22 Scotch Quarter

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

A two-storey house with a slated gabled roof. Main entrance faces south.

South elevation two-storey, five windows wide with a central entrance doorway. Roofs of Bangor blue slates in regular courses with black tiles on ridge. Roof runs between a gable upstand, with blue tile copings, to right hand side, and is continuous with roof of no. 20 to left hand side. Chimney to each extremity, smooth cement rendered, lined, and blocked; projecting plain rendered cornice; original creamware pots. Walls smooth cement rendered, lined and blocked, and painted cream; brown painted plinth; projecting eaves course. Cast iron gutter with cast iron downpipe to right hand extremity. Windows rectangular timber sliding sash, vertically hung, 1 over 1, with horns, with affixed lightweight plywood 'arches' to ground floor windows; projecting cills of stone or concrete; plain reveals. Steel mesh protective grilles affixed over ground floor windows. Doorway rectangular with flush timber door set in recessed wooden frame with plain rectangular fanlight; concrete doorstep.

East elevation comprises a blank gable of main block with two-storey side of rear return extending to the right rising to a third storey to the right of that. Wall of main block smooth cement rendered, lined and blocked, with cream paint up to first floor level; crack in render from top to bottom. Return has smooth cement rendered finish, painted cream on ground floor only. Two windows to first floor, rectangular timber sliding sash, 6 over 6, without horns; projecting stone cills, one to right in poor condition. Ground floor has wide rectangular opening containing modern timber framed glazed door and screen comprising sidelights and fanlight; timber lintel painted; concrete doorstep. Three-storey portion of return has rectangular timber glazed and panelled door set in plain recess; concrete step; with two rectangular windows to the right; rectangular timber sliding sash, 2 over 1, with horns, with exposed sashbox; projecting cill; and a 9-pane timber fixed light to the right of that. Third floor has a rectangular timber sliding sash window, 6 over 6, without horns. PVC gutter to two-storey return; cast iron gutter to three-storey return, cast iron downpipe and soil pipe.

North elevation comprises blank north gable; wall of smooth cement render, painted cream to ground floor only. Rounded corner to right hand extremity at ground floor with oversailing square corner above.

West elevation from left to right comprises of a three-storey rear block, with two windows to each floor, with a two-storey block stepping forward to the right of that. Walling as north gable. Windows in three-storey portion are rectangular timber sliding sash, 6 over 6, without horns to ground and first floor; with horns to second floor. Plain reveals, projecting stone cills. Cast iron gutter with downpipe partly PVC and partly cast iron. Two-storey return has similar rainwater goods. Two windows, one on each floor, both semi-circular arched. Ground floor window is the larger: sliding sash, 6 over 6 with margin lights and tracery lights incorporating intersecting glazing bars; no horns; projecting stone cill. First floor window of similar character but without margin lights and looks like fixed light.

Concrete yard to each side and around rear of building. Standing to rear beyond yard is a two-storey outbuilding of poor architectural quality. Walls smooth cement rendered; PVC rainwater goods. Rectangular timber windows altered except one sliding sash, 2 over 2, without horns, to extreme left on ground floor. Two built-up or altered doorways; main entrance a modern glazed pair of doors and doorscreen set in a built-up segmental arched opening. Roof of Bangor blue slates in regular courses.

To rear of outbuilding is a large rear yard which extends eastwards to cover the area to the rear of the adjacent buildings, nos. 24 and 26 Scotch Quarter.

SETTING: The building stands facing the main road, overlooking a public park, with an open view to the sea. It stands in an urban area within the built-up area of the town, and forms the end of a terrace development of three houses, all three-storey. The alleyway to side of house leading to rear is closed by a modern steel railed gate and screen. Boundary to large rear yard formed by a rubble stone wall with a gateway of concrete blockwork.

Historical information

The precise date of building is not recorded but it appears on the first OS map, of 1832, along with a small outbuilding immediately to the rear. The Ordnance Survey memoirs in the 1830s recorded that "the best houses in Carrickfergus have been erected within the last 30 years"; "the recently erected houses [from the year 1820 till the year 1835] are mostly situated in Governor's Place, Castle Street and the Scotch Quarter"; and "the houses at the western end of the Scotch Quarter are pretty good looking but they gradually fall off in appearance and finally, at its eastern extremity, dwindle into small and dirty cabins."

References - Primary Sources

1. OS Map 1832, Co Antrim 52.
2. Ordnance Survey Memoirs of Ireland, Vol 37; Parishes of County Antrim XIV, 1832, 1839-40 (Belfast, 1996), pp 29-30, 31.
3. S. Lewis, A topographical dictionary of Ireland, Vol 1 (London, 1837), p 270.

Secondary Sources

1. UAHS, Carrickfergus (Belfast, 1978; revised 1980), p 33.

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

Not listed

Criteria for listing: historic interest

Not listed

Evaluation

This is a house of probably early 19th century date which has retained a fine original staircase but has otherwise undergone many alterations to both inside and outside which together greatly diminish its historical and architectural value.