31-33 Castle Street

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

Two-storey house with shop, originally two separate properties dating probably from c.1740 and c.1780 respectively, now with pebbledash render, an early 1900s shop front and a doorway and house window enlarged in the 1960s. The building is set on the S side of Castle Street, to the W of Ballycastle town centre.

The asymmetrical front elevation faces N. To the far right is the house entrance. This consists of a large flat-arch opening within which is a recessed c.1960s-70s glazed door and sidelight. To the immediate right of this is a large ‘picture’ window with modern uPVC frame. A modern plaster shop signboard stretches above this window and doorway.

To the left of the house window is the shop front, which consists a large window and adjacent doorway encased with simple timber pilasters with a timber signboard over with a moulded cornice and decorative end brackets. The shop window itself has a recent nine-pane timber frame, whilst the shop doorway has a modern glazed door. To far left is a segmental-arched carriage entrance with smooth render surround and moulded ‘keystone’.

To the first floor there are seven flat-ach windows of uniform size. The first group of three windows (from left) are evenly spaced among themselves, as are the four to the right. All the windows has a moulded surround with ‘keystone’, all of which was probably added in the early 1900s. The three windows to the left have hornless Georgian-paned frames (6/6), whilst the other four have horned sash frames with plate glass (i.e. 1/1).

The front elevation is finished in pebbledash with painted moulded ‘quoins’ and a painted smooth render base course. There is a recently added projecting street light to the far right (W) at first floor level.

Only small sections of the E and W gables are exposed. These are both finished in unpainted cement render an devoid of any openings.

To the left hand (W) side of the rear elevation there is a large two-storey return with a single-pitch roof which leans-to the return of the neighbouring property. Attached to the S end of this there is a large one and a half-storey outbuilding, which, to the S abuts the tall N wall, of another, now roofless and largely ruinous outbuilding. The present owner states that the return was added by his father in 1963, but evidence suggests it may merely have been heightened (hence the single-pitch roof) and modernised at this time. Roughly to the centre of the elevation there is a much smaller single-storey gabled return with a small gabled shed extension to its S end.

The large two-storey return has two large ‘picture’ windows to the ground floor of its E face, with modern timber frames. In between these is a doorway with modern timber and glazed door. To the first floor there is a large window similar to those on the ground floor. To right of these there is a smaller window with modern frame, and, in between these, a small window has been blocked up in breeze block. The return is finished in painted roughcast. The gabled outbuilding to the S end of the return has a tall open doorway to the far left of its E face. To the left of this is a normal height pedestrian doorway with timber sheeted door, then a small window with a two-pane timber frame, then another doorway (as before), then a larger window with a four-pane timber frame.

The smaller single-storey return a former window to the E face has been blocked (in an early to mid 19th-century looking brick). This return is mainly finished in unpainted cement render. The gabled shed extension to the S end of this return has a bevelled (SE) corner (to allow vehicles to pass) and a painted cement render finish. To the S face of the shed there is a doorway with relatively recent timber sheeted door (whose formerly glazed panel has been boarded over) and a window with a metal frame. There is a much smaller window to the E face, with a fixed timber frame.

On the rear façade of the main section of the building there is a large window, (with modern timber frame), to left on the first floor. To the centre-right (just above the smaller extension), there is a relatively small window which has been boarded up, whilst just to the right of this (but set at a slightly lower level), is a similar sized window with a hornless timber sash frame with plate glass. To the far right on the ground floor is the rear end of the carriage entrance. This façade is largely finished in an unpainted cement render.

The gabled roof of the main section of the building is slated and has a small skylight to the rear. There two rendered chimneystacks (to the gables. The covering of the roof of the larger return could not be seen, but the gabled roof of the smaller return is slated, that of the outbuilding slated to the E side (with some slates now missing), and covered in corrugated metal to the W. The gabled roof of the small shed extension is covered in corrugated asbestos. The rainwater goods are cast-iron to the front of the building, uPVC to the rear.

Historical information

When this building was visited to be valued on the 1st of January 1835* it was composed to two properties. That to the east, (still easily discerned today by the position of the shop front and the first floor windows), was occupied by a William Moore and measured 13½ft x 23½ x 14½, with ‘more over gateway’ measuring 7 ½ x 23 ½ x 6, ‘more to rear’ (i.e. the small return) 12 x 15½ x 7½, ‘stables etc.’ 38½ x 16 x 11 ½, ‘barn and stable’ 9½ x 26 x 12½, and a thatched forge of 23 x 26 x 8. A Matthew Moore, (listed as a ‘saddle and harness maker’ in Pigot’s 1824 ‘Directory’, and presumably a relative of William’s), lived in the western dwelling, the dimensions of which are listed as 24 ½ x 23 ½ x 19, with a byre to the rear of 11½ x 26 x 12½.

