The Mortuary

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

A single storey red brick building with symmetrical front and rear elevations. Main entrance faces south.

South elevation: hipped roof of green slates in regular courses, with serrated terracotta ridge tiles, and a central ventilator. Ventilator has swept lead covered base on which sits an elliptically arched timber louvred ventilator, surmounted by a square ogee copper dome with ball finial. Two chimneys in red brick with moulded stringcourse and cornice and modern pots. Moulded cast iron gutter. Walls are of red brick with moulded brick cornice, stringcourses, and projecting brick plinth. Openings are elliptically arched with moulded edges. Windows are rectangular timber 8-pane fixed lights.
Main entrance has a modern flush timber door with a plywood panelled sidelight and 2-light fanlight.

Side elevations and rear elevation have dentil cornice, but replaced on entrance front by plain brick eaves course.

West elevation is blank.

Rear elevation has four windows similar to entrance front; PVC soil pipe.

East elevation has a small central projecting block with hipped roof as previous; front face contains a small window of similar design to previous windows; lower flat-roofed store in rear corner with main block, with flush timber door in north side and a bricked up rectangular window opening in east side; modern metal flue pipe.

SETTING: The building stands within the grounds of Holywell Hospital, to the north side of the main driveway, and cut off from overall view from the main hospital by a large hedge. It is approached by a tarmac driveway bordered by grassed areas. Grassy fields and trees to the rear.

Historical information

Designed by the architect John Lanyon as the mortuary for the County Antrim Lunatic Asylum at Holywell which was built in 1894-9; now used as the Transport Office for what is now known as Holywell Hospital.

References – Primary Sources
1. OS Map 1902, Co Antrim 50.
Secondary Sources
1. M. Mulholland, To Comfort Always: A History of Holywell Hospital 1898-1998 (Ballymena, 1998).

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

Not listed

Criteria for listing: historic interest

Not listed

Evaluation

This is a late 19th century building by a prominent Irish architect, designed as part of an overall hospital complex of some architectural interest but it does not form part of the overall architectural composition of the main complex and has lost a number of its original features.