47, 47A, 47B and 47C Castle Street

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

Two-storey terrace block containing three apartments and a shop, built as a house perhaps c.1740s, with window openings possibly enlarged in the 1850s, and now with modern shop front and large modern extensions to the rear. The building is set on the south side of Castle Street, to the west of Ballycastle town centre.

The front elevation faces N, and was undoubtedly originally symmetrical, however the symmetry has been upset by the insertion of the shop front. To the centre of the ground floor is the main entrance, (which is now believed to be used as an access to the apartments), which consists of a panelled timber door with plain timber jambs and plain rectangular fanlight. There are three splayed stone steps to the entrance.

Some distance to the left of the entrance is a flat-arch window with horned timber sash frame with plate glazing. To the right of the entrance is a (somewhat crudely fashioned) modern shop front, with painted signboard over. To the first floor there are three relatively large, evenly-spaced windows with horned timber sash frames with Georgian panes (eight over eight). Between the second and third windows there is a projecting street lamp. The front façade is finished in painted lined render with moulded ‘in-out’ quoins.

The rear elevation has a complex, appearance. To the right hand side of the rear elevation there is a large modern-looking return which is two-storey to the N, receding to single-storey to the S. Attached to the N face of the return, and the rear façade of the main section of the building, there is a large modern metal fire escape stair.

There is a single window to the W face of the single-storey section of the return, with a smaller window to the S face, both have modern timber frames (as do all of the windows to the rear). To the ground floor of the W face of the two-storey section of the return there is a timber sheeted door with a window to its immediate left. To the first floor there is a doorway (with similar door) to left, and a relatively small high level window to the right. To the S face of the two-storey section of the return, (which is only exposed at first floor level), there is a single window.

To the ground floor of the rear (S-facing) façade of the main section of the building there is a doorway to left, with a mainly glazed timber door, and a small window to right. To the first floor there is a window to left, then a doorway (with timber sheeted door), with a semicircular-headed window to right. The latter window may be the only remaining original opening to the rear. There is a second floor level, which has been created by raising the roof level to this side of the building. To this level there are two windows to the left, a roughly central doorway (with partly glazed timber door), and a large window to the right. The entire rear elevation (return included) is finished in dry dash. There are several satellite dishes to the rear.

The gabled roof of the main section of the building is covered in fibre cement ‘slate’, and has a Velux window to the front. There are two rendered chimneystacks to each end of the ridge. Both sections of the return have single-pitched (lean-to like) roofs, also covered in fibre cement ‘slate’. Cast-iron and uPVC rainwater goods.

To the rear of the building there is a (brick) paved yard, with a large two-storey gabled outbuilding to the S side, now converted to a shop and an apartment

Historical information

A house of similar dimensions to the main section of the present building, (37ft x 27½ x 20, with cellar of 14 x 17 x 5½), is recorded on this site in the first valuation of January 1835.* As later documentation only refers to 'repairs' to the building, and not demolition or any major structural changes, (outside of the return), we can confidently assume that the property of 1835 is substantially that we see today. As regards a date of construction, the 1835 valuers regarded the house as ‘old’ at that date, (grade ‘1C+’), so it is likely to have been 18th century, possibly, like much of Castle Street, dating from Hugh Boyd’s development of the town in the 1740s.

The occupant in 1835 is noted as one William Hill. An ironmonger of the same name is noted as living in Castle Street, (then known as ‘Main Street’), in Pigot’s Directory of 1824. If this is the same person then it is likely that he carried out his trade from the large ‘range of offices’ noted by the valuers, measuring 54 x 19 x 9½. The house also had a large return at this point, of 11½ x 19 x 20.

When the second valuation was carried out in November 1859, the lease (and tenancy) had passed to a William McAleese. The house is described by the valuer as containing ‘eight rooms and two in [the] return’, and that the building was ‘undergoing repairs’ at that point, which, he asserts will result in a ‘very good house’. The extent of these ‘repairs’ is uncertain, however, it is possible that the front windows were slightly enlarged at this time, as they appear somewhat generous for a dwelling of the 1740s.

McAleese added ‘new offices’ to the rear of the building in or just before 1862, and the property was occupied by his family until 1884, when Susan McAleese [probably William’s widow] rented it to the police for use as a barrack. The police remained there until 1893, when a William D. Black became the tenant. Black’s family left the house in 1903, after which a Jane Ewing became the leasholder, living in the house herself until sometime between 1930 and 1936, when the lease was acquired by, (or passed to), a William J. Scally. During the next forty years or so the property witnessed a high turnover of residents including, William McLaughlin (1936-41), the local YMCA (1943-46), Joseph P. Dougherty (1946-48), Alexander Stewart (1948-?), Pierce Dempsey (?c.1952-56), Phyllis Boyd (1957-64), John J. Butler (1965-70) and Archibald Currie (1970-72+).

When surveyed in October 1972 as part of the First Survey of Historic Buildings, the window to the right hand side of the entrance had been enlarged, with part of the ground floor coverted to a shop (then selling antiques). The extensive alterations to the rear, (i.e. the conversion of most of the building into three apartments), appear to have been carried out c.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
28 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

Other
references
1 EHS HB05/15/010 First Survey report (10 October 1972)
2 EHS HB05/15/010 Photograph (?1972)

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

Not listed

Criteria for listing: historic interest

Not listed

Evaluation

Two-storey block containing three apartments and a shop, built as a house perhaps c.1740s, with window openings possibly enlarged in the 1850s, and now with modern shop front and large modern extensions to the rear. Like many of Castle Street’s 18th century buildings, this former house has had its architectural character adversely affected by 20th century alterations.