Moyle Hospital

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

A two-storey building terminating at each end of the main facade in gabled three-storey wings set at right angles, with extensive later additions to the rear, originally built as a workhouse but later converted to a hospital by which name it is still popularly known.

Main entrance faces south. South front symmetrical comprising a long block 15 windows wide with gabled central entrance bay and gabled attics to end bays, with two-bay wings to each end beyond projecting forward slightly from the main facade. Roofs of Bangor blue slates in regular courses; two prominent chimneys in Tudor style, one to each side of central entrance bays; red brick with cast stone dressings, angled stacks to rectangular bases with offsets, four original 19th century terracotta pots (reused) to each chimney. Beyond main ridge, in line with each end bay, two prominent vent towers tucked up against the three storey wings and rising above them; square plan with pyramidal copper roofs; original square openings to main faces filled with later glass bricks. Walls of main building and vent towers basalt with dressings of sandstone and cast stone; later reticulated pointing, except in central gabled projection.

Main entrance: terrazzo step; modern two-leaf sliding glass doors each two-panel with PVC frames, set within moulded artificial rectangular stone surround; three-light rectangular fanlight with leaded glazing, translucent glass, central light containing red cross motif. To each side of entrance doors, mounted on stone surround, a pair of bronze lamps of hexagonal section, flared to top, on bronze mounts, 1920s. Over doorway, a cast stone panel of lighter shade than rest of doorway bearing name ‘Moyle Hospital’ in bronze capitals, but mounting holes for letters of previous name (‘Larne District Hospital’) still visible. Above doorway, a slightly projecting gabled bay, in basalt but with dark coloured pointing in contrast to the rest of walling, dressed all round in artificial stone and supported on two cast stone corbels; rectangular three-light window with transom lights, modern PVC replacement, translucent glass, incorporating glass louvers, inappropriate. In apex of gable above, lozenge shaped datestone in artificial stone, inscribed 1929. Window to each side of doorway at ground floor, large rectangular PVC with two fixed lights below an opening top vent, modern replacement; artificial stone dressings including deep splayed cill and rectangular drip moulding. Above that, first floor windows similar but narrower; one PVC fixed light with opening vent. Above that, low parapets extend for width of one window to each side of central gable projecting above main eaves level as an entrance frontispiece of 1920s creation which stands out from the original main 1840s facade.

To right of entrance frontispiece, repetitive windows, replacement PVC as previous to first floor, but without drip mouldings or deep splay to cills; moulded cast iron gutter; two square section cast iron downpipes with trefoil brackets, and decoratively treated hoppers modelled with heraldic beasts, 1920s additions; two narrower circular cast iron downpipes, at intermediate positions, with plain rectangular hoppers, emerging at first floor level only. At right hand end bay a secondary entrance in Tudor style, a 1920s insertion, constructed in artificial stone, comprising an arched doorway with translucent glazed spandrels, flanked by sidelights, two-light with transoms to the right, coupled two-light with transoms to the left, deep splayed cills; leaded glazing, translucent glass, incorporating small pivoting opening lights. White painted ledged timber door with similar tympanum above; iron handle with Gothic Revival style iron mount. New concrete ramp up to door; no step. Stone weathering of plinth across main facade returns down to ground level each side of Tudor arched secondary doorway. Above secondary doorway, a first floor window, and above that, an attic floor window, both in the end bay, and both PVC as previous upper windows, but with deep splayed cills. At extremity of end bay in corner with projecting end wings, rectangular cast iron downpipe with trefoil brackets; angulated hopper, original 1920s. To right of that, twin gabled end block with double pile roof running at right angles to central block; cast stone quoins to extremities. Three floors of large rectangular windows, as at ground floor of main entrance bay, each with Tudor style drip moulding; segmental brick relieving arches over second floor openings; stone dressed Gothic lancet to each attic gable, now blocked with cement; central cast iron rectangular downpipe with rectangular hopper.

Projecting from below ground floor windows of end wing, at basement level, a new flat-roofed addition in modern idiom; roof of asphalt with two rooflights; walls of concrete brick; three small rectangular timber windows to front, painted white, two-light comprising fixed pane beside top hung vent, translucent glass mostly, with one large rectangular window to right, similar character; front wall steps back for double doors, diagonally boarded, leading to basement (labelled ‘Boardroom’); PVC gutter and downpipe; asbestos fascia to west end adjacent to Tudor Revival secondary doorway previously described; extension inappropriate in style and materials.

To left of central entrance frontispiece main facade is similar, but only one intermediate cast iron circular downpipe from first floor level, and secondary entrance in Tudor style at end bay is a symmetrical composition with doorway flanked by two-light sidelight each side, and step up to door instead of ramp. Projecting forward at left hand extremity of end wing, low basalt rubble wall with concrete copings, part of 1920s remodelling, extending to a low corner pier in artificial stone, and returning across front of building to enclose a concrete area in front of the building; return wall has new opening crudely cut with cement rendered reveals opposite western secondary entrance. Two sets of similar piers linked by curving basalt walls, providing axial entrance to new yellow tiled area outside main entrance frontispiece; low walling of similar character encloses concrete area to right of main entrance extending as far as eastern secondary entrance only.

