Royal Bar

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

Large three storey former hotel of probable mid 18th century construction with late 20th century pub front, large carriage archway and large rear return. The property –which may be one of the town’s oldest- is set on the NW corner of the Diamond, at centre of Ballycastle.

The asymmetrical front elevation faces roughly SE. Much of the ground floor level is covered by a large pub front which appears to have taken its present form c.1967-75, consisting of a large timber double door to left with modern style curved cornered sidelights and fanlight, with a large window to right with similar curved corners and modern timber frame. The openings are flanked by somewhat stylised moulded fluted pilasters, there is a cill course and tall base, and the whole ensemble is topped with a painted signboard with projecting cornice. To immediate left of the pub front is a large segmental-headed carriage archway with recessed timber (t & g) sheeted door.

To the first floor there are three roughly evenly spaced windows with plain sash frames and lugged and heeled moulded surrounds. To the second floor are three similar windows (whose surrounds touch the eaves). The front façade is finished in plain painted render with in-out quoins to upper floors. Moulded eaves course.

To the rear the site is currently occupied by a two storey return wich steps down beyond a parapet and gable chimney to a slightly lower level and by an assortment of single storey sheds and flat roofs to the boundary covering a dance floor below.
The return is rendered and most windows are casement though two sashes remain. Cast iron rainwater goods on brackets. Natural slate. The rear façade is cracked between windows.

The gabled roof of the is natural slated and abuts the roof of the property to SW at an angle. Large rendered chimney stack to either end. Parapet to NE end [?rendered]. Metal rw goods

Historical information

The first valuation of December 1834* records an old house in good order of similar dimensions to the present on this site, then occupied by a Matthew Fullerton. As the later valuations do not record any major changes to the property (excluding additions to the return) we can assume that the 1834 house is that we see today. The building is probably the inn under Matthew Fullerton’s management mentioned by Luke Connolly as ‘opposite the church’ in his description of the town in 1816 and also in Pigot & Co’s Directory of 1824 and may have been Ballycastle’s ‘1 inn’ recorded in the aforementioned OS Memoirs in September 1835, which afforded ‘but indifferent accommodation for travellers’.* Like many of the properties within Castle Street may date from c.1740-70, when the town assumed much of its present form under improving landlord Hugh Boyd. Its situation in what is the oldest part of the town, and its appearance -with widely spaced windows- suggests great age; it could well be one of Hugh Boyd’s earliest additions to the town.

Slater’s Directories suggest that the property was occupied by a William Boal in 1846 and a William Nelson in 1856 and was known as ‘Nelson’s Royal Hotel’ by the latter date. By 1859 the property was in the hands of messrs Thomas and James Knox, then a Neill McGugan from c.1865, James Laverty 1868, Catherine Laverty 1872, John McHenry 1873 and James McMichael 1885- in which year the valuers specifically refer to the building as a ‘hotel’. An advertisement in Bassett’s 1888 Directory specifically refers to the establishment as ‘The Royal Hotel’.

McMichael remained resident until 1924, when the freehold was sold to Daniel Delargy, with later residents Jane Spence (1947-51) Alex Hamilton (1951-53) and Joseph Laverty (1953-57+); the freehold appears to have been sold to Michael Scullion in 1953 also.

[*Note on primary sources- Though Ballycastle has its full compliment of valuation books dating back to 1834, the earliest extant valuation plan of the town (indeed the earliest large scale plan) is that dating from 1898. This means that though the first and second valuations (of 1834 and 1859 respectively) present the usual detailed accounts of properties throughout the town, bereft of their contemporary plans it is almost impossible to discover exactly to which buildings the valuers are referring. The writer has circumvented this problem however by adopting the somewhat involved method of reading the records backwards- i.e. taking the more recent (mid 20th century) valuations and tracing each building back from these, using the 1898 map as a marker along the way.]

[*The establishment now known as ‘The Antrim Arms’ at the east end of Castle Street appears to have been in business in 1816 and is probably the inn ‘at the centre of the town’ also mentioned by Luke Connolly. Though the OS Memoirs state that Ballycastle had only one inn in 1835 another entry mentions two- the other probably being what is now the Antrim Arms.]

References- Primary sources
1 W.S. Mason, ‘A statistical account or parochial survey of Ireland’, vol.II (Dublin, 1816)
2 ‘Pigot & Co’s City of Dublin and Hibernian Commercial Directory (Manchester 1824)
3 OS Memoirs, Parish of Ramoan, 1831-39, reprinted in ‘Ordnance Survey memoirs of Ireland…’ ed Angelique Day, Patrick McWilliams and Noirin Dobson (Belfast, QUB, 1994), p.92 etc
4 PRONI OS/6/1/8/1 OS map, Co Antrim, sh 8, 1832
5 PRONI VAL/1B/135 First valuation, Ramoan parish, 1834
6 Samuel Lewis, ‘Topographical history of Ireland’ (London, 1837)
7 ‘Slater’s National Commercial Directory of Ireland (Manchester, 1846)
8 ‘Slater’s National Commercial Directory of Ireland (Manchester, 1856)
9 PRONI OS/6/1/8/2 OS map, Co Antrim, sh 8, 1856
10 PRONI VAL/2B/1/28c Second valuation, Ramoan parish, 1859
11 PRONI VAL/12B/2/3a-g Annual valuation revision books, Ballycastle ED, 1864-1921
12 ‘Slater’s Royal National Commercial Directory of Ireland (Manchester, 1870)
13 PRONI VAL/12E/8/1/1-3 Valuation plan of Ballycastle, 1898-c.1935
14 PRONI VAL/12E/8/2/1 Valuation plan of Ballycastle, c.1905
15 PRONI VAL/12B/2/5a-c Annual valuation revision books, Ballycastle UD, 1921-31
16 PRONI VAL/3G/6/1/1-3 Valuation plan of Ballycastle, 1934-50
17 PRONI VAL/3B/1/5 First general revaluation of Northern Ireland, Ballycastle UD, 1935
18 PRONI VAL/3C/1/6 First general revaluation of Northern Ireland, 1936-57

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

Z. Rarity
X. Local Interest

Evaluation

Large, prominent, three storey former hotel (latterly a public house) of probable mid 18th century construction with late 20th century pub front, large carriage archway and large rear return. The setting and appearance of this building suggests it may be one of the oldest in Ballycastle, it has been substantially altered howerer both inside and out. It remains a property of some importance to the varied Georgian ambience of the town centre.

General comments

**Under consideration : awaiting additional information** 30th March 2004