1-3 Main Street

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

An asymmetrical building on a corner site with an entrance tower in Italianate style, and shops to the ground floor. Main entrance faces north.

North elevation comprises a three-storey entrance tower with a two-storey wing to each side; walls of smooth cement render, painted, with projecting platband at first floor cill level, and plain square projecting cornice to top of first floor wall with plain parapet above. A band of electrical cables runs across the building just below cornice. Wing to left is a symmetrical composition in itself, with a projecting central pedimented breakfront containing one window to the first floor, with one window to each side of breakfront. Windows rectangular timber sliding sash, vertically hung, 6 over 6 originally but bottom three panes of lower sash now one, later alteration; plain unmoulded reveals. Above central window, a moulded plaster cornice on fluted curving brackets in Italianate classical style. Behind apex of pediment, a rectangular chimney smooth cement rendered and painted, with projecting string course, and one original tall terracotta pot; television aerial attached to front.

Ground floor of eastern wing has large recessed rectangular shop window in central breakfront; window plate glass; plastic frame; metal roller shutter box surmounted by large projecting rectangular plastic shop sign framed in aluminium trim. To left of central window a rectangular glazed door integral with rectangular modern shop window both surmounted by metal shutter box. To right of central window, a rectangular doorway in unmoulded opening; double doors in painted wood, each leaf four panel.

Tower has battered side walls; channelled rustication to ground floor which contains slightly off-centre semi-circular headed doorway with rusticated voussoirs. Door rectangular timber, three-panel, with narrow panelled side panels, below semi-circular tympanum which has two quadrant panels, all looks original but door has two modern metal letterboxes. First floor of tower has one rectangular window with cornice and brackets over, all as previous in centre of eastern wing and with all glazing bars intact. Second floor of tower has a triplet of narrow windows in central recess; each light segmental headed, deep set in plain unmoulded reveals; timber frames with three thin horizontal glazing bars to left hand window; right hand window with later replacement frames of larger size; central window truncated at bottom where a plain rectangular panel rises up from cill level to contain moulded blind oculus. Oversailing eaves to pyramidal roof with flat soffit on projecting brackets; Bangor blue slates in regular courses, with ball finial to apex of roof.

East face of top storey of tower has two narrow segmental headed recesses in wall plane recessed between corner piers; west face has blank wall between corner piers. Tower projects forward, with short return walls to ground and first floor treated similar to front walling. Circular cast iron downpipe in angle between tower and west wing at ground floor.

Wing to right of tower has one window to first floor to front, and one window to angled corner with side street, both as first floor window of tower. Plain parapet and cornice to front and across angled corner. Ground floor to front contains a large shop window each side of a plain rectangular pier, with projecting plinth across front; windows plate glass with wooden frames, incorporating transom lights, all fixed. Rectangular projecting metal shutter box across front. At angled corner ground floor has modern glazed rectangular timber doorscreen recessed with splayed reveals to sides; doorscreen surmounted by metal roller shutter box, with projecting plastic sign box above, as previous. First floor of angled corner has rectangular window similar to previous in tower.

West elevation of similar character and treatment to front of west wing: three windows to first floor, as previous to tower. Ground floor contains three large shop windows detailed as to front wall of west wing, with broad pier of wall between window to right and central window; broad expanse of wall between central shop window and one to left, with a shallow segmental headed recess in centre.
Metal shutter frames attached and projecting metal boxing above mounted with shop signs. To right of shop front, plain walling with circular cast iron downpipe at right hand extremity; plain hopper below first floor cornice. To right hand extremity of shop sign boxing, part of a slightly projecting painted plaster frieze is visible; probably intact across whole of west elevation.

Parapet of west elevation returns to south side behind sloping roof of adjoining building; cornice also returns for short distance and stops.

Doors from street to left of tower lead to short alleyway below first floor of east wing opening onto rear yard: floor covering in alleyway concrete paving flags; flat ceiling above with rectangular opening ahead.

Within yard, to north to right of tower: two-storey rear elevation of block on Main Street; lean-to roof of asbestos slates in regular courses with rectangular section chimney in centre, painted plaster finish, projecting string course, single buff terracotta pot, original; looks like PVC gutter, PVC downpipe; smooth cement rendered wall, painted, with two windows, one rectangular timber fixed light with top hung vent, concrete cill; the other window, tiny rectangular, timber, concrete cill; to left, of roof, east side wall of tower, with two arched recesses; south wall of tower blank, with PVC downpipe.

East side of court: single-storey flat roofed block, roof covering of asphalt; PVC gutter and downpipe; painted wooden fascia; three rectangular windows, timber top hung vents with modern concrete cills to left of rectangular flush timber door with aluminium handle, looks like mid to late 20th century additional block.

South side of yard occupied by basalt rubble rear block, partly smooth rendered; pitched roof of Bangor blue slates in regular courses; looks like asbestos rainwater goods; rectangular flush door as previous.

West side of yard: rear elevation of west wing: smooth cement rendered wall, with rectangular windows comprising three large timber fixed light windows with top hung vents, and three smaller rectangular timber top hung windows; asbestos slates; PVC gutters and downpipe; rectangular flush timber door.

Setting: the building stands on a corner site in the main street of the town, facing directly onto the pavement on two sides, and situated opposite the side of a listed town hall. To the east it abuts a taller three-storey Edwardian bank with a modernised ground floor; to the south it abuts a lower two-storey 19th century smooth cement rendered building, originally a house but now an office.

Historical information

Built originally as a court house and police barracks, it also served as a Post Office and later became shops. Stylistically it dates from c 1840 and may be attributed to Charles Lanyon, County Surveyor for Antrim, who had responsibility for public buildings such as court houses and gaols. Photographs in the Welch Collection in the Ulster Museum (W01/67/7) and the Lawrence Collection in the National Library of Ireland (R3110) show ground floor openings of the east wing in different stages of development. Occupied by the Leeds Permanent Building Society during the 1980s.

References - Primary

1. Photograph in the Welch Collection, Ulster Museum (WO1/67/7)
2. Photograph in the Laurence Collection, National LIBRARY OF Ireland (R3110).
3. Hendersons Belfast Directory for 1843-4 - reference to court house and police barracks in Cross Street.
4. G.H. Bassett, The book of Antrim (Dublin, 1888) - reference to Post Office in Main Street.
5. OS map 1893, Co Antrim 40 - building marked as Post Office.

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

Not listed

Criteria for listing: historic interest

Not listed

Evaluation

This is an early Victorian building in Italianate style, of distinct proportions, attributable to an important Irish architect and of some local interest as the earliest surviving public building in the town, but one which has lost much of its original character through the insertion of modern shop fronts to the ground floor.