49 Castle Street

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

Substantial, plain, three-storey terrace house, built 1748. The property is set on the south side of Castle Street, to the west of Ballycastle town centre.

The asymmetrical front elevation faces N. To the right on the ground floor is the main entrance which consists of a panelled timber door and a plain rectangular fanlight. To the left is a large picture window with modern plate glass glazing. A recess directly underneath this window suggests it was once a shop front. To the first floor there are three evenly-spaced uniform windows with uPVC frames. There are three similar, but shorter, windows to the second floor. The front façade is finished in painted plain render.

To the left hand side of the rear elevation there is a long single-storey extension which appears to have been built in two sections, as that to the N end is slightly broader and has a flat roof, whilst the narrower section to the S has a (single) pitch roof. To the E face of the S section of the return there are two windows with timber sash frames (two panes over two with patterned glazing). Between the windows there is an armorial moulded stone panel with an inscription which reads ‘This house was built by John Boyd Surgeon 1748’. To the W face of the N face of the return there is a doorway with timber sheeted door. To either side of the doorway there is a window, as previous but with clear glazing.

On the rear façade of the main building there is a large window, with modern timber frame, to ground floor level (the ground floor level is considerably higher than the actual ground level to this side of the building). The first and the second floors each have a similar window to the right hand side. To left on the first floor there is a much smaller window with a two-pane timber frame, with a taller (‘Georgian’ proportioned) window to left on the second floor, with horned timber sash frame and plate glass glazing. Set at an intermediate (probably half-landing) level between the first and the second floors is a window set at an angle within an recess right at the left hand edge of the façade. This window has a horned timber sash frame, with four panes over four. The whole of the rear elevation (return and all) is covered in dry dash.

The gabled roof of the main section of the building is covered in artificial tiles. There is large rendered ridge chimneystack to the E end of this roof, and a small skylight to the rear. The flat roof of the N section of the return appears to be covered in felt, and has a very tall rendered chimneystack (which is also attached to the wall of the return of the neighbouring property to the W. The single-pitched roof of the S section of the return is slated. Cast-iron rainwater goods.

Attached to the S end of the return is a single-storey shed with corrugated-iron walls and (gabled) roof. To the S of this (and set at a right angle to it, there is a much older two storey gabled outbuilding, with roughcast covered walls, a carriage archway and a gabled roof covered in corrugated asbestos.

Historical information

The plaque on the return to the rear, (which, according to the owner was originally on the main rear façade), states that this house was built ‘by built by John Boyd Surgeon 1748’.* Judging from some of the internal detailing, (notably the staircase), the fact that much of Castle Street appears to have been built in the 1740s, and by the evidence of later valuations -the valuers of 1835 believed the building to be relatively old at that date- this plaque would appear to be accurate.

The house was occupied by a later Dr Boyd, (probably the John Boyd as a ‘surgeon and apothecary’ in Castle Street in Pigot’s 1824 ‘Directory’, and as such a likely a descendant of the John Boyd of 1748), when surveyed fro valuation purposes in 1835.** The valuers record the property as a 'dwelling and shop’ measuring 24ft x 27 x 24 ½, with an ‘addition’ of 15 x 12 x 6, ‘stables and byre’ of 20½ x 22½ x 12, and a ‘store’ of 14 x 13½ x 9.

By 1859, when the second valuation survey was carried out, the house was being leased from the Boyd estate by a John McConaghy, probably the ‘J. McConaghy’ listed as a grocer in Slaters 1856 ‘Directory’. By this stage two additional single-storey outbuildings had appeared to the rear, (probably to the south of the present two-storey outbuilding), and the house described as containing a ‘shop and room and kitchen off, two over and two above with garrets’, all ‘in tolerably good internal repair’.

In 1867 the lease was acquired by a Margaret Ewing, (noted as a grocer and draper by Bassett in 1888), who was succeeded by a Jane Ewing in 1901. After 1903, Jane Ewing let the property, firstly to a Margaret Camac (1903-05), then John Graham (1905-06) and afterwards a William Curry. William Curry, whose family remained there until 1940, when it was acquired by the present owner’s father.

*C.E.B., writing in 1971, (see secondary sources below), notes what appears to have been an identically worded inscription to the neighbouring property to the east (No.51), suggesting, it would seem, that both properties were built by Boyd. However no such second inscription exists today, suggesting that it was either removed at some point after this date . The owner of No.49 states that the plaque in question was originally on the rear façade of the main section of his house, but was moved to the return when work was carried out to the rear some years ago.

[**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

Substantial, plain, three-storey terrace house, built 1748, which has been devalued somewhat in recent years with inclusion of modern window frames, and other detailing.