Central Tea Rooms

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

Attached two-storey two-bay former ‘Central Dining Rooms’ building, built c.1830, located to south of Main Street. Rectangular on plan with two-storey return and further single-storey extension to rear.

Roofs are pitched and slated with single brick chimney to west end surmounted by masonry coping and replacement pot; roof supported on corbelled brackets to eaves with larger bracket supporting lucarnes. Walls are pebble-dashed with rendered quoins and window surrounds. Windows to first floor are square-headed surrounded by smooth rendered banding; surmounted by hood moulding with carved keystone and corbelled moulded stop, and set on Scotia moulded base on cill course; to second floor, windows are square-headed in round-arched-headed surround with keystone and pilaster (unless otherwise stated). Rear elevation windows are plain square-headed.

Principal elevation faces north and consists of two bays. Ground floor has been commercially fitted out with modern shop fronts to left and right, and entrance to centre containing replacement timber door with rectangular fanlight. Each bay above ground floor contains two windows to first floor level and gable-ended lucarne with fretted timber bargeboard and half-dropped circle motif placed centrally over these to second floor level, containing window with masonry cill supported on brackets. Between second floor windows is rendered band embossed ‘Central Dining Rooms’.

West elevation abutted by 53 Main Street.

South elevation abutted by single-storey flat roofed extension to right and two-storey return to left. Exposed elevation is rough cast; two windows to right and stairwell window to left. Return has three small windows to first floor, (evidence of previous larger windows), abutted to right by single-storey extension with evidence of two window openings and door opening, now blocked.

East elevation abutted by 47 Main Street (HB21/05/012).

Outbuilding to rear of yard to south is three-bay two-storey. Roof is pitched and slated. Walls are random rubble with brick surrounds and voussoirs around openings. Yard enclosed to west by random rubble and brick walling, surmounted by blockwork wall. Enclosed to east by random rubble walling with rendered sections. Front of building entered directly from street.

Roof Artificial slate
Walling Pebbledash
Windows uPVC casement
Rainwater goods Replacement ogee profile guttering

Historical information

The building appears on the first edition OS map of the area (1833) as part of the terrace of buildings that make up Main Street. Originally the building was a shop to the ground floor, with dwelling above.

Primary Sources
1. PRONI VAL1A/1/45, Townland Valuation Map, Co Antrim no 45, 1836
2. PRONI OS/6/1/45/1, 1st Edition OS Map, Co Antrim, sheet no 45, 1833

Secondary Sources
1. Information from tenant

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

Not listed

Criteria for listing: historic interest

Not listed

Evaluation

A two-storey two-bay house on Main Street, originally early 1800s. The building has been modernised on the ground floor and although it retains much of the original layout, it has been compromised by alterations and is not of special architectural or historic interest.