8-12 Main Street

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

A two-storey building, nine windows wide to the first floor, divided on the ground floor into a public house, and an off-licence to each side of a segmental arched main doorway, with a segmental open archway to the right-hand extremity. Main entrance façade faces north.

Entrance elevation: roof of Bangor blue slates in regular courses with dark toned ridge tiles. One chimney, near right-hand end, smooth cement rendered with projecting base and plain projecting cornice. Looks like cast iron gutter, but with PVC downpipes. Wall is smooth rendered, lined and blocked, with projecting eaves course; timber eaves board.

Windows to first floor are modern rectangular timber fixed lights with top-hung vents containing leaded glazing.

Ground floor features from left to right are as follows. At the extreme left, a pub shop front comprising four panelled pilasters with moulded bases and moulded capitals which are surmounted by a timber frieze which has a moulded dentil cornice and raised nail-head panels to each extremity. To left is a window, rectangular timber fixed light with etched finish, set in plain reveals and recessed cill; to right is a modern rectangular timber 6-panel door, set in a plain frame; modern tiled doorstep continuous from porch interior.

To the right of the pub front is an elliptically arched recessed doorway containing a rectangular timber 8-panel door recessed between plain timber pilasters with moulded capitals, flanked by rectangular sidelights with original decorative looped glazing; fanlight above has original radial and looped glazing. Archway has panelled reveals and soffit. Recessed doorstep is at lower level than pavement; includes an iron bootscraper to right-hand side. Modern metal letterbox and door knocker.

To the right of the arched doorway is an off-licence shop front, of similar character to pub-front but with three pilasters instead of four, incorporating a broad central one between window and door. Window is a large modern timber fixed light set in plain reveals but with a projecting painted stone or concrete cill. Doorway contains a modern rectangular timber 4-panel door with plain rectangular fanlight; plain reveals, with cement doorstep. Antique-style painted metal lamps mounted on wall to each side of off-licence front.

To the right of the off-licence shop front is a single window, rectangular timber fixed light with top-hung vent, set in plain reveals, with projecting painted concrete cill and moulded surround.

At the extreme right-hand end is a segmental-arched vehicle entrance containing a recessed rectangular steel roller door; set in a wooden frame with a rendered tympanum; plain rendered reveals and soffit except for rusticated quoins of adjacent building at right-hand side. Moulded surround to archway rising from a cement base block at the left-hand side. Plastic and metal pub sign mounted on wall over archway.

Vehicular entrance is surfaced with tarmac; side walls of basalt rubble with what appears to be original lime mortar with some later cement repairs; ceiling of modern plywood panels.

Rear elevation consists of the main two-storey front block with a long two-storey return at the right-hand side. Main block has a roof of synthetic slates in regular courses. Walling is rendered with a dry dash of white limestone chippings, swept over a smooth rendered plinth; timber eaves board; PVC gutter and downpipes. Later steel framed balcony and external staircase to left-hand side; modern rectangular doorway and window in first floor opening onto concrete paved balcony. Canted bay to right-hand side has modern PVC door and windows to first floor, with rectangular flush timber glazed door and modern rectangular timber window to ground floor.
Rear return is of similar walling with similar rainwater goods, and similar modern rectangular timber windows, fixed lights with side-hung casements and top-hung vents; flat roof to return, asphalt covered.
Rear wall of front block to right of rear return is one window wide to first floor: wall smooth cement rendered, angled back at the right-hand extremity; synthetic slates to roof, also angled back at right-hand extremity; PVC gutter and downpipe. Ground floor contains a rear doorway from front bar room leading into a rear alley, which is partly enclosed by a corrugated perspex roof. Flat roofed single storey extension beyond rear alley.

SETTING: The building stands in the main street in a terrace of buildings, facing directly onto the front pavement. At the rear there is a tarmac yard between the main block and the return with the tarmac driveway continuing on to a larger rear yard surfaced in concrete, bounded on both sides by a basalt rubble wall, and containing a small single storey garage and funeral parlour block.
At end of larger yard is a grassed garden.

Historical information

Precise date of building uncertain; buildings are shown on the OS map of 1829, but they appear to be smaller than those which appear on the OS map of 1858. Old photographs show sashed windows in the front façade and the original detailing to the shop fronts, now altered. Renovated in 1973 when it was owned by the Marrion family and sold to the present owners c 1997.

References – Primary Sources
1. OS Map 1829, Co Antrim 43.
2. OS Map 1858, Co Antrim 43.
3. Old photographs of Main Street in the possession of Sheelagh Hillen in 2000 (includes this building).

Secondary Sources
1. UAHS, Antrim and Ballymena (Belfast, 1969), p 24 (item no 13).
2. DOE Planning Service, Randalstown Conservation Area booklet (Ballymena, 1996), p 50-51 (an old photograph Main Street which includes part of this building showing sashed windows and original detailing to shop fronts, now altered).

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

Not listed

Criteria for listing: historic interest

Not listed

Evaluation

This is a building of late 18th or early 19th century origin which has now lost most of its original exterior and interior features, with the one notable exception of its main entrance doorway. It is however a building of some merit and contributes to the character of the conservation area.