43 MAIN STREET

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

Two-and-a-half storey three-bay painted rendered house, located on the west side of Main Street in Bushmills, constructed c. 1835 to designs by unknown architect. Located on the north side of Bushmills village centre, just north of Market Square, with the River Bush to the west. Rectangular plan-form with a modern unpainted rendered extension to the rear c. 2004 and a separate outbuilding to the SW end of the site.
Painted rendered walling; pitched natural slate roof with black clay ridge tiles, concrete coping stone to NW side to front and rear skews and a single stone chimney-stack on NW side with octagonal buff clay pots; half-round painted cast-aluminium guttering on out-and-up brackets discharging to painted cast-aluminium circular downpipes to front elevation.
Principal elevation faces North-east accessed via a paved footpath from Main Street; three-bays wide on ground and first floors with two wall dormers above aligned with outer bays; all windows are 1/1 timber sliding sashes on painted sills. Ground floor level contains a replacement painted timber four-panel door with a plain glazed transom light above, centred on elevation, and flanked by two window openings.
South-east elevation is adjoined to neighbouring property No. 45 Lower Main Street [HB05/08/061].
South-west (rear) elevation is abutted by an unpainted rendered lean-to extension with a manmade slate roof with a single roof light; main elevation (to the left and right side of lean-to extension) has a 1/1 timber sliding sash window on ground and first floor levels and a small timber casement at attic level. Two small conservation-type roof lights to the rear slope. A doorway provides a rear entrance on the NW elevation of the rendered extension, and similarly on the SE side. The SW elevation of the rear extension is blank.
The outbuilding is set back behind a secured high rendered wall; manmade slated pitched roof has a single roof light and a tall rendered chimneystack with two octagonal shaped buff clay pots; walling to the outbuilding is of textured unpainted rendered finish with uPVC rainwater goods throughout; there is a circular painted timber window at first floor level to the SW elevation, remaining windows not visible. North-west elevation is abutted to adjoining property [HB05/05/063A&B] on first floor level; ground floor level walling is painted rendered finish.

Setting:
Located on the north side of Bushmills village centre, just north of Market Square, with the River Bush to the west. South of Metal Row [HB05/08/070A-H].

Materials:
Roof: Slate
RWGs: Cast-aluminium (front) & uPVC (rear)
Walling: Painted render

Historical information

No. 43 Main Street, a two-and-a-half-storey three-bay late-Georgian dwelling located on the west side of Main Street in Bushmills, was constructed in c. 1835 as part of the reconstruction of the village in the early-19th century. The Bushmills Conservation Area Guide records that Bushmills was a significant settlement before the end of the 18th century but in the 1820s the village was extensively rebuilt by the MacNaghten family of Bushmills House (who had acquired the estate in 1787). The building was depicted on the first edition Ordnance Survey map (1832) and Townland Valuation Town Plan (c. 1834). The contemporary Townland Valuation (1835) described No. 43 Main Street as an unfinished 1A class building (that is a new or nearly new slated building) that measured 24.6ft by 27.6ft and stood 19ft in height. The house was initially occupied by a Mr. William McDuffy and was valued at £4 and 11 shillings.

There was little change to the layout of No. 43 Main Street by the mid-19th century and the second edition Ordnance Survey map (1855). The contemporary Griffith’s Valuation (1859) noted that the house was increased in value to £8 and was leased by the MacNaghten family to John Hall, a local building contractor. The Annual Revisions notes that Hall resided at No. 43 Main Street until c. 1875 when the house was occupied by Thomas Halliday whose family remained at the address until c. 1909. The Census of Ireland records that Halliday was a retired Royal Irish Constabulary Officer in 1901. In that year the census building return described the house as a 2nd class dwelling that consisted of nine inhabited rooms and possessed a turf house as its sole out office. The contemporary Ordnance Survey Town Plan (1902) depicted the house along its current layout and recorded a small square-shaped outbuilding to rear. A photograph of Main Street, dating from the turn of the 20th century, shows that No. 43 Main Street did not possess its two current dormer windows at that time; these were added in the late-20th century. The Halliday family continued to inhabit No. 43 Main Street until c. 1909 when Charles Forbes, a local Petty Sessions Clerk, purchased the property outright from the MacNaghten estate. Under the First General Revaluation of Property in Northern Ireland (1936-57) the value of the house was increased to £13. The Forbes family remained at No. 43 Main Street until at least the end of the Second General Revaluation (1956-72) at which time the total rateable value had been further raised to £21.

