McAuley’s Hotel,

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

A two-storey rendered building with attics, presenting a three-storey entrance gable of ornate appearance to the main road. Main entrance to the public house faces east, in the main gable, with an entrance to the hotel accommodation facing north.

East gable: wall smooth cement rendered to upper floors, with rusticated quoins to extremities; channelled rustication to the ground floor. There is a slightly raised smooth rendered frieze to the ground floor, with shaped ends, surmounted by a projecting moulded cornice; the frieze is inscribed 'Charles McAuley' in raised white letters in Art Nouveau style, against a black background.
Above, in the first floor there is a large central inscription panel comprising a frieze with a semi-circular band above it, surmounted by a semi-circular pedimental feature, all in slightly raised smooth render, inscribed 'McAuley's Hotel' in raised letters as previous, the word 'McAuley's' in white letters but the word 'Hotel' later painted out in black.
There is a platband to the first floor which curves over the top of the main inscription panel. Above, in the apex of the attic storey is a circular date-panel inscribed '1912' in raised letters as previous, with a projecting string course curving up over it.
Windows to the upper storeys are rectangular timber sliding sash, 3 over 2, with horns, set in plain reveals with raised arched, lugged and heeled surrounds. Windows to the ground floor are large rectangular timber fixed three-light with plain mullions and transom, set in moulded reveals, with deep projecting stone cills; below each window is a decorative rectangular panel with moulded surrounds.
Main entrance is between ground floor windows but slightly off-centre: contains a pair of rectangular timber panelled doors surmounted by a timber louvred fanlight recessed in moulded reveals.
Overhanging eaves to the gable which is surmounted by a chimney; smooth rendered, with moulded cornice and modern pots.

South elevation: comprises the side of the main gabled two-storey block to the right with a lower flat-roofed return block extending to the left, all of plain character.
Main block: roof of Bangor blue slates in regular courses, with dark toned ridge tiles; central flat-roofed dormer slate-hung to front and cheeks; two windows, modern rectangular timber fixed light, casement and vent; looks like cast iron rainwater goods to dormer and main roof.
Wall smooth cement rendered with projecting eaves course, raised smooth rendered strips to extremities and a similar strip along the bottom at floor level with a rougher finish to the deep plinth and a similar finish extending to the first bay of the lower return.
Windows are varied in size and are mainly rectangular timber sashes, 3 over 2 with horns, in plain reveals; there is also a small rectangular timber fixed light and a timber two-light window. A modern shop-sign panel is fixed to the wall to the extreme right.
Rear return: of very plain character with flat roofs and low pitch corrugated sheet roofing; wall rendered, parts rough finish, parts smooth; windows are rectangular timber sliding sash, 1 over 1, and 2 over 2.

Rear elevation: rear gable of main gabled two-storey front block, as seen above projecting rear return, is rendered, wet dash, with overhanging eaves to roof; timber barge boards surmounted by a shaped timber finial at the apex. One window to the right, rectangular timber fixed light with top vent, in plain reveals; doorway to left, leading on to flat roof of return; modern rectangular glazed door. Rear elevation of rear return: a dry dash rendered segmental gable with a doorway to ground floor, modern rectangular window to left of it, and a blocked up rectangular opening to upper floor; of poor quality as are the blocks to each side of the gable.

North elevation: comprises the side of the main gabled two-storey block to the left with the lower flat-roofed return block extending to the right.
Main block: two-storey, with roof slated as previous to south elevation, and a similar dormer.
Walling to ground floor is rusticated smooth cement render, with a low projecting plinth, and a slightly raised string course which curves up over the central entrance. First floor is rendered with pebble dash, with smooth rendered strips to extremities. Flat-roofed dormer in main roof, similar to previous on east elevation.
Ground floor windows are rectangular timber sashes, 4 over 2 with horns, set in slightly recessed smooth surrounds; projecting stone cill. First floor windows are sashed 3 over 2 with horns set in flush smooth rendered arched and lugged surrounds.
Entrance contains a rectangular timber four-panel door set in a glazed timber framed screen with rectangular sidelights and fanlight of translucent glass, recessed in a segmental arched opening with a smooth rendered surround; front doorstep of modern tiles, damaged.
Rear return: extending to the right and set back slightly is the flat-roofed two-storey rear return; first floor rendered as previous to first floor of main block to left, with decorative smooth rendered borders to part of the wall, continuing as decorative surrounds to windows. Ground floor is partly smooth rendered, lined and blocked, and partly roughcast.
Windows are sashed to the first floor, 2 over 2 and 1 over 1; windows to ground floor are later fixed lights, casements, and vents, irregularly arranged.
At the west end of the rear return is another block which returns to the north to close the end of the rear yard; of similar general character to the rear return, with similar rendered walling, and sashed windows, but gabled slated roof; a modern steel fire escape stairs is built across it, leading to the flat roof of the rear return with steel railings leading back to the gable of the main front block. Rear yard approached by a corrugated iron gate.

SETTING: The building stands on its own, adjacent to the river, abutted on its south side by the 19th century bridge carrying the main street of the village over the river, with its main entrance front overlooking the junction of the main street, Harbour Road, and Bridge Street. Setting to the rear is degraded by poor quality buildings.

Historical information

A rebuilding in 1912 of an earlier inn on the same site burnt down in a fire. Formerly the ground floor rustication and the quoins were painted with a tromp l’oeil pattern depicting faceted shading of individual stones. The McAuley family ceased to own it around 1972.

References – Primary Sources
1. Inscriptions and date on building.

Secondary Sources
1. UAHS, Glens of Antrim (Belfast, 1971), pp 19 and 26.
2. DOE (NI), Carnlough Conservation Area (1981).
3. C.E.B. Brett, Buildings of County Antrim (UAHS, Belfast, 1996), p 260.

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

C. Ornamentation
H-. Alterations detracting from building

Criteria for listing: historic interest

X. Local Interest

Evaluation

This is an early 20th century building in a plain style of modest architectural pretentions but the decoratively treated Art Nouveau inscriptions on the main gable provide an unusual and uncommon element of interest in the otherwise conventionally and traditionally detailed architectural fabric of the area.