Site of 'Tilly Molloy's'

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

Site, on the southeast side of Main Street, of a former two-storey house with basement, built in two stages with the former section to the east dating from 1859-60, and that to the west from 1873, all demolished in 1996 with new larger structures now in place.

Photos of the building taken in 1995 show a gabled building with a somewhat ‘urban vernacular’ appearance. The eastern half of the property was shorter than that to west, with a basement level which was only exposed to the S (where the ground slopes down to the river). The façade was finished in dry dash with painted render surrounds to the openings, and the overhanging roof was slated and had polychrome brick chimneystacks. The windows were relatively uniform in size and had timber sash frames, although to ground floor windows to the front appear to have been enlarged at some point and had plate glass glazing. The entrance was to the right of centre of the ground floor of the N elevation and had a panelled and glazed timber door

Historical information

This site is shown undeveloped on the OS map of 1832, however the eastern section of the house which occupied it until recently, is recorded as under construction in the valuation of 1859. The first occupant of this house was a David Brangan. In 1873, Brangan added a ‘new addition’- the portion to the west.

In 1877 a Robert Gillan is recorded as resident, with a Mary Gillan following in 1896. In 1901, the property is noted by the valuers as a ‘licensed house’. It may have been at this point that some of the front windows were enlarged.

Some time between 1930 and 1956, [the valuations for these years are not available], the property was acquired, or passed to, a G.F. Molloy. From 1965 a Mathilda (‘Tilly’) Molloy is noted as the occupant.

During the mid 1900s the building, now remembered by locals simply as ‘Tilly Molloy’s’, is said to have served ‘as a focal point for village dances, social evenings, drama and also a cinema’. After it was vacated by Ms Molloy in the mid 1970s it fell into dereliction. It was acquired by a local voluntary community group in 1996 and demolished to make way for a new community ‘centrepiece complete with shops, café and for spacious apartments overlooking the River Bush’.

References- Primary sources
1 PRONI OS/6/1/13/1 OS map, Co Antrim, sheet 13 (1832)
2 PRONI VAL/1B/130 First valuation, Armoy parish [Cary Barony] (1834)
3 OS Memoirs, Parish of Armoy, (1832-38), reprinted in ‘Ordnance Survey memoirs of Ireland…’ ed Angelique Day, Patrick McWilliams and Noirin Dobson (Belfast, QUB, 1994), p.4
4 PRONI OS/6/1/13/2 OS map, Co Antrim, sheet 13 (1857)
5 PRONI VAL/2D/1/20d Valuation plan of Armoy (1859)
6 PRONI VAL/2B/1/23a Second valuation, Armoy parish [Cary Barony] (1859)
7 PRONI VAL/2B/1/23b Second valuation, Armoy parish [Cary Barony] (1859)
8 PRONI VAL/2B/1/37 Second valuation, Armoy parish [Upper Dunluce Barony] (1859)
9 PRONI VAL/12B/2/1a Annual valuation revision book, Armoy ED (1864-78)
10 PRONI VAL/12B/2/1b Annual valuation revision book, Armoy ED (1878-85)
11 PRONI VAL/12B/2/1c Annual valuation revision book, Armoy ED (1885-1900)
12 Bassett, George Henry, ‘The Book of County Antrim’ (Dublin, 1888), p.87
13 EHS (MBR) Photograph showing Armoy Presbyterian church, (c.1900)
14 PRONI VAL/12B/2/1d Annual valuation revision book, Armoy ED (1901-12)
15 PRONI VAL/12E/5/1/1 Valuation plan of Armoy (1906-35)
16 PRONI VAL/12B/2/1e Annual valuation revision book, Armoy ED (1912-29)
17 ‘Belfast and Province of Ulster Directory’ (Belfast, 1905)
18 PRONI VAL/3B/1/4 First general revaluation of Northern Ireland, Ballycastle RD (1935)
19 PRONI VAL/3G/3/1/1 Valuation plan of Armoy (1935-56
20 PRONI VAL/3C/1/4 First general revaluation of Northern Ireland [annual revisions], Ballycastle RD (1936-57) ) [This valuation book is currently closed ‘according to the criteria set out in the White Paper on Open Government’.]
21 PRONI VAL/4B/1/9 Second general revaluation of Northern Ireland [annual revisions], Ballycastle RD (1957-72)

Secondary sources
1 Information from website www.northantrim.com/armoy.htm (c.1998)
2 Information supplied by local residents (December 2004)

Other
references
1 EHS HB05/05/016 Photograph (Sept. 1995)

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

Not listed

Criteria for listing: historic interest

Not listed

Evaluation

Site, on the southeast side of Main Street, of a former two-storey house with basement, built in two stages with the former section to the east dating from 1859-60, and that to the west from 1873, all demolished in 1996 with new larger structures now in place.