73 Castle Street (including 'Cut & Style')

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

Two-storey terrace house with shop, built c.1790, with shop inserted in the mid 1800s, and mid to later 20th century extensions to the rear. The property is set on the south side of Castle Street, close to Ballycastle town centre.

The asymmetrical front elevation faces N. To the right of centre is the house doorway, with plain surround, panelled door and three-pane rectangular fanlight. To the left of the doorway is the shop front, which consists of a central (recent) partly glazed timber door and three-pane rectangular fanlight. The doorway is flanked by relatively large plate glass windows, with both the doorway is encased with timber pilasters, and over the whole ensemble is topped with a painted timber signboard with projecting cornice. To the right of the house doorway is a window with plain surround and a horned timber sash window with Georgian panes (six over six), and a broad box. There are four evenly-spaced uniform windows to the first floor, as that to right on ground floor. The front façade is finished in recent unpainted lined cement render with a deep eaves band.

To the left hand side of the rear elevation there is a two-storey gabled return is full-height lean-to projection to the E side. To the right hand side there is a modern-looking flat-roofed single-storey return with a terrace to its roof. To the S end the two-storey gabled return abuts a large modern-looking single-storey section with a flat roof.

To the left on the ground floor of the E face of the two-storey return there is a small window with modern frame. To the first floor directly above this there is a slightly larger window with horned timber sash frame (two panes over two). To the S face of the lean-to the is a doorway to the ground floor, with an original-looking partly glazed door, and a window to the first floor with patterned glazing. To the (S-facing) gable of the return there is a window with a modern timber frame. The large modern single-storey section attached to the S end of the return has a large picture window, with modern frame, to the right hand side of its E face. To the left the line of the façade is recessed and here there is a smaller window, also with a modern frame.

The single-storey extension to the right hand (E) side of the rear elevation has a window, with modern frame, to the S face. To the W face there is a doorway with a modern partly glazed door.

The rear façade of the main section of the building is partly exposed at first floor level. Here there is a window to left, with modern timber frame with stained glass, with a doorway to right (with modern partly glazed timber door), which allows access to the roof terrace. This rear façade, and the return and the flat-roofed extension to right are finished in painted roughcast. The single-storey section to the S end of the return is finished in dry dash.

The roof of the main section of the building is slated and has two Velux windows to the rear. The rainwater goods are combination of cast-iron (to front), and cast-iron and PVC-u to the rear.

To the rear of the building there is a small garden at the S end of which is a two-storey gabled outbuilding, set at a lower level. This outbuilding has whitewashed rubble walls and slated roof, and a variety of windows, some modern some traditional. This ground floor of this outbuilding is still used as a shed / store, however part of the upper floor has been converted to living space.

Historical information

A house measuring 30ft x 23 x 18½, with a ‘kitchen part shed’ of 16½ x 11 x 9, an ‘addition in rere part shed of 15½ x 8 x 6½, and a cellar of 14 x 14 x 6½, is recorded on this site in the first valuation of January 1835.* As these measurements appear to match the main section of the present building, and as the later valuations do not record any major structural changes (outside of the returns), we can assume that this is the same building we see today. The actual date of construction is unclear, however. The valuers regarded the property as relatively old (grade 1B+) in 1835, suggesting a building probably over 25 years old. The staircase (which would appear to be largely original) suggests c.1790.

A James Keennan (or Keenan) is recorded as the occupant / leaseholder in 1835 and 1859. Keenan is recorded as a Woollen draper in Pigot’s ‘Directory’ of 1824, and a linen and woollen draper in Slater’s ‘Directory’ of 1856. Similar dimensions are recorded by the valuers in the 1859 valuation, with the building noted as containing a ‘shop’, with a ‘kitchen and small room over’ in the larger of the returns.

In 1866 the lease was acquired (or passed to) a Mary Thompson, who remained in residence until 1901. Between this date and 1922 the ‘representatives of Mary Thompson’ are listed occupying the property, followed by a Frank Mooney (1922-43), and a Cassie Mooney. The current owner’s family appear to have acquired the property in 1962, with the ‘shop’ noted as a hairdressing salon from 1964 onwards.

Unfortunately the valuations give us little clue as to when the return assumed its present form, and when the extension was added. The latter appears to be of relatively recent (c.1980s-90s) construction, but map evidence indicates that an extension of similar size was in place earlier in that century. The property was renovated recently, with the render to the front façade and the shop front renewed.

[*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
29 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 HB05/15/009 First Survey report (10 October 1972)

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

A. Style
B. Proportion
C. Ornamentation
D. Plan Form
H-. Alterations detracting from building
I. Quality and survival of Interior

Criteria for listing: historic interest

X. Local Interest

Evaluation

Two-storey terrace house with shop, built c.1790, with shop inserted in the mid 1800s, and mid to later 20th century extensions to the rear. This house possesses much architectural / historical interest.