4 Parade Ground, Randalstown, Antrim, Co Antrim, BT41 3AA

4 Parade Ground, Randalstown

This house forms part of a terrace of seven houses, probably a remodelling of a former militia barracks. The terrace occupies the site of the barracks of the Antrim Regiment of Militia, built by Lord O'Neill in 1816 at a cost of £2000. The original barracks consisted of three parallel ranges of buildings, with the front range facing the river comprising four contiguous two-storey houses, 130 feet long and 20 feet deep. The present terrace, with its projecting porches, appears to be a later remodelling, dating to the mid-to late 19th century (shown on the Ordnance Survey map of 1903 with its current form, while plain rectangular blocks appear on the maps of 1829 and 1858). Originally there were four houses in the block facing the river; there are now seven with projecting porches. The parade ground in front of the barracks, originally described as a handsome level space 36 yards broad extending 184 yards along the river edge, was later shortened by the building of the railway viaduct in the mid-1850s. The terrace as a whole has architectural and historic character and benefits from a good setting beside the river Main and a listed bridge and viaduct.

The building is a two-storey, two-bay house. The east elevation comprises a two-storey main block containing two windows, one to each floor, to the right of a projecting single-storey gabled porch. The main block roof is of Bangor blue slates in regular courses with one chimney to the right-hand extremity, common with the adjoining property. The chimney is smooth rendered with a plain projecting brick cornice and three modern pots. The wall is smooth rendered and white painted, with a projecting eaves course on the frieze and black painted reveals to openings. A metal gutter with cast iron downpipe drains the roof. Windows are rectangular timber white-painted sliding sash, 2 over 4, with horns, set in exposed white-painted sash boxes; they have projecting stone cills painted black.

The porch has a roof slated as the main block but with overhanging eaves with exposed rafter feet. Decorative timber barge boards to the gable are ornamented with scrolling fretwork. The porch has a cast iron gutter and downpipe. The walls are rendered as the main block but with raised quoins to the outer corners of the porch, painted black. The front wall of the porch contains a window, one of a pair with the adjoining house: a rectangular timber sliding sash, 1 over 2, with horns, in a partly recessed frame, painted white with black reveals, with a projecting stone cill. The side wall of the porch, facing north, contains the main entrance: a rectangular timber panelled door in plain reveals with a concrete step.

The rear elevation is two-storey with a two-storey gabled rear return. The roof of the main block is slated as the entrance front. The wall of the main block is smooth rendered with a plain projecting eaves course on the frieze. The rear return has smooth rendered, white-painted walls with raised quoins to the outer corners of a single-storey rear projection, painted black. The roofs are slated as the main block. The return and rear projection have overhanging eaves with exposed rafter ends and plain timber barge boards. Cast iron gutters and downpipes are fitted throughout.

Two doorways and two windows are located in the side wall of the return facing south. These are rectangular timber sheeted doors and timber sashed windows (2 over 4 and 1 over 2), with horns, set in exposed white-painted sash boxes, in plain reveals painted black, with projecting concrete cills painted black. The left door is the rear door of the ground floor flat; the right door is the front door for the first floor flat. The gable of the return is two-storey with rectangular timber sashed 2 over 4 windows with horns, exposed white-painted sash boxes, in plain black-painted reveals with projecting concrete cills painted black. The gable of the rear projection contains a rectangular timber sheeted door leading into an outhouse bin store.

The building stands within the built-up area of the town, located in a terrace facing the river but set well back from it. An extensive hardstanding in front is surfaced partly in tarmac, with a low rendered retaining wall to the riverbank forming the front boundary, incorporating a large metal pipe on concrete supports, viewed through a screen of mature trees. The front open area is bounded to the north by a basalt retaining wall surmounted by original iron railings, retaining the end of the elevated main street. To the south, a tall railway viaduct, now defunct, built of snecked basalt rubble, bounds the front open area. At the rear is an open yard or compound common to the other houses in the terrace, mainly of hard surfacing. Slated single-storey basalt rubble garages or sheds form the west boundary to the rear area. A concrete path immediately skirts the rear perimeter of the house.

The house was derelict by 1992, when it was repaired, extended at the rear, and converted into two flats.