'Earth Works'

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

Large three-storey terrace shop with apartment over, built as a house [?or houses] c.1740s. The property is set on the sloping south side of Castle Street, to the west of Ballycastle town centre.

The asymmetrical front elevation faces N. To the centre of the ground floor is the main entrance, which consists of a panelled and glazed timber door with plain rectangular fanlight over. The door is encased with relatively plain, moulded pilasters, which rise to an long shop signboard with cornice, which stretches over the shop window to the left and smaller (now disused) shop front to the right.

The shop window to the left consist of a large two pane picture window, encased with pilasters as the doorway. There is raised (copper) lettering to the shop signboard over. Between the shop window and the entrance there is a wall mounted post box. The shop front to the right of the entrance consists of a timber and glazed door with attached window. The window and the glazed panel to the door, are both covered with security screens. To the right of this shop front there is a segmental-headed carriage archway with timber double door.

To the first floor there are six uniform (and largely evenly-spaced) windows, with horned timber sash frames with plate glass glazing. To the second floor are six, similar but shorter, windows directly in line with those to the first floor. There is a traditional style projecting signboard between the first and second windows (from left) on the first floor. The façade is finished in painted plain render

The E-facing gable is exposed at second floor level. The gable is devoid of openings and is finished in plain unpainted cement render.

Due to the presence of an large, modern-looking, single-storey store extension to the rear, the rear façade of the main part of the building is difficult to observe in its entirety. To the left on the ground floor of this façade is the back end of the carriage archway. To the right of this is a recessed doorway with timber-sheeted door and small sidelight (with modern frame). This doorway looks like a recent insertion. To the first floor there is a window to far right, with another to its right, both with modern timber frames. Internal evidence indicates that there two others to the right again, also with modern timber frames. To the second floor there are four windows of differing size, all with frames as those to first floor front. The rear façade is finished in dry dash.

The large single-storey extension is roughly L-shaped and covers almost all of what was once a largely open yard. It too also difficult to observe in its entirety. It appears largely modern in appearance and seemingly devoid of openings save for a pedestrian doorway and two (relatively small) windows to the left side of the W face, and a vehicle doorway to the short N face. The walls are finished in unpainted cement render and the roof has a shallow pitch and is covered in corrugated-iron.

The gabled roof of the main section of the property has a relatively steep pitch and appears to be wholly slated. There is a large rendered ridge chimneystack to the E end. To the rear side of the roof a large central ‘dormer’ has been added, and some large Velux windows inserted. The ‘dormer’ has an ‘uneven’ gabled roof, and probably has a window to the W side (though this could not be seen). The rainwater goods are largely cast-iron, with a small section of PVCu to the rear.

Historical information

In the first valuation of January 1835*, a relatively old house of the same dimensions as the main section of the present is recorded (38½ft x 27 x 23, with cellar of 17 x 17 x 6½). As no major structural changes are recorded in subsequent sources, we can assume that the building of 1835, is the same we see today. As for a date of construction, the fact that it was of considerable age in 1835, indicates an 18th century structure. There are some similar (but smaller) mid 18th century buildings on the opposite side of Castle Street, and the neighbouring house to the west is of 1748**, so it is possible that this is of the same era, and was built as part of Hugh Boyd’s development of Ballycastle in the 1740s.

The size of the building suggests that may have originally been two separate houses, however, there is no (apparent) documentary evidence to support this; the internal layout does not support it either (although this has been altered).

The occupant in 1835 is noted as one James Woodside, who is listed as running a public house in Castle Street, (then known as ‘Main Street’), in Pigot’s 1824 ‘Directory’. It is highly likely that the pub was indeed located within this building, for it specifically referred to as ‘licensed’ in the second valuation of November 1859. By this stage the property was in the hands of one Anne O’Hara, with a Thomas Fisher the immediate lessor. The valuers note that it contained a shop [i.e. pub] and three rooms below, four over and five at the top’, but was ‘not in good internal repair’, adding, in a seemingly derogatory fashion, ‘but suits the business- publican’. The archway was being used as a ‘shed’ at the time of this valuation, and to the rear there were two outbuildings, one single-storey the other two-storey.

Between 1862 and 1876, Thomas Fisher himself lived in the building, renting it to a William Faris between 1876 and 1879, and an Edward McKinnon, from 1879 to 1882, before returning as resident himself between 1882 and 1885. The next occupant was a James Magill, who remained there until 1887, at which point part of the building is noted by the valuers as ‘dilapidated’. It is possible that some repair work was subsequently carried out, for the property is noted as vacant up until 1892. Denis McKinley is listed as the occupant between 1892 and 1897, followed by Archibald McKinley (1897-1915) and Patrick McKeague (1915-21). An entry in the valuers notebook dating from 1915, refers to the premises as ‘quite old [with the] second floor quite valueless’. If repairs were indeed carried out around 1890, they may not have been extensive.

In 1921-22 a Nellie Donegan is listed as resident, followed by a Lizzie Fisher [probably a relation of the abovementioned Thomas Fisher]. The appearance of female names as residents could suggest that it was in 1921 that the property ceased to serve as a public house and was converted to a post office, as the presence of a post box to the front elevation suggests; however the valuations say nothing of any change of use.

In the early 1930s a Charles McNamee became tenant, followed by a Catherine McNamee in 1941, Hugh Dempsey in 1948, Anne Dempsey in c.1956, and Patrick O’Kane in 1968.

When surveyed in October 1972 as part of the first survey of historic building, the property was in use as a café (the ‘Castle Café’).

[*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.]

**C.E.B., writing in 1971, (see secondary sources below), notes an inscription to the rear of this property which states that ‘the house was built by John Boyd, surgeon, in 1748’. However no such inscription exists today, suggesting that it was either removed at some point after this date.

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/12A/1/25 p.63 Valuers’ office notebook, Ballycastle Union (1915)
25 PRONI VAL/12B/2/5a Annual valuation revision book, Ballycastle UD North and South Wards (1921-27)
26 PRONI VAL/12B/2/5b Annual valuation revision book, Ballycastle UD North Ward (1927-30)
27 PRONI VAL/12B/2/5c Annual valuation revision book, Ballycastle UD South Ward (1927-30)
28 PRONI VAL/3G/6/1/1-3 Valuation plan of Ballycastle, 1934-50
29 PRONI VAL/3B/1/5 First general revaluation of Northern Ireland, Ballycastle UD, 1935
30 PRONI VAL/3C/1/6 First general revaluation of Northern Ireland, 1936-57
31 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 HB05/15/012 First Survey report (10 October 1972)
2 EHS HB05/15/012 Photograph (?1972)

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

A. Style
B. Proportion
C. Ornamentation
H-. Alterations detracting from building

Criteria for listing: historic interest

X. Local Interest

Evaluation

Large and impressive three-storey terrace shop with apartment over, built as a house c.1740s. Despite alterations this building retains its special architectural and historic interest with an impressive front elevation including a well detailed Victorian shopfront.