In 1972 the UAHS Guide for North Antrim described the buildings along Main Street in Bushmills in the following general terms: ‘A well-scaled street. Many good doorways and shopfronts remain, although there is the usual profusion of signs. While no building apart from the former Courthouse is worthy of individual mention, the unity of the street frontages must be maintained’ (UAHS Guide, p. 16). No. 43 Main Street was listed in 1980 and was subsequently included in the Bushmills Conservation Area. The conservation area was designated in 1992 in order to preserve the built heritage of the village which possesses the highest number of listed buildings in the North East of Northern Ireland.
The NIEA HB Records note that No. 43 Main Street underwent an extensive renovation in c. 1992 which included the restoration of its roof and the installation of new windows and entrance doors. The current wall dormer windows were also a later addition to the house added around the late-20th century. In c. 2004 a fire caused severe damage to the building and resulted in the loss of all original features. No. 43 Main Street was subsequently restored and converted into two self-contained apartments (Bushmills Conservation Area Guide; NIEA HB Records).

References

Primary Sources
1. PRONI OS/6/1/3/1 – First Edition Ordnance Survey Map (1832)
2. PRONI OS/6/1/3/2 – Second Edition Ordnance Survey Map (1855)
3. PRONI OS/6/1/3/3 – Third Edition Ordnance Survey Map (1904)
4. PRONI OS/6/1/3/4 – Fourth Edition Ordnance Survey Map (1921)
5. PRONI VAL/1D/1/7 – Townland Valuation Town Plan (c. 1834)
6. PRONI VAL/1/B/132 – Townland Valuations (1835)
7. PRONI VAL/2/B/1/25A – Griffith’s Valuation (1859)
8. PRONI VAL/12/B/30/8A-D – Annual Revisions (1859-94)
9. PRONI VAL/12/B/4/6A-C – Annual Revisions (1895-1929)
10. PRONI VAL/3/C/1/13 – First General Revaluation of Property in Northern Ireland (1936-57)
11. PRONI VAL/4/B/1/22 – Second General Revaluation of Property in Northern Ireland (1956-72)
12. Ulster Town Directories (1861-1918)
13. Census of Ireland (1901; 1911)
14. First Survey Record – HB05/08/062
15. NIEA HB Record – HB05/08/062

Secondary Sources
1. ‘Bushmills Conservation Area Guide’ Belfast: Department of the Environment (N. I.), 1983 – including the Ordnance Survey Town Plan of 1902.
2. Girvan, W. D., ‘Historic buildings, groups of buildings, areas of architectural importance in North Antrim’ Belfast: Ulster Architectural Heritage Society, 1972.

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

A. Style
B. Proportion
C. Ornamentation
H-. Alterations detracting from building
H+. Alterations enhancing the building

Criteria for listing: historic interest

R. Age
S. Authenticity
T. Historic Importance
X. Local Interest

Evaluation

Two-and-a-half storey, three-bay, painted rendered house, located on the north side of Bushmills village centre, on the west side of Main Street with the Bush River located to the west. Built c. 1835 as part of the reconstruction of the village of Bushmills in the early-19th century. Much of the original historic fabric and detailing has been replaced or altered through the years due to renovation work and a fire in 2004, which caused severe damage. Despite this, the building has been restored in a sensitive fashion and retains the original simple domestic proportions and historic character within its village setting. The addition of Edwardian-style barge boards to the dormer windows has enhanced the historic character of the building.