Market Square

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

A rectangular courtyard surrounded on three sides by one and two-storey buildings forming a large tarmac yard behind the former market house (now a public library). The entrance to the yard is by a pair of gateways from the street to the west, to each end of the former market house.

North and south sides of yard bounded by an L-shaped building in red brick with roof of Bangor blue slates in regular courses. Main elevations comprise a series of wide elliptical brick arches to the ground floor. Arches contain timber sheeted double doors, or are partly blocked in red brick and contain smaller segmental arched windows or doors; moulded brick string courses to piers but much damaged, either broken off or crudely patched with cement. First floor contains alternating doorways and smaller windows in each bay, all segmental headed except one rectangular door and one rectangular window: timber sheeted double doors but some later replaced with flush timber. Some original small paned windows retained, but most altered.
Moulded gutter, looks like PVC or light metal, with what looks like tin downpipes.
Gable at west end of north wing has a tall upstand or parapet; gable at south end of east wing has flush verges.
Projecting from the west gable of the north wing is a single storey outbuilding of basalt rubble painted, with synthetic slates to roof, and PVC rainwater goods. Rectangular window and door openings, some blocked up.

Rear elevation, facing east: basalt rubble walling to the basement storey, with red brick to the upper storey; slated roof as previous to front. Rectangular metal framed windows.

Bounding the yard on the south side is a low range of sheds or garages in two blocks. One block is of six garages, with original circular cast iron posts and shaped timber brackets now embedded in later brick piers; double doors, timber sheeted; roof of Bangor blue slates in regular courses. A lower block of three garages is built of basalt rubble with concrete lintels, slated roof as previous.
PVC gutters to both blocks, with PVC downpipe.

Gateways are linked to the front boundary railings of the former market house, on the west side of the yard, and to adjacent buildings beyond; piers are square, of coursed rhyolite but caps missing from all except extreme north one which is embodied in the single storey buildings on that side.
Gateway at south end is open with gates missing from a pair of rhyolite piers.
Gateway at north end still retains a pair of original cast iron gates but in damaged condition.

SETTING: The market yard stands within the built-up area of the town, set back from a main street behind the former market house (now the public library). Central part of yard occupied by a pair of later large semi-circular roofed corrugated iron sheds with rendered gables to the north, containing entrances.

Historical information

Built in 1892 to replace the previous market yard buildings destroyed by fire sometime before 1857; they had been built in the 1840s or early 1850s. Occupied by the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers and the American Army during the Second World War, of 1939-45.

References – Primary Sources
1. OS Map 1858, Co Antrim 43 (shows buildings to rear of market house enclosing a yard).

Secondary Sources
1. UAHS, Antrim and Ballymena (Belfast, 1969), p 24 (item no 8).
2. Antrim Borough Council, Historic Antrim and Randalstown: heritage trails leaflet (Antrim, 2000).
3. DOE Planning Service, Randalstown Conservation Area booklet (Ballymena, 1996), p 7.

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

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

Criteria for listing: historic interest

X. Local Interest
Y. Social, Cultural or Economic Importance

Evaluation

A late Victorian courtyard that replaced an earlier late Georgian one. The building facades to the courtyard have a uniformity and definite architectural rhythm. They also have group value with the adjacent former market house.