886 Antrim Road, Templepatrick, Co Antrim, BT39 0AH

886 Antrim Road is a two-storey roughcast house built around 1780, forming part of a terrace of six that occupies a defining position in Templepatrick village. The house is the third from the left in this group. It is listed Grade B2 for its architectural and historical interest.

The building is rectangular on plan, facing north onto Antrim Road. The pitched roof is covered in natural slate with replacement brick chimneys at the party wall. The walling is painted roughcast over a contrasting smooth rendered plinth. A large modern extension has been added to the rear.

The principal north elevation is asymmetrical, with a central entrance containing a modern replacement part-glazed timber door with transom light and architrave. Left and right bays are lit by ground-floor windows; the first floor has a diminished window in each bay. The windows are fixed multi-pane sashes to the ground floor and 3/6 timber sashes to the first floor, all with exposed boxes, painted slightly projecting rendered architraves, and painted masonry cills. A large plastic sign is positioned between the windows. The rear elevation has been completely modernised and extended.

The house retains rainwater goods of half-round metal. Despite considerable internal alterations and changes to original fabric, the terrace maintains its integrity through the retention of original multi-paned windows with exposed boxes and understated ornamentation including the rendered plinth and architraves. The terrace represents a relatively unusual example of urban vernacular and estate architecture.

According to the current owner, the house was burnt down and rebuilt, most likely following total destruction by Royal Troops after the Battle of Antrim on 7 June 1798. The terrace appears on the first edition Ordnance Survey map of 1834. Griffiths Valuation of 1859 records a combination of houses, yards, workshops and a forge in the area, though insufficient detail exists to identify which description applies to each property. All properties were leased from Viscount Templeton, and the terrace may originally have functioned as workers cottages associated with the adjacent Castle Upton estate. The building is currently in use as a gallery or museum.