The Barn House, No 8 The Adam Yard, Castle Upton, Templepatrick, Co Antrim, BT39 0BE

The Barn House

The Barn House occupies three bays of the east range of the north yard within a larger complex. This is a detached, symmetrical quadrangular-plan range of two-storey multi-bay stone former stable buildings, designed by Robert Adam and built in 1790. The composition includes a main arched entrance clock tower to the south, a further arched rear entrance block to the north, and a central range on an east–west axis with an additional arched tower flanked by a pair of square-plan blocks. Six square-plan towers with chamfered corners define the corners of two yards. The complex was renovated and converted to 12 dwellings between 1988 and 2000.

The roofs are of natural slate with lead to the ridge rolls, pitched to the linear sections with several skylights, hipped to the towers and to the north and south arched entrance blocks. The entrance clock tower is crowned with an octagonal-plan spire featuring lead ridges, natural slate to the lower half, metal louvres to the upper half, and surmounted by a lead globe and weather-vane. A square-plan lead spire to the central arched tower was added around 2008.

The south and central arched towers and all six corner towers (except that to the northwest) feature crenellated parapet walls with sandstone coping resting on a redbrick corbelled course. This parapet treatment appears on the front (south) elevation of the two linear ranges, punctuated by slender arched recesses with redbrick heads. The central arched tower has four bartizans to the corners, formed in redbrick with sandstone corbelling and replacement sandstone capstones. Replacement cast-iron rainwater goods are mounted on iron drive-through brackets to projecting rubblestone eaves courses, with some lead hoppers, redbrick chimneysstacks with octagonal clay pots and lead flashing. The walling consists of coursed and snecked rubblestone with lime pointing and a projecting rubblestone plinth course.

The south entrance tower is flanked by a pair of full-height projecting stone piers on both elevations, surmounted by a parapet wall and sandstone coping on a redbrick corbelled course. These piers feature blind balistrariae to the upper stage and blind loop-holes to the lower stage on both elevations. The balistrariae also adorn the outward-facing chamfered corners of the four outer towers, with a double-height round-headed recess to the south-facing elevations of the front two corner towers only. The rear entrance block features a series of balistrariae to the ground floor of the south elevation, some glazed to the interior wall, while the north elevation has loop-hole openings to the ground floor, also glazed to the interior wall.

Windows are generally square-headed with rendered reveals, concrete sills and timber sash windows with exposed sash boxes (circa 2000). Between the paired piers flanking the arched entrance tower is a slender round-headed window opening to the ground floor with 4/4 timber sash windows, with slender 4/4 timber sash windows to the first floor. The window openings facing the two yards are 6/6 timber sash to the ground floor with oculi openings to the first floor formed in redbrick and fitted with circular timber casement windows. Some large round-headed window openings occupy former carriage arch openings to the central linear range, featuring voussoired stone arches and multi-pane timber windows with integrated fanlights. The linear east and west ranges each have a lucarne opening to the centre facing into the yards, with timber weather board to the gable and timber casement windows. Some tripartite sash windows have been inserted to the outward-facing elevations with central 6/6 flanked by 4/4 timber sash windows. To the first floor of the outward-facing elevations are 3/6 and 6/3 timber sash windows.

The main south entrance clock tower features a large round-headed carriage arch with a sandstone architrave surround, plinth blocks and impost blocks. Above impost level is a timber panel with glazing, while a pair of 19th-century vertically-sheeted timber doors on iron hinges gives access to the yard. The walls and soffit within the arch are finished in smooth lime render with a small square-headed door opening to either side, fitted with replacement timber panelled doors. Door openings are generally square-headed with multi-paned glazed timber doors, some double-leaf. Within the double-height recess of the corner towers of the front south elevation is a round-headed door opening formed in voussoired stone with double-leaf multi-paned timber glazed doors featuring Gothick tracery fanlights and an oculus to the upper stage with circular timber casement windows.

The two yards are surfaced in gravel. The rear (north) yard contains a flower-bed formed in stone setts in the shape of a Prussian iron cross, with a carved stone pedestal and iron sun-dial on a moulded redbrick base. Stone flags surround the east, north and west elevations.

The stable range, now known as the Adam Yard, is located to the east of Castle Upton and is accessed by a long tree-lined avenue set perpendicular to the main street of Templepatrick (Belfast Road). To the north of the rear is a lawned area with a stone ha-ha and small stone bridge, with a bitumac driveway providing vehicular access to the north yard. To the northeast is a seven-bay single-storey stone-clad garage, built around 2000, abutting the wall of the Upton graveyard.