26-28 Harbour Road,

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

A three-storey building, three windows wide, but not symmetrically arranged, with a lower two-storey wing to one side containing a vehicular entrance. Main entrance faces east.

Entrance elevation: roof of Bangor blue slates in regular courses between gable copings of stone or smooth render; dark toned ridge tiles; two chimneys, at the extremities, smooth cement rendered with plain block cornice; no pots. Wall is smooth cement rendered painted white, with black-painted plinth-like band along the base; projecting eaves course; rusticated quoins to extremities; cast iron gutter and downpipe. Windows are rectangular timber sliding sash, vertically hung, 6 over 6 with horns, in exposed frames, set in plain reveals with projecting stone cills; modern scrolling wrought iron grilles mounted on ground floor cills.
Central entrance, replacing two original doorways, is set in a fluted pilastered surround with ornamented brackets carrying a cornice. Below a deep fascia there is a double door, panelled, with blind sidelights; narrow timber pilaster surrounds, with plain rectangular fanlights.
Above the main entrance on the wall is mounted an iron bracket with a shop sign. Lower two-storey wing to right has a roof slated as previous, continuous with an adjoining building to the right; one chimney at the right-hand extremity, smooth cement rendered with plain block cornice, two pots. Cast iron gutter. Walling is similar to main block, in same plane. Ground floor contains a vehicle entrance set in a voussoired elliptical arched opening with block jambs. The opening contains an arched timber tongued and grooved sheeted panel giving the appearance of a pair of double doors. Window in first floor above is as previous to main block.

South gable where it projects above the adjoining building is smooth cement rendered.

North gable where it projects above the two-storey wing is smooth cement rendered.

Rear elevation of main front block: roof slated as previous to entrance front, with a swept dormer to left-hand side; dormer window opening closed with concrete blockwork; tall square chimney, rendered, with two pots, rises at base of roof. Original rear wall now obscured by a modern extension which has a hipped roof of synthetic slates containing modern rooflights; north wall of extension is of concrete blockwork, which rises at the west to a taller Mansard roofed rear block facing on to High Street.

SETTING: The building stands on the main street of the village within a terrace, facing directly on to the pavement, with the extreme rear of the property beyond the main front block, facing on to High Street.

Elevation of rear block facing High Street:

Rear elevation fronts onto Bridge Street: two-storey, five windows wide to first floor, with five windows plus door to left on ground floor. Smooth rendered wall, painted white, with black painted quoins to extremities. PVC gutter and downpipes. All windows timber sliding sash, vertically hung, with horns, 1 over 1 with vertical glazing bar to each, all replacements; painted concrete cills. Door painted wood, two-leaf, panelled, new. Roof of Bangor blue slates in regular courses; three attic dormers, gabled, with slated roofs, as previous; timber sliding sash windows, as previous, to front of dormers; glazing to sides, with one vertical glazing bar each side, all replacement fabric or new. South end abutted by neighbouring building with lower ridge line; north gable exposed concrete block, inappropriate, with canted face and Mansard profile to roof, inappropriate form for locality, with white painted wooden barges. This rear building with its frontage on Bridge Street is not included in the listing of 26-28 Harbour Road.

Historical information

The building appears for the first time on the OS map of 1857, and reputedly dates from 1848. This was originally a house which contained the post office from the mid-19th century until its recent interior conversion to a public house called ‘The Coach House’ which is now accessible from within from the adjacent Londonderry Arms Hotel.

References – Primary Sources
1. OS Map 1857, Co Antrim 25.
2. Information from owner in 1997.

Secondary Sources
1. M. McSparran, C. Dallat and J. Irvine, Oh Maybe it was Yesterday (Glens of Antrim Historical Society, 1980), p 16 (includes this building in an old photograph of Harbour Road).
2. C. Dallat, The Road to the Glens (Belfast, 1989), p 19 (includes part of this building in an old photograph of Harbour Road).

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

A. Style
H-. Alterations detracting from building
K. Group value

Criteria for listing: historic interest

Y. Social, Cultural or Economic Importance
X. Local Interest

Evaluation

This is a mid-19th century building in a plain style which has lost some of its original features but together with other buildings in the terrace it makes a positive contribution to the essentially 19th century character of the main street of the village.