40-42 Ballypollard Road

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

A multi-gabled single and two-storey house in basalt rubble with yellow brick dressings, and steep pitched roofs; now divided into two houses; all woodwork painted white.

Main entrance front faces south-east.

South-east elevation two-storey, three-bay, symmetrical, with a central single-storey gabled porch. Roof of Bangor blue slates in regular courses oversailing at each end on shaped timber brackets with tongued and grooved soffits; black ridge tiles with a shaped finial to each extremity; overhanging eaves carried on projecting rafters with shaped ends. Two chimneys symmetrically placed on ridge; constructed of yellow bricks with cornice of three courses of yellow brick; one modern earthenware pot to each chimney; right hand chimney has TV aerial attached. Cast iron gutters and downpipes, one to each extremity and one to right of projecting porch. Wall basalt rubble with later reticulated pointing; squared edges to quoins. Projecting basalt plinth across base, with chamfered yellow brick weathering except for sandstone weatherings to extremities. Projecting porch, gabled. Porch walling, and plinth, as previous; porch roof as previous; barge boards chamfered, with ends shaped, notched, and containing small quatrefoil perforation; barge boards carried on a pair of shaped and notched brackets; modern ironwork weathervane to finial at apex. Gable of porch contains one window, rectangular timber sliding sash, vertically hung, 2 over 2, with horns; sandstone cill; yellow brick dressings to sides, stop chamfered; sandstone head, stop chamfered, surmounted by Gothic relieving arch in basalt; cast iron downpipe to extremities of porch gable. Left face of porch contains main entrance: rectangular ledged timber door with bronze octagonal handle and curvilinear brass letterbox, appropriate; sandstone head, yellow brick jambs, keyed into return stonework from gable at right hand extremity; wide sandstone step; cast iron gutter on projecting rafter ends as previous. Circular metal bell-push surround on wooden block set into brickwork of left hand door jamb; later metal lamp bracket mounted on wall to right of door. Right face of porch has a window, rectangular timber sliding sash, vertically hung, 1 over 1, with horns, with cill; dressings to sides and head as previous, without relieving arch over. To each side of projecting porch, at ground floor, a sashed window with Gothic relieving arch over, as previous to gable of porch; two similar windows above to first floor, rising into gabled dormers containing relieving arches; dormer gables slated as previous, with timber barge boards, finial and brackets as previous.

South-west elevation consists of a large two-storey gable of the main house to the right with a lower return set back to the left from which project forward a pair of single-storey gables terminating at the left hand extremity in a low hipped roof extension. Main two-storey gable: walling as previous to entrance front; large coupled windows symmetrically placed to ground floor, as previous to entrance front, with Gothic relieving arches; similar windows to first floor. In apex of gable, a recessed circular stone panel set in a yellow brick surround; oversailing gabled roof with woodwork as previous to entrance porch, but not the original; replaced to original design. Wall returns to form north-west face of two-storey block: one window in first floor, rectangular timber sliding sash, vertically hung, 2 over 2, with horns; cill and dressings as previous but sandstone head not chamfered. Cast iron gutter discharges onto roof below; no downpipe. PVC soil pipe near front corner of block, with PVC boiler flue pipe beyond, emerging from small window in ground floor now blocked up. To left of main two-storey gable, a single-storey lean-to bay containing a rectangular window sashed as previous, 2 over 2, with chamfered surrounds as previous; shallow pitched roof of lean-to slated as previous, with steeper pitched roof of return beyond; return has one chimney on ridge, of yellow brick as previous, with yellow earthenware pot. Cast iron gutter to lean-to resting on shaped projecting rafter ends; cast iron downpipe mounted on side wall of twin gabled projection to left; side wall contains narrow rectangular timber window sashed as previous, 1 over 1, with unchamfered surrounds in yellow brick and sandstone. Twin gabled projection has roofs slated as previous, with barge boards, brackets, and finials as previous, but gable to left higher due to unequal bay widths. Some rot to ends of barge boards at central valley. Some repair work done in spliced sections apparent to barge boards and some brackets. Lower gable has a single window, rectangular sashed as previous, 1 over 1, with unchamfered surrounds, but with Gothic relieving arch; translucent glass to lower pane. Higher gable has a pair of similar windows, coupled, with clear glass; sandstone heads butting, surmounted by a large Gothic relieving arch which contains a sandstone shield with inscribed date ‘AD 1876’. Stepped back slightly to left of twin-gabled projection, a low single-storey extension with hipped roof slated as previous; PVC gutter and downpipe; small window sashed as previous, 1 over 1, with unchamfered surrounds; walling as previous but without plinth.

