ST. MARY'S CLUB

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

End of terrace three-bay two-storey rendered former school, built c.1864 and extended 1950 in the same style by a further three bays. Rectangular on plan facing southeast with series of retail units to the ground floor and lean-to extension to the rear. Terminating a terrace of buildings lining the northwest side of Mill Street. Extensively refurbished c.1992 when the rear lean-to was also added.

Pitched natural slate roof with clay ridge tiles and rendered chimneystacks to either end. Cast-iron guttering on drive-through iron brackets to projecting eaves course and cast-iron downpipes. Painted ruled-and-lined rendered walling with platband at first floor sill level, painted plinth course and rusticated quoins to either end painted in contrasting colour. Round-headed window openings with painted masonry sills, stucco architrave surrounds with raised keystones and replacement single-pane sliding timber sash windows with ogee horns and exposed sash boxes.

Six-bay two-storey front elevation with symmetrically-placed round-headed door openings having quoined stucco surrounds, replacement timber panelled doors and overlights. To the right of each door opening is a segmental-headed arched opening with timber-framed glazed shopfronts having glazed timber panelled doors (c.1995). Above the entrance door to the right is a sunken red sandstone plaque with inscribed lettering stating; 'CUSHENDALL / NATIONAL / SCHOOLS'.

Blind gabled southwest side elevation with chimney to the apex and large painted panel stating; 'THE OLD SCHOOL HOUSE'.

Six-bay two-storey rear elevation with single-storey lean-to extension to the left. Square-headed window and door openings with single-pane sliding timber sash windows to the right, fixed-pane square windows to remainder (above lean to) and flush timber doors.

Northeast side elevation abutted by adjoining building No.23 (HB05/02/008).

Setting:
Terminating a continuous terrace of buildings lining the northwest side of Mill Street, within the Cushendall Conservation Area. Adjacent to the southwest gable is a vehicular entrance with replacement steel gate hung on large square rendered pier. This entrance provides access to bitmac paved rear yard enclosed by some early rubblestone wall and a single-storey duo-pitched structure, hipped to east elevation with natural slate roof, modern rooflights and windows and smooth rendered walls, painted.

Materials
Roof Natural slate
RWG Cast-iron
Walling Painted ruled-and-lined render
Windows Replacement timber sliding sash with exposed box frames; timber framed fixed lights above rear lean-to

Historical information

No. 25 Mill Street, a two-storey six-bay building, currently utilised as Cushendall’s tourist office and headquarters of the Glens of Antrim Historical Society, was originally constructed in c. 1864 as a national schoolhouse. The majority of the two and three-storey buildings located along the north west side of Mill Street were erected in the first half of the 19th century by the landowning Turnly family. Cushendall’s proprietor Francis Turnly had travelled to China in 1796 where he raised a fortune of around £75,000. In 1801 Turnly used this money to purchase the estate of Newtownglens from the Richardson family at a cost of £24,000; Turnly subsequently renamed the settlement Cushendall. Brett states that Turnly was an eccentric character who ‘effected extraordinary improvements in buildings and roads on his property.’ Cushendall consisted of little more than a number of insignificant cabins, a mill and a bridge at the time of the purchase however, due to an increase in the number of tourists travelling through the area (on the way to the Giant’s Causeway) the village was developed into a coastal resort with the erection of hotels (such as the Glens of Antrim on Shore Street) and numerous commercial properties (Dallat, p. 45; Brett, Buildings of Co. Antrim, p. 288; Cushendall Conservation Area Guide).

The second edition Ordnance Survey map (1857) and Griffith’s Valuation (1859) record that a national schoolhouse had stood on south side of Mill Street in the mid-19th century, however this was replaced by a dwelling in c. 1864. The Annual Revisions noted that No. 25 Mill Street was constructed in that same year as the new schoolhouse with the total value of the building set at £10 and 10 shillings (exempt from taxation). A late-19th or early-20th century photograph of Mill Street shows that the national schoolhouse originally accommodated only the easternmost three-bays of the current building. The western half of the building was originally a three-storey three-bay structure (that did not possess round-headed windows but simple Georgian-style glazing) that was significantly altered (or rebuilt) in the mid-20th century to resemble the façade of the schoolhouse. The national schoolhouse on Mill Street was administered under the National School System from its construction in the 1860s until the 1920s. Throughout this period the schoolhouse was closely associated with the St. Mary’s Roman Catholic Church (HB05/02/010) and predominantly educated local children of the catholic denomination; the national schoolhouse on High Street (HB05/02/031) was frequented by the protestant children of the area.