The eastern house was regarded by the 1835 valuers as older, (grade 1C+), with that to the west less so (grade 1B+). The surviving portion of the staircase belonging to the formerly separate eastern property appears to be mid 18th century, thus probably dating this part of the building to Hugh Boyd’s c.1740s development of Ballycastle. The age of the western half is more difficult to discern, as most of the original detailing was removed in the later 1900s, however the greater amount of fenestration to the first floor suggests it is indeed later than its neighbour, but how much later is debatable. The valuers’ use of the grade 1B+ denotes, in many cases, a building of perhaps around fifty years old, so it may date from c.1780.

Strangely, the dimensions quoted above appear to indicate that the properties were of differing heights at this stage, a situation echoed by the second valuation of 1859, which states that that to the east was two-storey, whilst its neighbour had two and a half storeys. As the later valuations record no major changes to the height of either house, we must assume that this particular ‘discrepancy’ has something to do with how the internal space was used, (and, consequently, how it was ‘valued’), rather than the actual external height of either property.

By 1859 William Moore, (listed, incidentally, as a saddle-maker in Slater’s 1856 ‘Directory’), was leasing both houses from the Boyd estate. By this stage a two-storey return of 5yrds x 5 and a two-storey outbuilding of 4yrds x 9 of had been added to the rear of the western property, whilst the thatched forge formerly belonging to its neighbour had been seemingly replaced by a single-storey slated ‘shed’ of 7yrds x 3. The western house is noted as containing a ‘shop and two small rooms, two over, garrets and a return, but no internal details concerning the other dwelling.

From at least 1864 to 1890, the western property was sublet by William Moore (or a relation of the same name) to an Anne Murphy, who was followed by a Robert Stewart (1891-99), and a Samuel McCormick from 1899 to 1913. That to the east was occupied by Moore himself up until 1890, sublet to a Stewart McBride from then until 1892, and by Moore again, (or possibly a relation), until 1898. The building remained vacant 1904, when it was sublet to a David Barr. Barr was succeeded by a Daniel Stewart in 1908, and between 1910 and 1915 the property alternated between a Daniel and a William Brown. In 1916 both houses are recorded as occupied by a William Jamison and valued as a single entity.

William Moore was succeeded as leaseholder in 1920 by the Trustees of Ballycastle Presbyterian Church, who in turn were succeeded by an Adam Todd in 1925. A small hand-drawn plan of the in the valuers’ office notebook shows the property at this time included most of the component parts we see today, although the small shed to the rear of the smaller return was not yet present, and there was an additional single-storey outbuilding to the SE corner of the yard.

The entire building continued to be valued as a single property until 1935 when it was split once again, with a Joseph Starrs occupying the eastern section, (which by that stage was numbered as 31 Castle Street). By 1940 Adam Todd was back as the tenant of both, but the following year the western section, (no.31), was sublet to a William Smyth, who acquired the lease of both in 1951, subletting no.31 to a Thomas O’Brien in 1951, and no.33 to a John Graham in 1955.

In 1963 the whole block was acquired by the present owners’ father, who remodelled the front ground floor openings and the interior of (the former) no.31. The owner states that his father also ‘rebuilt the return’, however, upon inspection it appears that he probably remodelled the existing return, raising the roof level in the process.

[*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
24 PRONI VAL/12B/2/3g Annual valuation revision book, Ballycastle ED (1908-21)
25 PRONI VAL/12B/2/5a Annual valuation revision book, Ballycastle UD North and South Wards (1921-27)
26 PRONI VAL/12A/1/25 p.16 Valuers’ office notebook, Ballycastle Union (c.1922)
27 PRONI VAL/12B/2/5b Annual valuation revision book, Ballycastle UD North Ward (1927-30)
28 PRONI VAL/12B/2/5c Annual valuation revision book, Ballycastle UD South Ward (1927-30)
29 PRONI VAL/3G/6/1/1-3 Valuation plan of Ballycastle, 1934-50
30 PRONI VAL/3B/1/5 First general revaluation of Northern Ireland, Ballycastle UD, 1935
31 PRONI VAL/3C/1/6 First general revaluation of Northern Ireland, 1936-57
32 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.47
2 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

A. Style
B. Proportion
C. Ornamentation
D. Plan Form
H-. Alterations detracting from building
I. Quality and survival of Interior

Criteria for listing: historic interest

X. Local Interest

Evaluation

Two-storey terrace house with shop, originally two separate properties dating probably from c.1740 and c.1780 respectively. The property has retained its 18th century proportions and its character has been developed with the inclusion of a late Victorian shopfront.