North-west elevation comprises single-storey wall of outbuildings enclosing a small yard; walls blank each side of central doorway to yard. Rectangular ledged pine door, stained and varnished, set in segmental arched yellow brick surround; modern concrete pavoirs to step. Outbuildings to right of door has hipped roof, slated as previous, on shaped projecting brackets which are not structural; PVC gutter returning from west elevation.

Outbuilding to left of door has low-pitched monopitch roof of asbestos slates, oversailing on plain timber brackets with tongued and grooved soffit; timber barge board not original, with shaped lower end. Yard wall above doorway has reset rough stone copings. Yard later covered over with modern clear corrugated perspex roof on light timber structure; yard floor covered with modern concrete pavoirs; yard interior walls constructed of modern red brick with some stonework; modern reticulated pointing to stonework. Behind yard and outbuildings, a taller slated roof with one chimney in yellow brick as previous, with cowl pot. To left hand side an attic dormer constructed in timber, with a fixed light and side-hung casement to front face; glazed cheeks of two fixed lights each; low pitched lead roof to dormer. Behind hipped and gabled block, the elevation of the main two-storey block; roof slated as entrance front, with a large rectangular three-light flush rooflight which looks original.

North-east elevation comprises the tall two-storey gable of the main block to the left, with the lower hipped return set well back to the right, terminating in a low flat-topped single-storey outbuilding. Main two-storey gable has a pair of coupled sashed windows surmounted by a pair of Gothic relieving arches, all as to main gable on south-west side; spalling to sandstone heads. A canted bay projects at ground floor, constructed of yellow brick above the continuous sandstone cill with a moulded brick cornice and blocking course which is surmounted by an unpainted wooden fascia and PVC gutter; PVC downpipe. Below cill walling is basalt with projecting plinth and brick weathering as previous. Three timber sashed windows, one in each face, with stop chamfered brick surrounds and stop chamfered sandstone heads; windows 2 over 2 to front face; 1 over 1 to each angled face.

Wall returns to right to form north-west face of main block: blank wall of basalt with projecting plinth as previous; cast iron gutter on projecting shaped rafter ends; cast iron downpipe with double curved polygonal hopper at intermediate stage for discharge from lower return. To right lower return slated as previous; one chimney, yellow brick as previous, with cowl pot; rectangular dormer to attic constructed of timber with paired side-hung casements to front above tongued and grooved sheeting; glazed cheeks of three fixed panes; lead shallow pitched roof to dormer. Walling as previous, with projecting plinth; roof slated as previous, hipped, with a pair of shaped brackets to right, fixed laterally to right hand end of return; cast iron gutter on shaped projecting brackets; brackets not structural. Three windows to return, all rectangular sashed as previous, 1 over 1, with unchamfered surrounds; wall of outbuilding extending to right hand extremity does not have plinth; flat profile to roof above, with timber fascia oversailing on projecting rafter ends. Extension contains one small window, rectangular timber fixed light of two panes, with unchamfered surrounds as previous.

Setting: the building stands in a very rural location on an elevated site overlooking Larne Lough to the north. It stands well back from the main road, but visible from it, in its own grounds which contain mature trees and shrubs, with lawns to three sides. Adjacent to the south-east is the contemporary Presbyterian Church for which this property was originally built as the minister’s house. Boundaries formed by hedges and fences. Main entrance gateway, to west, comprises a pair of chamfered concrete posts with shaped tops, flanked each side by slatted wooden screens, and hung with a timber gate of rectilinear design in poor condition; of no special merit. Between gateway and house stands a detached outbuilding of rectangular plan, built of basalt rubble with a brick chimney; of no special merit.

Historical information

Designed originally in 1876 by Samuel P. Close as a small single-storey minister’s residence for the nearby mission house and school (now Magheramorne Presbyterian Church) but enlarged soon afterwards with a two-storey extension as an agent’s house for the Magheramorne estate.

References - Primary Sources

1. The Architect, Vol XV, 1876, p 198.

Secondary Sources

1. A.E. McGuinness, Samuel Patrick Close: Architect (1842-1925), unpublished MA thesis, The Queen’s University of Belfast, 1990.
2. P. Larmour, A worthy Victorian architect (Samuel P. Close, 1842-1925), Perspective (The Journal of the Royal Society of Ulster Architects), Vol 6, No 5, May/June 1998, pp 72-75.

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

A. Style
C. Ornamentation
H-. Alterations detracting from building
J. Setting

Criteria for listing: historic interest

V. Authorship
X. Local Interest

Evaluation

This is a structure which displays a distinct style and proportion. It stands in an attractive setting and forms part of a coherent and important group with the church property immediately to the south-east (for which it was originally designed as the manse). Designed by a leading Irish architect, it is a building of some local interest due to its association both with the adjacent church and with the important demesne which adjoins it.