'Aborfield', 25 Charles Street, Ballymoney, Co. Antrim, BT53 6DX

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

Two-storey plus attic Edwardian ‘Freestyle’ house of 1908 in brick and render, one of a matching semidetached pair by James Scott of Belfast. The property is set on the NE side of Charles Street, Ballymoney, about 0.3km N of the town centre.

[The building faces SW, but for the purposes of this description, SW will be read as S.] The house is of asymmetric plan and consists basically of the roughly square main two-storey block with a single-storey entrance porch to the E side and shallow full-height gabled bays to front (S) and rear, that to the front having a further single-storey canted bay. To the NE there is a single-storey L-shaped outhouse projection, and to the N, spanning between this property and its neighbour, is a small single-storey lean-to projection which to the N is abutted by a large, later single-story double garage / outbuilding extension (of no interest.)

The main block has a overhanging gabled roof (T-shaped in structure) covered in natural Welsh slate and clay ridge tiles, with plain moulded bargeboards on brackets, two brick chimneystacks (one shared) with pronounced corbelling and clay pots, a gabled dormer to the front, E and rear. The kitchen projection has a hipped roof covered in the same materials. The canted bay has a shallowed hipped roof covered in lead sheeting; the porch has a similar roof but this does not appear to be original. The ground floor walls are finished in red brick with the upper floor in pebbledash with cement render quoins and lugged and heeled surrounds to the front and W windows. The window openings themselves are mainly segmental-headed, with those to the canted bay, dormers, and some to the ground floor rear, flat-headed. Most are filled with plain one over one timber sash frames, with mullioned and transom frames (with Art Nouveau Style glazing to the upper panes) to the two larger windows to the front and upper floor back, the W side of the porch and the dormers. The cills appear to be sandstone [TBC], but are now painted. The RW goods appear to be largely replacement uPVC [TBC].

S elevation - Side of porch to far right has timber door with Art Nouveau Style glazing over ‘shelf’ feature on brackets, and three tall vertical panels under. Entrance has sandstone keystone. Full-height bay to right half of main block with four windows to canted bay, pair of windows to the first floor (with replacement frames) and a roundel window to attic level. To the left of the bay there is a large window to the ground floor and a similar, but smaller one directly above to first floor; the former has a narrow sandstone keystone, as the entrance. There is a brick mullion with sandstone coping between this house and its neighbour.

E elevation - Window to left of porch, then one to porch itself and two to right [TBC]. One window to the first floor, directly over the porch.

N elevation - [The ground floor level was largely obscured from view.] L-shaped projection is to far left with part of shared lean-to to right. The lean-to merges with the large outbuilding addition. Three windows of various sizes to first floor (that to left with replacement frame), with another to left above at upper landing level.

To the front of the house there is a garden and a tarmac drive and forecourt. The front garden is enclosed by a brick wall with square brick piers with stone caps and a gateway with decorative wrought-iron gates. To the rear of the house there is a large yard with freestanding garage to NE. To the N of the yard is the large back garden.

Historical information

Nos.25-27 Charles Street (‘Arborfield’ and ‘Dunvaron’ respectively) were built in 1907-08 on a previously undeveloped site on what was then practically the northern edge of Ballymoney, with only a scattering of what were largely institutional buildings (most notably the Union Workhouse) further to the north-west.[Refs 1, 2] Their construction followed closely after the building of the neighbouring Technical School in 1905-06, and marked the beginnings of the gradual ‘suburbanisation’ of this end of Charles Street as it merged in Coleraine Road.

Commenting on the construction of the pair on 27 February 1908, the ‘Ballymoney Free Press and Northern Counties Advertiser’ remarked that ‘the semi-detached villas…which are now nearing completion’ were being built for a Mr. Robert Holmes and a Mr. William J. Beattie. These names are confirmed by annotations of 1909 in the valuation book which tell us that Mr. Beattie went on to occupy no.25, and Mr. Holmes, no.27, with the houses themselves erected on part of a plot that had been previously held from the Antrim Estate by a John Henry. The present owners of no.27 state that the original owner of their house - i.e. Robert Holmes - was a travelling salesman, and that he was responsible for the building of the pair, keeping no.27 for himself and selling next door. Holmes was indeed a commercial traveller, for local chemists and grocers ‘Baxter’s Limited’ (a company in which Beattie was the Secretary)[4, 8], but the available evidence suggests that both he and Beattie built the properties jointly. The architect appears to have been James Scott of Belfast and the contractor was William Currie of Coleraine.

In the 1911 census, the aforesaid William James Beattie (a ‘book-keeper’ aged 41) is recorded as residing here with his wife, Sarah Ann, their two young children, his parents Samuel and Maude, and a domestic servant, Sarah McIntyre. W.J. Beattie died suddenly (whilst visiting Glasgow) in late 1937.

In 1967 the property was acquired by Norman Holmes (who at that point resided next-door at no.27) and his brother-in-law, Sir Arthur Algeo, and donated to Ballymoney Reformed Presbyterian Church for use as a manse. As such, it was subsequently occupied by Rev. Hugh J. Blair (Minister of the Ballymoney RPC from 1953 to 1993). It remains in the ownership of the church, but is currently leased to a tenant.

The 1931 map (the earliest on which nos.25-27 appear) shows a smaller outbuilding on the site of the present one. The freestanding garage is shown on this map, but the present structure may be a later replacement.

References - Primary sources
1 OS 1:1250 / 2500 map 1893-94
2 OS 1:1250 / 2500 map 1904
3 ‘Coleraine Chronicle’, 8 June 1907, p.2
4 Architect's drawing of present Nos.25 and 27, c.1907 [In possession of owner of No.27 Charles St.]
5 ‘Northern Constitution’, 21 September 1907
6 ‘Ballymoney Free Press and Northern Counties Advertiser’, 27 February 1908
7 PRONI VAL12B/4/3F (1907-15)
8 ‘Ballymena Observer, 2 July 1909, p.4
9 ‘Belfast and Province of Ulster Directory’, Henderson & Co., 1910
10 Census of Ireland, 1911 - http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie
11 PRONI VAL12B/4/3G (1916-30)
12 ‘Ballymena Observer’, 25 March 1927, p.6
13 OS map 1:1250/2500 1931
14 ‘Belfast News-Letter’, 19 October 1937, p.9
15 ‘Ballymena Weekly Telegraph’, 23 October 1937, p.4
16 OS map 1:1250/2500 1951
17 ‘Belfast Telegraph’, 5 April 1967, p.8
18 OS map 1:1250/2500 1970
19 ‘Belfast Telegraph’, 1 December 1977, p.25
20 ‘Belfast Telegraph’, 9 April 1983, p.2

Secondary sources
21 Information from owners of no.27 Charles Street, March 2020

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

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

Criteria for listing: historic interest

R. Age
S. Authenticity
X. Local Interest

Evaluation

Red brick and roughcast-finished suburban house in a restrained Edwardian Freestyle, one of a matching semi-detached pair of 1908 by architect James Scott of Belfast. This house and its neighbour (HB04/15/022) are both well-preserved, (and in this area relatively scarce), examples of their type, retaining their original form and much of their original external detailing and setting, the latter complimented by the nearby contemporary listed school building, which is executed in a similarly Free manner. This particular property has added local importance, having served as a manse for during the later 20th century.