67-69 Castle Street

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

Two-storey shop / restaurant with apartment over, originally a pair of houses possibly dating from c.1840, but much ‘modernised’ in recent years. 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 left on the ground floor there is a large modern shop front, consisting of a recessed doorway (with mainly glazed double door), and another doorway (with similar single door), flanking a large plate glass picture window. To the right of the shop front is another similar sized window with modern mullioned and transomed timber frame. This window also belongs to the shop area. Above the ground floor openings is a recent timber signboard with raised lettering. To the first floor there are two widely spaced windows with modern timber frames. These windows appear to be 1950s-60s enlargements. Between the windows there is a recent projecting signboard. The front façade is finished in painted roughcast.

To the left (W) side of the rear elevation there is a large full-height return which stretches S and abuts a single to one and a half-storey outbuilding which spans the S end of the yard. To the right hand side there is a smaller full-height return, which abuts a single storey outbuilding, which in turn abuts the outbuilding spanning the S end of the yard. Set between the two returns there is a relatively small first floor projection.

To the E face of the larger return to W there is a very large window to the ground floor and other to the first floor, both with modern timber frames (as do all windows to the rear). To the first floor projection between the returns there is a single window, with another window set within the ground floor recess underneath this projection. To the W face of the smaller return there is a doorway, modern partly glazed door, to the ground floor. To the S face there is a large window to each floor. The returns, the projection and the outbuildings are all finished in painted render.

The gabled roof of the main (original) section of the building is covered in artificial ‘slate’. The roofs of the returns and the projection could not be seen. The rainwater goods appear to be largely PVCu.

Historical information

An old two-storey thatched house, occupied by ‘John McMichael and Son’ and measuring 33ft x 23½ x 14½, is recorded on this site in the valuation of January 1835*. In the valuation of 1859, however, two seemingly ‘newer’ slated houses are noted, suggesting that the house of 1835 was either demolished or thoroughly renovated and re-roofed. It is difficult to be certain of what actually happened to the original dwelling, however in provincial towns such as Ballycastle the tendency to re-use and adapt existing structures was more common in this period than outright demolition, so it is possible that the present structure contains the fabric of the pre 1830s building.

In 1859 the leases of both houses were held by a Hugh McMichael, who lived in the larger dwelling to the east side, (measuring 7yrds x 8). This house, whose ‘internal repair’ is referred to by the valuers as ‘bad’, contained a ‘shop and kitchen [with] three small rooms over’. The smaller house to the west was rented by a John Black, and had a relatively large two-storey ‘bake house’ outbuilding to the rear.

During the next few decades the house to the east, (later No.69), went through a long line of tenants, with Hugh McMichael subletting the ground floor to a John Coughan in 1864, and a Charles McCoughlan occupying the whole house by 1866, followed by Henry Butler (1871-77), Francis McNeill (1877-78), Margaret McNeill (1878), Daniel Mooney (1878-95), Patrick Mooney (c.1901-22), and Anthony McKinley (1922-23).

The house to the west meanwhile was occupied by the above mentioned leaseholder Hugh McMichael from 1866 to 1888 after which both it and the lease of its neighbour passed to a James McMichael (presumably a relative). James stayed on until 1923, when the lease of both houses was taken up by William Johnstone. Johnstone himself took up residence in No.69, whilst No.67 was rented out to an Elizabeth O’Connor (1923-29), Walter Biggart (1930), and Cassie Delargy (1931-c.33). From c.1933 to 1946 No.67 is listed as vacant, with a James Johnstone noted as the tenant from 1946 to c.1956. By 1959 both properties are noted as in the hands of the representatives of William Johnstone, with a Joseph Douthart holding both in 1965. The following year both houses / shops are treated as one property by the valuers, with an A. McKinley noted as the resident from 1968 until at least 1972.

The front façade is recorded as having ‘modern windows and shop front’ in the (EHS) First Survey report of October 1972.

[*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 HB05/15/019 First Survey report (10 October 1972)

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

Not listed

Criteria for listing: historic interest

Not listed

Evaluation

Two-storey terrace shop / restaurant with apartment over, originally a pair of houses possibly dating from c.1840, but much altered in the later 1900s with the introduction of a large shop front, the enlargement of most of the windows, and the modernisation of the interior.