'Noel's Pound Coiner'

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

Relatively large two-storey end of terrace shop, with large two-storey return, of pre-1835 construction, but much altered in recent years. The property is set on the south side of Castle Street, at the junction with Glentaisie Drive.

The front elevation is asymmetrical and faces N. The ground floor is mainly taken up with a large shopfront which consists of two large modern shop windows with the shop doorway, (with modern door and sidelight), to left. To far left is another doorway, which leads to an upper floor apartment. This doorway also has a modern (partly glazed) door. Evidence suggests that most -if not all- of the ground floor openings are recent, (post c.1972), creations. To the first floor there are three evenly-spaced uniform flat-arch windows, with modern timber frames. There is a traditional style projecting sign between the second and third windows (from left), as well as a large projecting street light.

The W elevation consists of the gable of the main portion of the building and the side of a long two-storey return. To the first floor of the gable there is a flat-arch window to the left and another roughly to the centre, both with modern timber frames. To the attic level there are two small widely-spaced windows also with modern timber frames. To the left hand side of the first floor of the return there is a window of similar size, (and with a similar frame), to those on the first floor of the gable.

The S gable is only exposed at attic level, where, to the left, there is a small window similar to those at this level on the W gable.

The rear elevation of the property could not be seen in its entirety. The left hand side of the elevation is taken up with the large two-storey return. Map evidence suggests there is another, lower, return to the right hand (E) side, but this could not be confirmed. To the first floor of the main section of the building three unevenly-spaced flat-arch windows and a doorway could be seen, with modern timber frames to the windows, and, to the doorway, a partly glazed modern timber door. The doorway is accessed by a modern metal ‘fire escape’ stair, which rises to roof level where there is another doorway, (with similar door), set within a gabled dormer-like projection. There is a date stone close to the eaves of the rear façade of the main section of the building, which appears to contain the date ‘1827’ with letters above ,of which only ‘W’ and ‘H’ could be discerned.

All portions of the façade that could be seem are finished in painted cement render, apart from the E gable, which is unpainted. There are painted ‘in-out’ ‘quoins’ to the front elevation. The gabled roof of the main section of the building is relatively steeply pitched and covered in asbestos tiles. To the N face of this roof there are three relatively large Velux windows, with another to the left hand side of the S face; there is also a rendered ridge chimneystack, set to the E centre. The roof of the ‘dormer’ to the S is covered in a modern artificial ‘slate. The two-storey return to the E appears to have a single-pitch roof covered in corrugated metal. PVC-u rainwater goods.

Historical information

The first valuation of January 1835* notes house on this site of similar dimensions to the main front portion of the present no.25 (39ft x 31½ x 19½), as well as an ‘addition in rere’ of 19 x 9 x 6½, and a ‘drying loft and bark mill’ of 39½ x 21 x 12. As the later valuations do not record any major structural changes to the main section of the property we can assume that much of the building of 1834 is that we see today.

The actual date of construction is uncertain. The valuers of 1834 grade the building ‘1B+’, which in their terminology refers to a structure in good condition of at least 20 years standing; however, on the rear of the building there is a date stone of 1827. The property’s two-storey form with a relatively high pitched roof, closely resembles others within Castle Street, many of which appear to date from c.1740-70, when the town, (and Castle Street in particular), assumed much of its present form under improving landlord Hugh Boyd. In this case the date ‘1827’ may simply refer to some improvement or extension. If the building had been newly constructed only seven years prior to 1834 surely the valuers would have known?

The inhabitants in 1834 are recorded as Archibald Black and Samuel Sharpe. The presence of a ‘bark mill’ tells us that part of the property was used as a tannery at that point, and indeed, Archibald Black is listed as a tanner in Slater’s ‘Directory’ of 1846. Reading back from this, we find a Samuel Hill listed as a tanner in Pigot’s ‘Directory’ of 1824; this is probably the same Samuel Hill (or a son / relation) mentioned in later valuations as the lessor of this property, and ties in with the presence of the letter ‘H’ (presumably for ‘Hill’) on the aforementioned date stone. It is unclear whether the tan yard of 1824 was on the same site as this, however.

The valuation of 1859 specifically refers to the tan yard and indicates that at this point the main section of the building included a carriage gateway, along with small single-storey return and the large drying loft (both mentioned in 1834), as well as another thatched single-storey outbuilding and 24 tan pits. The house contained ‘10 rooms and garrets’, but its ‘situation’ was ‘bad’.

