Castle Chester,

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

Attached six-bay two-storey house, built c.1800, located to the west side of Marine Parade. Rectangular-on-plan with attached houses to north-east.

Roof is pitched and artificial slated; simple concrete skews; roughcast chimneys to gables have replacement pots. Walls are roughcast rendered with rusticated quoins and brick corbelled eaves. Windows are exposed box timber framed 2/2 sliding sash (horizontally divided) with painted masonry sills (windows larger at ground floor).

Principal elevation faces south and consists of six openings at each floor arranged about a round arch headed opening containing timber sheeted entrance door with decorative strap hinges; plain glazed fanlight.

West gable is blank.

North elevation is abutted on left by adjoining house. Exposed wall contains, at right, two windows at each floor; timber sheeted entrance door to centre; transom light; sidelight to left; at left, 6/3 sliding sash window at ground floor, 6/6 sliding sash window to stairwell, small casement window at first floor.

East gable is roughcast and contains two windows at each floor.

Set within garden to east, stepped down to Marine Parade, accessed through rendered walling. To south, garden enclosed by rubble walling; pitched single-storey timber and rubble outbuildings. Accessed from west through rubble walling containing arched gateway, from ruin of Castle Chichester. To north, attached two-storey house and outbuildings.

Roof: Pitched artificial slate
Walling: Rough rendered
Windows: Exposed box timber framed 2/2 sliding sash (divided horizontally); painted masonry sills
RWG: Cast-iron half-round gutters with round downpipes

Historical information

The first edition Ordnance Survey map of 1832 shows two adjacent L-shaped buildings on the site, captioned ‘Castle Chichester’. The second edition Ordnance Survey map of 1857 shows an extension to the southernmost building on the right side. The third edition OS map of 1902 shows the buildings further altered in plan, showing a rectangular building with two wing projections.

The Townland Valuation of 1836 records a dwelling and offices occupied by Samuel McKinistry, with a value of £9 10s. The property measurements are given of which there are three sections, one of which is described as ‘large farm [house]’. A deduction is made in the valuation for ‘inconvenient situation’.

Griffith’s Valuation of 1859 records the northern building as a ‘house (part of), offices and land’. The occupier is listed as William McKeen and the lessor as Charles Leslie. The building is valued initially at £7 10s, thereafter revised to £8.10s (date not given). The southern building is entered as a ‘house (part of)’; the occupier is listed as Alexander Black and the lessor the aforementioned William McKeen. This building is valued at £2 10s. The valuer’s note reads ‘the…possession of the farm…was sold in the course of the [season] for about £1400’.

Boyle’s OS memoirs (1839) refer to the adjacent Castle as follows:
‘Its square form, the style of its construction, particularly in its secret stairs constructed in its walls, suggest the idea that its erection took place in the 12th or 13th century….. . Its name, however, would imply otherwise, as the Chichesters were not possessed of any property in this country until the conclusion of the 16th century …… . There was, until about the middle of the 17th century, a considerable village or town at Castle Chichester. It possessed a harbour or quay, of which the remains are still to be seen. It had a considerable trade with Scotland, and was the station from whence the mails were dispatched to that country. The castle may probably have been for some time occupied by some of the Chichesters, or from some other cause or motive have received its present name on becoming their property’.

References

Primary Sources:
1. PRONI OS/6/1/47/1 –First Edition OS Map (1832)
2. PRONI OS/6/1/47/2 –Second Edition OS Map (1857)
3. PRONI OS/6/1/47/2 –Third Edition OS Map (1902)
4. PRONI VAL/1/A/1/47 –Townland Valuation Map (1836)
5. PRONI VAL/1/B/118 –Townland Valuation Fieldbook (1836)
6. PRONI VAL/2/A/1/47 –Griffith's Valuation Map (1857)
7. PRONI VAL/2/B/15 -Griffith's Valuation Fieldbook (1859)
8. OS Memoirs; Larne and Island Magee. Vol.10 1833, 1835, 1839

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

A. Style
B. Proportion
C. Ornamentation
D. Plan Form
I. Quality and survival of Interior
J. Setting

Criteria for listing: historic interest

X. Local Interest

Evaluation

An attached six-bay two-storey house, built c.1800, located to the west side of Marine Parade overlooking the sea front. The building is simply detailed to exterior and retains many original features both externally and internally, adding to its architectural interest. Castle Chester stands out as a building of architectural and historic interest in this area of Whitehead.