviving grouping comprising a former jail and adjacent former listed Court house (HB04.15.002). Although converted into a police station in the 20th century, the core of the original c1830 jail building and its former 'keeper's house' are clearly identifiable and considerable original building fabric remains. The 1920's conversion involved adding some good architectural details, most notable a fine Art Deco full height open newel type staircase. Generally the complex with its adjacent court house, are of considerable social importance, having played a significant role in the lives of 19th century Ballymoney.