Daniel Black had taken over the tenancy by 1859 and remained there until 1872 when a Patrick McKinley is recorded as the occupant and Adam Hill as the lessor. However the following year Daniel Black is noted as lessor, with the house occupied by lodgers. By 1876 a Robert Blair had taken over the lease, with a Gregory Morrison the occupier from 1879 to 1882, a Gabriel Kinney from 1882 to 1891 and then the Blair family themselves from this date until 1910, with Catherine and Mary Blair listed as the occupiers respectively after 1902. A ‘Mrs Blair’ is noted as running a boarding house in the town in the 1905 ‘Belfast and Province of Ulster Directory’. The property remained vacant until 1913 when a John Huey moved in. Etta Scally took up the lease in 1922, remaining there until 1953. William Smyth was occupant between 1953 and 1976, when the property was acquired by the present owner.

The building contained two shopfronts when surveyed in October 1972, one to far left and a larger one to the right, where the present large shop window is now situated. It is possible that the shopfront to the left occupied the position of the gateway mentioned in 1859, however the later valuation give little indication of the extent of any changes (or extensions) to the property, so it is difficult to confirm this. It is likely that the gateway disappeared sometime after 1951, when part of the terrace to the west was demolished to make way for Glentaisie Drive, thus allowing access to the yard from the newly exposed side of the building.

The present owner states that he ‘gutted’ the building in 1980, creating a larger single shop unit to the ground floor and two apartments to the upper levels.

[*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 which buildings the valuers are referring. The writer has circumvented this problem however by adopting the somewhat involving 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 Taylor, George, and Skinner, Andrew, ‘Taylor and Skinner’s Maps of the Roads of Ireland, surveyed 1777’ (Dublin, 1778), Map 20 etc.
2 Linen Hall Library, Belfast, ‘A Map of County Antrim…by J. Lendrick’ (1780)
3 ‘Pigot & Co’s City of Dublin and Hibernian Commercial Directory (Manchester 1824)
4 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
5 PRONI OS/6/1/8/1 OS map, Co Antrim, sheet 8 (1832)
6 PRONI VAL/1B/135 First valuation, Ramoan parish (1834)
7 Lewis, Samuel, ‘Topographical history of Ireland’ (London, 1837)
8 ‘Slater’s National Commercial Directory of Ireland (Manchester, 1846)
9 ‘Slater’s National Commercial Directory of Ireland (Manchester, 1856)
10 PRONI OS/6/1/8/2 OS map, Co Antrim, sheet 8 (1856)
11 PRONI VAL/2B/1/28c Second valuation, Ramoan parish (1859)
12 PRONI VAL/12B/2/3a Annual valuation revision book, Ballycastle ED (1862-64)
13 PRONI VAL/12B/2/3b Annual valuation revision book, Ballycastle ED (1865-76)
14 Slater’s Royal National Commercial Directory of Ireland (Manchester, 1870)
15 PRONI VAL/12B/2/3c Annual valuation revision book, Ballycastle ED (1876-84)
16 PRONI VAL/12B/2/3d Annual valuation revision book, Ballycastle ED (1884-93)
17 PRONI VAL/12B/2/3e Annual valuation revision book, Ballycastle ED (1892/3-98)
18 Bassett, George Henry, ‘The Book of County Antrim’ (Dublin, 1888), pp.92-102
19 PRONI VAL/12B/2/3f Annual valuation revision book, Ballycastle ED (1898-1907)
20 PRONI VAL/12E/8/1/1-3 Valuation plans of Ballycastle (1898-c.1935)
21 ‘Belfast and Province of Ulster Directory’ (Belfast, 1905)
22 PRONI VAL/12E/8/2/1 Valuation plan of Ballycastle, c.1905
23 PRONI VAL/12B/2/3g Annual valuation revision book, Ballycastle ED (1908-21)
24 PRONI VAL/12B/2/5a Annual valuation revision book, Ballycastle UD North and South Wards (1921-27)
25 PRONI VAL/12B/2/5b Annual valuation revision book, Ballycastle UD North Ward (1927-30)
26 PRONI VAL/12B/2/5c Annual valuation revision book, Ballycastle UD South Ward (1927-30)
27 PRONI VAL/3G/6/1/1-3 Valuation plan of Ballycastle, 1934-50
28 PRONI VAL/3B/1/5 First general revaluation of Northern Ireland, Ballycastle UD, 1935
29 PRONI VAL/3C/1/6 First general revaluation of Northern Ireland, 1936-57
30 PRONI VAL/4B/1/12 Second General Revaluation of Northern Ireland, Ballycastle UD (1956-72)

Secondary sources
1 Brett, C.E.B., ‘Historic Buildings…The Glens of Antrim’ (Belfast, 1971), p.48
1 Information supplied by the owner (September 2004)

Other
references
1 EHS HB05/15/003 First Survey report (12 October 1972)
2 EHS HB05/15/003 Photograph (?1972)

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

Not listed

Criteria for listing: historic interest

Not listed

Evaluation

Relatively large two-storey end of terrace shop, with large two-storey return, of pre-1835 construction, but much altered in recent years with the insertion of a large modern shop front, additions to the rear and major alterations to the interior.