85 Garron Road,

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

A symmetrical-fronted three-bay single-storey house in Tudor Revival style, of masonry construction, built as one of a terrace of four identical cottages. Main entrance faces west.

Entrance elevation: three-bay, containing one window to each side of a central projecting porch. Roof of Bangor blue slates in regular courses with dark toned ridge tiles. One chimney to each extremity, of basalt rubble with a plain block cornice; one black pot to right-hand chimney; one original octagonal stoneware pot and one modern pot to the left-hand chimney, common with the adjoining house.
Walls are of basalt rubble with a projecting eaves course; cast iron gutters and downpipes.
Windows are rectangular timber two-light, comprising side-hung casements, double glazed, with plastic glazing bars giving appearance of margin lights, set in roughly rendered reveals with a flat arch to the head and a projecting basalt cill.

Porch is of similar walling except for addition of a projecting plinth; roof slated as previous. Shaped kneelers to porch gable which contains a Gothic arched doorway; rectangular ledged timber door, surmounted by a Gothic arched fanlight containing intersecting glazing bars, framed in a rectangular Tudor style drip moulding; spandrel painted black.

South elevation is a blank gable of basalt rubble of double pile form, with two chimneys; chimney to right-hand side has one modern pot; wall to right-hand half projects forward slightly toward the base. Extending to the right is the side of a later rear extension: basalt rubble plinth with a modern rectangular timber three-light window above; timber barge board and lean-to roof.

Rear elevation: rear roof of main block has been entirely built up as a flat-roofed dormer with rendered walls slate hung to the south gable end; timber fascias; PVC rainwater goods; two windows, modern rectangular stained timber fixed lights and casements. Lean-to extension has rendered walls and large stained timber windows; open basement area below; concrete external steps to ground floor rear entrance in a modern glazed timber door.

SETTING: The building stands at one end of a terrace of four houses, located in a very rural area, on the seaward side of the main coast road. It faces the main road but is set back slightly from it with a small front garden; front boundary formed by a basalt rubble wall with rubble copings returning to the side, with a modern iron gate in the centre; front plot cemented over; inner face of side boundary wall to left is smooth cement rendered; inner face of side boundary wall to right is basalt rubble; driveway to right-hand side of house, leading along side gable to rear, marked by a pair of concrete posts with a modern tubular steel gate. At the rear of the house a grassy plot leads to the shoreline.

Historical information

Built in 1849-50 by Lady Londonderry as a Coastguard Cottage to the designs of Charles Campbell, according to extracts from letters to the Marchioness of Londonderry .

References – Primary Sources
1. OS Map 1857, Co Antrim 20.
2. Copy of extracts from letters to the Marchioness of Londonderry, in the possession of James Hannigan in 1997.

Secondary Sources
1. UAHS, Glens of Antrim (Belfast, 1971), p 25.
2. P. Magill, Garron Tower (Belfast, 1990), pp 30 and 48.
3. F. Hamond, Antrim Coast and Glens: Industrial Heritage (HMSO, Belfast, 1991), p 86 (item no. 49).
4. IHR 7695.

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

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

Criteria for listing: historic interest

X. Local Interest

Evaluation

This is a mid-19th century terrace house in clearly proportioned but plain Tudor Revival style which retains most of its original appearance to the entrance front. Despite some degradation of its setting, it still forms part of an interesting group.