There was little change to the schoolhouse throughout this period until the partition of Ireland in 1922 when administration of the school reverted to the Trustees of St. Mary’s Roman Catholic Church. The value of the schoolhouse was increased to £20 under the First General Revaluation of Property in Northern Ireland (1936-57) but in 1950 the building underwent a major alteration. In that year the school was extended to the west with the conversion (or reconstruction) of the adjoining three-storey three-bay building. The new extension, which possessed two storeys and three-bays of round-headed windows, was designed along the same plan as the earlier school. The conversion of the school, which became known as Cushendall Primary School, resulted in an increase in the value of the site to £40. The school continued to operate from No. 25 Mill Street until 1965 when the building was converted into a factory and storehouse for the Glens of Antrim Tweed Co. Ltd. By the end of the Second General Revaluation (1956-72) the total rateable value of the building stood at £60.

No. 25 Mill Street continued to be owned by the trustees of St. Mary’s Roman Catholic Church and, by at least 1972, the former factory had been converted into a Youth Club Hall for the church. In that year the UAHS Guide for the Glens of Antrim described the club hall as ‘a mid-Victorian six-bay two-storey block, with round-headed windows and doorcases, recently well painted.’ In addition the guide described Mill Street in the following general terms: ‘An outstandingly good street by Ulster standards; there is almost nothing to jar the eye … this street demands, and deserves, the most careful and sensitive consideration of any change of any kind’ (UAHS Guide, p. 34). The buildings along Mill Street were included in the Cushendall Conservation area in 1975, only the second conservation area in the province to have been designated at that time, ‘testimony itself to the special qualities of the village.’ In that year the village was also chosen as one of Northern Ireland’s four pilot schemes for conservation during the European Architectural Heritage Year. No. 25 Mill Street was subsequently listed in 1976.

The NIEA HB Records note that St. Mary’s Club Hall underwent an extensive refurbishment in c. 1992 which included the installation of the current shopfronts, the construction of an extension to rear and the conversion of the interior into office and shop premises (NIEA HB Records; Cushendall Conservation Area Guide).

References

Primary Sources
1. PRONI OS/6/1/20/2 – Second Edition Ordnance Survey Map (1857)
2. PRONI OS/6/1/20/3 – Third Edition Ordnance Survey Map (1903)
3. PRONI OS/6/1/20/4 – Fourth Edition Ordnance Survey Map (1921)
4. PRONI OS/8/84/1 – Ordnance Survey Town Plan (1903)
5. PRONI VAL/1/B/148 – Townland Valuations (1834)
6. PRONI VAL/12/B/1/40B – Griffith’s Valuation (1859)
7. PRONI VAL/12/B/2/7A-F – Annual Revisions (1864-1923)
8. PRONI VAL/12/B/2/12A– Annual Revisions (1923-29)
9. PRONI VAL/3/C/1/14 – First General Revaluation of Property in Northern Ireland (1936-57)
10. PRONI VAL/4/B/1/10 – Second General Revaluation of Property in Northern Ireland (1956-72)
11. Ulster Town Directories (1880-1918)
12. First Survey Record – HB05/02/009 (1971)
13. NIEA HB Record – HB05/02/009

Secondary Sources
1. Brett, C. E. B., ‘List of historic buildings, groups of buildings and areas of architectural importance in the Glens of Antrim’ Belfast: Ulster Architectural Heritage Society, 1972.
2. Brett, C. E. B., ‘Buildings of Co. Antrim’ Belfast: Ulster Architectural Heritage Society, 1996.
3. Dallat, C., ‘The road to the Glens’ Belfast: The Friar’s Bush Press, 1989.
4. ‘Cushendall Village Conservation Area’ Belfast: Department of the Environment, 1975.
5. ‘Cushendall Conservation Area’ Belfast: Department of the Environment, 1993.

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

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

Criteria for listing: historic interest

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

Evaluation

End of terrace two-storey former National School, built c.1864 as three-bay wide and extended 1950 in the same mid-Victorian style by a further three bays; the latter may have involved alterations to an earlier building. Terminating a uniform terrace of mainly domestic buildings on Mill Street, segmental arched shopfronts were inserted as part of refurbishment works in the 1990s. Of simple gabled form with ruled and lined rendered walls, stucco windows surrounds with raised keystones and rusticated quoins to gable ends, this building is well-proportioned and despite loss of internal historic detailing, it remains one of the most distinctive buildings within the Cushendall Conservation Area. Rubblestone walling to the rear yard adds to the quality of its setting and a square pillar that marks the entrance to the yard on Mill Street significantly enhances its character. Of social importance as a former school having strong associations with the nearby St Mary’s Church (HB05.02.010); it has group value with the latter. Although the old signage remains, the school was converted to a factory and then a youth club in the latter half of the 20th century. Currently serving several community groups, this continuation of social function increases its cultural significance in the wider village.