Gerry Mac’s (Public House)

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

Three-storey (+ basement and attic)/ three-bay granite building (four openings wide) directly fronting east side of Canal Street. Formerly abutted at right by an almost identical three-storey building (but only three openings wide), now demolished after destruction by fire.

Pitched natural slate roof with rendered chimney to each gable. Leaded gutters to front.

Principal elevation faces West. Wall to street is of squared granite rubble in regular courses with projecting eaves and raised base (at ground floor left only). Wall is painted to ground floor left.

Left half of ground floor is a shop front, the right section of which has a partly glazed four-panel door with a tripartite transom over at either side of which are painted render jambs. The left section of the shop front has a three paned window (with transoms over), with painted timber pilaster to its left. A painted timber fascia board over the windows and door reads “Gerry Mac’s”. At left, between ground and first floors, is a modern suspended metal sign. Right half of ground floor contains a door to left and a coach arch to extreme right. Door is four panelled (bolection moulded), painted timber with rectangular transom over (now boarded up). It shares a painted render jamb with shop door and has painted timber pilaster at right. The arch at right is semicircular headed and contains a pair of t+g sheeted timber doors (and wicket gate). Jambs and head are dressed granite, the latter has imposts and is partly obscured by remnants of fascia board.

There are four equally spaced windows to each upper floor. All are 1/1 sliding sashes with exposed boxes and have flat granite heads with splayed voussoirs, and granite cills. Those at second floor are diminished in height; their top sash is double the size of bottom one suggesting these were possibly once 6/3 glazed.

Left gable is abutted by a lower building. Exposed part of gable is mostly red brick, with a portion towards the street in granite. There is a small four paned fixed timber window in attic at its right side. Right gable (now wet dashed) was formerly the party wall with adjacent property (fireplaces and room divisions still evident).

Rear elevation is three bays wide and of granite rubble (brought to courses) except for the middle bay which is of red brick. The rooms to the upper floors of the left bay, over the coach arch, formerly belonged to the adjoining property, but, since the fire, have been brought into this property; there is also a remnant of the back wall of the adjoining property, now mostly demolished. The left bay has, at ground floor, a horizontal timber lintel to the coach way through to street. At first floor is a 6/6 sliding sash, and a diminished height 6/3 sash at first floor. All windows to this façade are trimmed as front façade. A single-storey modern flat-roof extension abuts middle and right bay. The middle bay has half -landing windows between ground and first floor (6/6 sash), first and second floor (6/1 sash, but formerly 6/6), and second and attic (now a small modern window). Right bay is abutted at first floor left by a small flat roof extension over that at ground floor. The head of an original first floor window is just visible. At second floor are two 2/2 (vertically divided) sliding sashes.

Ground floor extension has rendered walls, with a metal-sheeted door to yard but no windows. First floor extension has a single metal-framed window.

Historical information

A building is shown at this location on a 1763 town map by B Scale. It is unlikely, however, that it was the present structure. This was certainly extant by 1836 and was then occupied by Adam Ledlie. Its use as a public house is first cited in the Valuation book entry of 1893.

Primary Sources:

1. PRONI, D 671/M9/5 (1763 map);
2. PRONI Valuation revision books, 1866-1930, VAL 1B/246A, p.64;
3. PRONI Valuation revision books, 1866-1930, VAL 1B/246E, p.89;
4. PRONI Valuation revision books, 1866-1930, VAL 1D/3/8E;
5. PRONI Valuation revision books, 1866-1930, VAL 2B/2/39B, p.20;
6. PRONI Valuation revision books, 1866-1930, VAL 12E/125/1/12;
7. PRONI Valuation revision books, 1866-1930, VAL 12B/15/1G, p.260.

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

A. Style
B. Proportion
C. Ornamentation
H-. Alterations detracting from building
I. Quality and survival of Interior

Criteria for listing: historic interest

X. Local Interest

Evaluation

Three-storey/ three-bay granite building. This imposing well proportioned town house probably of late 18th or early 19th century date, and in largely original condition, greatly enhances the streetscape of this stretch of Canal Street.