47 Oldstone Road

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

A single storey gabled and slated steep roofed building with a Tudor-Revivalist arched porch, ornamented timber barge boards, with a similar gabled steep roofed rear wing to one side and a two-storey rear return to the other side. Main entrance faces west.

West elevation symmetrical with one window to each side of a central porch. Roofs of Bangor blue slates in regular courses; curvilinear openwork timber barge boards to oversailing eaves, with turned timber finials; metal ventilator coil on main ridge. Walls rendered with white painted roughcast, with smooth cement rendered plinth and vertical strips to corners. Windows modern rectangular PVC casements in rectangular openings with later brickwork panelling to head. Cast iron gutters with cast iron downpipes.
Porch has a Tudor-Revivalist arch, smooth rendered with original lettering recently revealed below stripped paintwork, inscribed 'Muckamore National School' in Gothic lettering; chamfered reveals and drip moulding over. Doors are a pair of original sheeted timber doors with iron nail heads exposed. Side walls of porch contain ocular windows, probably later insertions or remodelling.
Gables of main block have modern rectangular windows to ground floor arranged in large rectangular panels of smooth render and brick panelling. Similar modern windows have been inserted in the rear wing to left-hand side.

Rear return has slated roofs, red brick chimneys, and retains rectangular timber sashed windows, 1 over 1 and 2 over 1, with horns, set in smooth cement rendered surrounds with Tudor-Revivalist drip mouldings. End gable of rear return has similar sashed windows in plain surrounds without drip mouldings.
Modern flush rooflights to rear elevations of rear return and rear wing. Rear return has a later lean-to block added to it, built of partly whitened and partly rendered brickwork.

SETTING: The building stands in a rural area facing the main road, set back from it within its own grounds. Tarmac area in front, extending to sides; garden to rear, with mature trees to sides and rear. Front boundary formed by a low basalt rubble wall with rock coping stones; modern dry dashed gate piers with a pair of looped iron gates.

Historical information

Built in 1865 by Samuel Thompson, owner of the Muckamore Abbey estate, as a school and teacher's residence. Previously the Thompson family had paid for the building of the nearby St Jude's church and its rectory. Known as Muckamore County Primary School by the 1960s but later became a private house.

References – Primary Sources
1. Dublin Builder, Vol VII, 1 July 1865, p 170.
2. OS Map 1962-3, Co Antrim 50 (named 'Muckamore Co.Pr.Sch.').

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

Not listed

Criteria for listing: historic interest

Not listed

Evaluation

This is a former 19th century school and teacher's residence of some historic interest in relation to the development of the Muckamore area by the local land-owning family, the Thompsons of Muckamore Abbey, but which is now of limited architectural interest due to the loss of a number of its original features.