'Castle Pharmacy' and apartments

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

Two-storey terrace shop with apartments over, originally built as a house in the mid to later 1700s, but considerably altered in recent years with the addition of a large shop front an extremely large modern style extension to the rear. The property is set on the south side of Castle Street, to the west of Ballycastle town centre.

Much of the ground floor of the of (now) asymmetrical front elevation is taken up with a large, recently inserted shop front. This consists of a partly glazed timber door flanked by large plate glass picture windows, all encased with traditional style panelled pilasters with a signboard over with raised lettering, a projecting timber cornice and decorative end brackets. To the left of the shop front is an awkwardly positioned, recently inserted, (apartment) doorway with panelled door and plain rectangular fanlight. To the first floor there are three relatively large evenly-spaced flat-arch windows, with moulded surrounds and modern timber frames. There is a projecting signboard between the second and third windows. The front façade is finished in painted render with moulded ‘in-out’ quoins.

The rear elevation has been completely altered as the whole of the ground floor level is now entirely covered by a massive modern single-storey flat-roofed extension, (added in 1990), which now occupies almost all of what was formerly an open yard. The roof of the extension acts as a terrace for the upper floor apartments, which is reached via a modern metal staircase. The extension is finished in unpainted cement render.

To the first floor of the rear elevation there are two doorways to the left of centre, with modern timber and glazed doors. The doorway further to the right is set at a slightly higher level and is reached via a short flight of concrete steps. To far left is a square-ish flat-arch window with modern timber frame, with another similar window to far right. Above this the façade extends beyond the original eaves level into a what is in effect a full-width flat-roofed dormer. To the ‘dormer’ there are three larger picture windows, with modern timber frames.

The roof of the main section of the building is gabled and covered in artificial ‘slates’. To the front there are three Velux windows, two of which are relatively large. There is a large rendered chimneystack to the E end of the ridge. The rainwater goods are a mixture of cast-iron and PVCu.

Historical information

A building of the same dimensions as the main (original) section of the present structure is recorded as occupying this site in the valuation of January 1835*. The property is described as a ‘Dwelling and shop’ measuring 32 x 28 x 19½, with an ‘addition in rear’ of 14 ½ x 9 x 6½, a ‘cellar as store’ of 12 x 28 x 6. Within the yard there was a single-storey thatched ‘barn’, a single-storey slated stable and a two-storey slated ‘office and byre’. The valuers regarded the building as relatively old at that point, possibly late 18th century or earlier.

The occupant in 1835 is listed as one John McDuffee- written elsewhere as John ‘Duffy’. By 1859 Duffy had been succeeded by one Ann Laverty, (who is listed in Slater’s ‘Directories’ of 1846 and 1856 as a ‘haberdasher’), with a John Price the immediate lessor. Similar dimensions are recorded by the valuers at this stage, although some of the outbuildings would appear to have been either replaced or partly rebuilt. The main building is noted as containing a ‘shop and parlour [to] one side, kitchen and parlour in the other, four rooms over and two garrets’.

In 1878 Ann Laverty took on the lease herself and sublet the property to a David McCambridge. McCambridge remained there until 1881, when he was succeeded by a Sophia McCormick. In 1896 an Ann McCambridge took over the lease and the tenancy, and immediately added an extension to the rear of 9½ft x 8 x 18. Thomas Kane followed as tenant in 1922, with an Agnes Kane listed as occupant from 1925 to 1930. Some time between 1930 and 1935 (there is a gap in the series of valuations), the lease was acquired (or passed to) a Mary Agnes McCandless, who sublet the property to a William Ritchie from c.1935 to 1940, assuming the tenancy herself for a short period in the latter year. In 1941 a James McCandless in recorded as both leaseholder and resident, remaining there until at least 1972.

According to the present owner, (who acquired the building in 1998), the property has contained a pharmacy since the 1930s. He further stated that the upper floors were converted to apartments in 1980, and that the large rear extension was added in 1990.

[*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
38 PRONI VAL/3B/1/5 First general revaluation of Northern Ireland, Ballycastle UD, 1935
39 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.47
2 Information supplied by the owner (September 2004)

Other
references
1 EHS HB05/15/007 First Survey report (12 October 1972)
2 EHS HB05/15/007 Photograph (?1972)

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

Not listed

Criteria for listing: historic interest

Not listed

Evaluation

Two-storey shop with apartments over, originally built as a house in the mid to later 1700s. The building which has been substantially altered retains little of it's original character.