39 High Street

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

A 3-storey, 1-bay gabled house in a terrace, with the ground floor shopped, the house returning to a 3-storey, 3-bay side elevation. Shop entrance faces north; house entrance faces west.

North elevation: pitched roof of Bangor blue slates in regular courses. Window openings are rectangular, the one on the second floor containing a modern timber fixed light with top-hung vents, the one on the first floor being currently blocked up.
Ground floor: rendered as similar to upper floors; contains a modern shop front which comprises a timber framed window of two panes, which returns to the left-hand side with similar glazing, to form one side of a recessed open porch. Shop front window slightly oversails a terrazzo base. Porch has terrazzo flooring; timber slated left-hand side to porch; similar timber ceiling. Doorway contains a timber framed door now boarded over, surmounted by a rectangular fanlight. Across top of porch and shop window is a tongued and grooved timber sheeted fascia on an angled plane.

West elevation comprises a blind 3-storey gable, with a 3-storey, 3-bay block extending to the right of that: block to right has a slated roof, polychrome brick chimney, rectangular timber sliding sash windows to upper floors, 9 over 9, 6 over 6, and 6 over 1, without horns, but with some sashes missing. Ground floor has a blocked up window to each side of a blocked up doorway; doorway is semi-circular arched, with panelled pilasters, panelled surround to fanlight, with patera and ornamented keystone, and radial glazing bars to fanlight; two granite steps.

Rear elevation: there is no rear facing elevation as such, as the rear return is abutted by the gable of an adjoining block in Bridge Street. East face of rear return is 1-bay, 4-storey: wall of smooth cement render. Doorway in ground floor has a derelict timber frame and small fanlight with metal sheet closing it. Above is a rectangular timber sliding sash window, 6 over 3, without horns, set in exposed sash boxes, with broken glazing; above that is a similar window but 6 over 6; above that is a 2-pane fixed light in timber. Cast iron gutter and downpipes.
Abutting the gable of the rear return is a block facing Bridge Street, with its rear elevation facing east: smooth rendered walls, cast iron rainwater goods; projecting 2-storey bay in timber clad framing on smooth rendered plinth, in poor condition.

SETTING: The building stands at the end of a terrace of shops and houses which face the main street, and occupies a corner site with Bridge Street. Adjoining the building on the Bridge Street side is a modern 3-storey infill block of very poor quality. The
setting at the rear is degraded by inappropriate and unsympathetic architectural elements out of character with the original building.

Historical information

Precise date of building not recorded but a building appears on the site on the OS map of 1832.

References – Primary Sources
1. OS Map 1832, Co Antrim 50.

Secondary Sources
1. UAHS, Antrim and Ballymena (Belfast, 1969), p 9.

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

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

Criteria for listing: historic interest

X. Local Interest

Evaluation

This is a building originally of probably early 19th century date which despite external and internal alterations still has architectural and historic interest including group value with the two adjoining buildings.