14 Ann Street

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

Relatively large and well preserved two storey terrace shop and house, with extensive but simple later Victorian shop front and large carriage archway, of pre 1834 construction and used as the local constabulary barrack during the mid 19th century. The building is set on the NW side of Ann Street, within Ballcastle town centre.

A 3 bay wide 2½ storey building with shopfront and gateway. Front left : segmental arch gateway, shopfront comprising central shop door with fanlight, display window on each side, divided into 6 panes each, over a name fascia with painted lettering and cornice. Each element framed with narrow pilasters. Beyond door to 1st floor with fanlight. At 1st floor 3 no. double hung sliding sash 2 pane windows, one centred over gateway and a single storey height tripartite window each light double hung sliding sash 2 pane. ½ round metal gutter, single downpipe. Natural slated roof with single 2 pane traditional cast iron rooflight. Wall smooth rendered, painted, painted plinth.

To the rear there is a 2 storey 3 bay back return with double pitched roof and modern windows except one which is double hung sliding sash 2 pane. There is a further shallow 2 storey back return in the angle created by former with lean-to slated roof. Windows are double hung sliding sash 2 pane. The yard is enclosed by a wall separating it from passage from gateway.

No. 14 maintains the building line of the terrace and generally retains its 19th century character front and rear.

Historical information

The first valuation of December 1834* records an relatively old (grade ‘1B+’) house of similar dimensions to the present on this site, then occupied by a Rev William Stewart [?a Presbyterian minister]. As the later valuations do not record any major changes to the property (apart from the shop front) we can assume that the 1834 house is that we see today. The building is (or was) probably one of the 127 two storey houses mentioned in the OS Memoirs of 1835 and judging from the valuers comments, may have been built c.1800 or slightly earlier.

By 1859 the property had become the local constabulary barrack and contained ‘3 rooms below, 5 over and garrets [with] 2 in return. It remained a barrack until 1878 when a Michael McCaughan is recorded as resident. The building remained in McCaughan family hands until sometime around 1932 when an Albert Smyth-McVicker is recorded as the occupant (remaining there until at least 1957).

According to the present owner the large window to the right hand side of the first floor was inserted at some point by a tailor to make best use of the available light.

[*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.]

References- Primary sources
1 ‘Pigot & Co’s City of Dublin and Hibernian Commercial Directory (Manchester 1824)
2 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
3 PRONI VAL/1B/135 First valuation, Ramoan parish, 1834
4 Samuel Lewis, ‘Topographical history of Ireland’ (London, 1837)
5 ‘Slater’s National Commercial Directory of Ireland (Manchester, 1846)
6 ‘Slater’s National Commercial Directory of Ireland (Manchester, 1856)
7 PRONI VAL/2B/1/28c Second valuation, Ramoan parish, 1859
8 PRONI VAL/12B/2/3a-g Annual valuation revision books, Ballycastle ED, 1864-1921
9 ‘Slater’s Royal National Commercial Directory of Ireland (Manchester, 1870)
10 PRONI VAL/12E/8/1/1-3 Valuation plan of Ballycastle, 1898-c.1935
11 PRONI VAL/12E/8/2/1 Valuation plan of Ballycastle, c.1905
12 PRONI VAL/12B/2/5a-c Annual valuation revision books, Ballycastle UD, 1921-31
13 PRONI VAL/3G/6/1/1-3 Valuation plan of Ballycastle, 1934-50
14 PRONI VAL/3B/1/5 First general revaluation of Northern Ireland, Ballycastle UD, 1935
15 PRONI VAL/3C/1/6 First general revaluation of Northern Ireland, 1936-57

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

A. Style
B. Proportion
C. Ornamentation
D. Plan Form
I. Quality and survival of Interior
K. Group value

Criteria for listing: historic interest

X. Local Interest

Evaluation

Relatively large and well preserved two storey terrace shop and house, with simple later Victorian shop front and large carriage archway, of pre 1834 construction and used as the local constabulary barrack during the mid 19th century.