Shane's Castle Outbuildings

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

A group of basalt rubble outbuildings with slated roofs, consisting of an L-shaped range forming part of two large courtyards, and a collection of other detached blocks.

The L-shaped range comprises a long two-storey block forming the south side of a northern courtyard with a long single storey return to the north forming the western side of the same courtyard. Two-storey block has snecked basalt rubble walls with rectangular openings some with later red brick or concrete brick dressings; metal framed windows and timber louvres; taller bay at east end has large rectangular vehicular openings with concrete lintels.

Single storey return block consists of an open fronted shelter with a small enclosed block at the northern extremity containing a sheeted timber door flanked each side by small rectangular 4-pane timber windows.

The detached blocks include very plain basalt rubble and slated roofed buildings with sheeted doors and timber or metal windows of no architectural merit or distinction, and one large long two-storey barn to the west, of squared rubble, with a large brick elliptically arched opening in the south gable, but with later concrete block infill walling on the west elevation.

SETTING: The buildings stand as part of a larger complex of outbuildings (which also includes HB20/04/40A and B) within the demesne of Shane's Castle. These blocks overlook hard surfaced yards or driveways.

Historical information

Built by the O'Neill family as outbuildings for Shane's Castle estate; precise date of buildings not known but the group appears for the first time on the OS map of 1858. Some of them could, however, be as old as 1838 when the Ordnance Survey Memoirs recorded "ranges of cowhouses, cart sheds etc along each side [of the farmyard]."

References – Primary Sources
1. OS Map 1858, Co Antrim 49 (first appearance of this group of outbuildings).
2. Ordnance Survey Memoirs of Ireland, Vol 19: Parishes of County Antrim VI, 1830, 1833, 1835-8 (Belfast, 1993), p 49.

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

A. Style
B. Proportion
C. Ornamentation
H-. Alterations detracting from building
J. Setting
K. Group value

Criteria for listing: historic interest

X. Local Interest

Evaluation

This is a range of early 19th century outbuildings which represents part of the development of Shane's Castle estate and has group value with the other listed outbuildings on the estate.

General comments

This record was originally numbered as HB20/04/040C