62 Toberwine Street

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

Large three storey rendered terrace house of c.1870s, possibly once used as a bank and latterly a manager’s residence for a neighbouring (1930s) bank premises. The property is set within the terrace on the E side of Toberwine Street.

The front (W) elevation is asymmetrical. To the left of centre on the ground floor is the four panelled front door with plain segmental headed fanlight and sidelights with panelled aprons. The door and screen is recessed within a segmental arch headed opening which is framed with plain pilasters and moulded archivolt. To the left is a slightly larger segmental headed carriage arch, with dressings as before and large double timber sheeted doors with wicket gate. To the right are two evenly spaced plain sash windows. To the first and second floors are four (almost) evenly spaced plain sash windows with moulded dressings. Windows to the ground floor are tallest with those to the first floor slightly shorter while those to the second floor are slightly shorter again.

There is a small projecting eaves course and a slightly projecting chamfered base course. The ground floor right side is in painted rusticated render, whilst the rest of the elevation is in plain painted render. In-out quoins. Projecting traditional street lamp to first floor level (‘police station’ type).

The building rises above its two storey neighbours and the exposed portions of the N and S (gabled) elevations are blank with rendered chimney stacks to the apex of each gable.

To the left of centre of the rear elevation is a relatively large, gabled two storey return. To the ground floor of the E face of the return is a centred French window with large side lights. To the first floor is a French window with semicircular arch headed fanlight and modern wrought iron balcony. The N face of the return has two plain sash windows to the right side of the ground floor and one similar window to the right side of the first floor. To the left side of the S face of the return is a plain sash window each to the ground and first floors.

To the right side of the return (rear elevation of main building) is a semicircular coach arch with a timber sheeted tympanum having a plain centred window. To the first floor are two plain sash windows (either side of the return roof). To the second floor there are four (almost) evenly spaced plain sash windows (of slightly differing size). To the S side of the return is a small flat roofed single storey extension. This extension is in fact accommodation which belongs to the former bank to S (now a jewellery workshop). To the far left the rear façade of the main building is recessed. The ground and first floors of this recessed portion are obscured by extensions which were added to the bank premises. The whole of the rear elevation is finished in plain unpainted render.

The gabled roof is slated. The rainwater goods are cast iron.

Historical information

TOBERWINE STREET
Toberwine Street (‘Street of the ‘sweet well’) may represent the original area of settlement within the village of Glenarm, its narrowness betraying something of its antiquity. The original 13th century castle of Glenarm, around which the village developed, is believed to have stood at the south west corner of the street, on the site now occupied by the former court house. The castle itself was deliberately ‘broken’ by Sorley Boy MacDonnell in 1597 and, seemingly, not repaired- Sorley’s descendant, Sir Randal McDonnell, building a new residence on the other side of the river. Some historians state that the old castle was occupied by tenants (and therefore presumably repaired in some fashion), in the later 17th century, but Richard Dobbs makes no reference to it in his 1683 description of the village.

The first mention of ‘Toberwine’ within the Antrim Papers appears to be in a lease of November 1672, which refers to a house within the area, with ‘Toberwine Street’ mentioned in a lease of August 1709. On John O’Hara’s 1779 map of Glenarm (the earliest extant plan of the village) the street is shown fully developed on both sides, with the market / court house to the south west end. There is no verifiable indication of any remains of the old castle shown on the map, but the remark made in the 1835 OS Memoirs concerning ‘the foundations of a very extensive old castle which stood at the centre of the town until a few years ago’ indicates that ruins of some kind may have lingered into the early 19th century.

Evidence provided by the valuation of 1833 suggests that most of the buildings we now see on the west side of the street were present (in some form) at that date and that many were probably 18th century. The east side of the street witnessed a much greater degree of development after 1833 however, with nos.4-12 all c.1840, and nos.20-34 and 62 post c.1860- some of the latter replacing modest single storey dwellings. There is evidence to suggest that large three storey former Antrim Arms Hotel (and possibly its neighbour no.56) may have been standing in the early 1830s, but this is not certain.

No.62
Annotations to the valuation plan of 1859 show that this building was constructed some time after this date. Its design suggests that it make date from c.1870s. Latterly the property acted as the manager’s residence for the neighbouring Belfast Bank (later Northern Bank), which was built in 1935, but locals have suggested that this house itself contained a bank at some point. The Belfast Banking Co. established a branch in Glenarm in early 1918- it is feasible that they could have operated in some capacity from this building.