Western elevation: three-storey side of end block; basalt rubble; three windows wide, all new rectangular PVC fixed lights with top hung vent, in stone dressed surrounds with brick fillings to top and sides; openings probably created in 1920s. Roof slated, as previous; moulded cast iron gutter, rectangular downpipe. Stepped back to left hand side, modern flat roofed two-storey return of concrete brick; two rectangular windows each floor, coupled fixed lights with top hung vents in white painted wood, all inappropriate; north elevation and east elevation of modern return similar in style and character, with PVC downpipes.

North or rear elevation, approached from west end: basalt walling to rear of western end wing above and to left hand side of later end return, with quoins to extremities; rectangular PVC windows as on entrance front with red brick relieving arches to second floor; blocked up Gothic lancet to each gable above; central rectangular hopper and downpipe between gables. To left of western end wing, two-storey flat-roofed infill walling in red brick with rectangular PVC windows, followed by return link block of rock faced concrete blocks joined to lower basalt rubble rear building, with later single and double-storey blocks to rear, in concrete block and concrete brick. Later additions of 20th century date are so extensive as to obscure form and layout of original buildings and circumambulation of main building is difficult due to narrow alley ways between blocks, without exit.

East elevation: four-storey side of end block comprising three main storeys as at west end plus exposed basement storey below. Basement has central window similar to those of main floors, flanked by two coupled timber windows dressed in smooth cement render, with more obtrusive red brick fillings than previous; wired glass to basement windows; two cast iron downpipes, circular to right hand extremity, rectangular one bay to left. Near left hand extremity of basement, ventilation pipes from boiler wrapped in plastic sheeting. To right hand side of eastern end block, new flat-roofed red brick rear return of two storeys with a basement storey; six small square windows to two main floors, PVC top hung with translucent glass and concrete cills; similar small window plus two larger PVC fixed lights with top hung vents to basement.

North or rear elevation, approached from east end: rear of eastern end wing above and to right of later extension, similar to corresponding wing at western end; rear elevation of projecting red brick end return is blank; west side of end return has two PVC rectangular top hung windows of translucent glass to each floor; concrete steps down to basement which has modern white timber louvre door. To right of eastern end wing gables, red brick infill walling of three storeys, flat-roofed; cast iron downpipes; rectangular PVC windows; first floor link in cement rendered concrete connecting rear of main block with former theatre block return extending northwards; theatre block in red brick in same style as eastern end return with small PVC windows to upper floor and layer below; all inappropriate.

Conglomerate mass of old and new blocks extends northwards partly replacing and partly retaining some of the original two-storey basalt original infirmary block of the 1840s.

Partly visible behind former theatre return and associated later red brick additions, original axial block linking main building with former infirmary block to rear: pitched roof of Bangor blue slates in regular courses with modern rooflights; one brick chimney, original. Former infirmary block to north, two-storey, basalt rubble with red brick dressings; three original timber sliding sash windows to first floor south face, vertically hung, 6 over 3, with horns, surmounted by three-pane bottom-hung top vents; ground floor partly obscured by new red brick projecting block. Eastern end of former infirmary block replaced by mid-20th century flat-roofed red brick block in modern style, with exposed end of infirmary block closed off with red brick gable; tall red brick chimney and tall reinforced concrete water tank of mid-20th century date further to the north.

Setting: the building stands on a slightly elevated site within the built-up area of the town with its main facade at right angles to the two parallel main roads by which it is approached; sloping lawns in front divided axially by a path leading up concrete steps from the car park in front. From most views the building is mainly seen against a background of later extensions and addition to the site, of inappropriate form and material, and part of the later red brick extension to the rear can be seen rising behind the main roofline when viewed from the south, thus spoiling the appearance somewhat.

Historical information

Built in 1842 as a workhouse for 400 inmates, to the design of George Wilkinson of Oxford, architect to the Poor Law Commissioners from 1839 to 1855; completed 31 October 1842. Appears complete in its original layout which included a detached ‘front block’ (later demolished) standing to the south, on OS map of 1857. In 1888 it was described as “one of the few in Ireland with a whitewashed front”. Converted to a hospital by J.A. Hanna to designs dating from 1925 and became Larne District Hospital in 1929; later renamed Moyle Hospital. The grounds lie within the area of an ancient monument, no. ANT 40:35.

References - Primary

1. OS Map 1857, Co. Antrim 40.
2. Irish Builder and Engineer, 26 December 1925, p 1053.

Secondary

1. G.H. Bassett, The Book of Antrim (Dublin, 1888), p 373.
2. M.H. Gould, The Workhouses of Ulster (UAHS, Belfast, 1983), p 19.

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

Not listed

Criteria for listing: historic interest

Not listed

Evaluation

An early Victorian workhouse remodelled in 1929 when its function changed to a hospital. The character of the complex has been detrimentally affected by many changes, including inappropriate extensions, particularly to the rear of the front block.