Entrance and wall of graveyard, Oldstone Road, Muckamore, Antrim, Co Antrim

An irregular-shaped graveyard with a Tudor arched sandstone entrance. Entrance faces west. Gateway is of sandstone ashlar flanked by diagonal buttresses; projecting plinth with moulded weathering; moulded weatherings to two-stage buttresses. Chamfered arch in three stages has a deeply moulded hood with large carved head stops; late Gothic foliage carved in spandrel panels; archway surmounted by a crenellated parapet which rises to a small central gable; Gothic panelled pinnacles to each extremity of parapet, rising from moulded corner corbels; top of finial on north side missing. Archway contains a pair of double gates of cast iron, which have cusped panelling in Perpendicular Gothic style, with spear-headed finials. Gateway flanked to each side by snecked basalt wing walls, curved forward at the ends and continuing to each side to form the front boundary walls of lower height, which end at the extremities with large square piers, with moulded sandstone caps and large octagonal finials. Wing walls and front boundary walling capped by moulded sandstone copings, with raised moulded copings to the extremities of the wings. Extending beyond each end pier are short set-back boundary retaining walls of basalt rubble. Inside the gates the graveyard rises rapidly in level, approached by a flight of stone steps bordered by modern wooden rails; beyond the wing walls the level is raised, with front boundary walling acting as retaining walls. Rear face of archway is of ashlar, unornamented. Rear face of wing walls to each side is of basalt rubble. Graveyard is grassed over, of uneven surface: contains a number of headstones and iron railed enclosures, none of any special architectural merit. Oldest grave noted is dated 1751; others are mainly of 19th century date. Boundary walls to each side and rear are of basalt rubble with granite copings to western portions and basalt rock copings to the eastern parts. SETTING: The graveyard stands in a rural area facing the main road with a pavement across the front. Mature trees surround it to the sides and rear. Directly facing the main entrance on the opposite side of the road is a 19th century house with Tudor-arched openings (HB20/13/004).