The building appears to have ceased to act as a manager’s house some time prior to c.1980. It was left vacant for most of the following decade and fell into disrepair. It was acquired by the present owner (2001) in 1992.

References- Primary sources
1 PRONI D.2977/3A/4/65/2, 30, 34A, 36, 37A-B, 43-45, 70A-B etc. Antrim Papers Leases relating to property in ‘Toberwine’ / Toberwine Street, 1672, 1709, 1736/7, 1753 etc.
2 PRONI D.2977/36/3/1A Antrim Papers Map, showing the Town of Glenarm, plus Glenarm Castle and demesne, by John O'Hara, 1779. [Includes a list of the tenants in Glenarm town.]
3 Ulster Museum A view of Glenarm Castle (painting dating from some time between 1768 and 1812) [This painting also shows the town itself.]
4 View of Glenarm c.1769-c.1812 (painting in possession of Lord Dunluce)
5 “The town and castle of Glenarm, Co. Antrim” [1830] by T.M. Baynes in ‘Ireland illustrated’ (London 1831)
6 ‘Ordnance Survey Memoirs of Ireland…’ vol.13 [c.1830-35] ed. Angelique Day and Patrick McWilliams (QUB 1992), p.127
7 PRONI OS/6/1/29/1 OS map, Co Antrim sh 29, 1832-33
8 PRONI VAL/1B/149 First valuation, Tickmacrevan parish, 1833 [The map to accompany this valuation is now lost making it extremely difficult, (and in most cases impossible), to tell which properties the valuation book is actually referring to. In some cases (most notably the west side of Toberwine Street) the writer has been able to successfully correlate the information contained within the second valuation notebook for 1859 with that of the first valuation, in order to decipher some of the details contained within the latter, but for most properties within Glenarm this has not been possible.]
9 Samuel Lewis, ‘A topographical dictionary of Ireland’ vol.1 (London 1837), p.658
10 William Makepeace Thackery, ‘Irish sketchbook’ (1843), p.238
11 Mrs and Mrs S.C. Hall, ‘Ireland: Its scenery, character etc., vol.III (London 1843), p.130
12 PRONI VAL/2D/1/11 Valuation town plan of Glenarm, 1859 [with later annotations- ?c.1900]
13 PRONI VAL/2B/1/41B Second valuation [notebook], village of Glenarm, 1859 [In the light of the problems concerning the first valuation this notebook and its accompanying map are both invaluable. For many areas the details of the second valuation only survive in the final printed form, with the names of householders and leaseholders and the rateable value for each property supplied only. For some areas, Glenarm among them, the working notebooks compiled by the valuers have survived, providing information such as dimensions of buildings, their use, the number of rooms they contain, notes on age and condition, and, (occasionally), comments regarding the overall appearance of properties. In many respect these notebooks closely resemble those of the first valuation, but frequently contain more detail.]
14 PRONI OS/8/103/1 OS town plan of Glenarm, 1903
15 PRONI VAL/12E/31/1 Valuation town plan of Glenarm, 1907-[1935]
16 Plans and elevations of the Belfast Banking Company’s new premises at Glenarm, 1935 [In possession of present owner of no.67 Toberwine Street.]
17 PRONI VAL/3G/20/1 Valuation town plan of Glenarm. 1936-57

Secondary sources
1 C.E.B. Brett, ‘Historic buildings…Glens of Antrim’ (Belfast 1971), p.16
2 Noel Simpson, ‘The Belfast Bank 1827-1970’ (Belfast 1975), p.225
3 Eileen Black, “A view of Glenarm Castle” in ‘The Glynns- Journal of The Glens of Antrim Historical Society’ vol.7 (1979), pp.29-30
4 Jimmie Irvine, “A map of Glenarm- 1779” in ‘The Glynns- Journal of The Glens of Antrim Historical Society’ vol.9 (1981), pp.52-61
5 Hon. Hector McDonnell, “The building of the parish church at Glenarm” in ‘The Glynns- Journal of The Glens of Antrim Historical Society’ vol.10 (1982), pp.31-36
6 Felix McKillop, ‘Glenarm- A local history’ (Glenarm 1987)

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

A. Style
B. Proportion
C. Ornamentation
D. Plan Form
E. Spatial Organisation
H+. Alterations enhancing the building
I. Quality and survival of Interior

Criteria for listing: historic interest

X. Local Interest

Evaluation

Large three storey rendered terrace house of c.1870s, possibly once used as a bank and latterly a manager’s residence for a neighbouring (1930s) bank premises.Much period detail and character survive . The building is a suitable candidate for the B1 grade.