The Old Rectory, 40 Oldstone Road, Muckamore, Antrim, BT41 4PY, Co Antrim

The Old Rectory is a T-shaped house in Italianate style comprising a single-storey 3-bay front block with a 3-storey return to the rear, located within a sunken basement area. The main entrance faces south-east.

The entrance elevation is symmetrical, with one window flanking each side of a central projecting gabled porch. The porch has a pediment supported on a shaped rendered bracket above a semi-circular arched window set in a matching recess. The window is an arched timber sliding sash, vertically hung, 6 over 6 with horns and radial lights to the head. The right-hand side of the porch contains an original rectangular timber 4-panel door surmounted by a radial fanlight, set in a semi-circular arched recess; the left-hand side contains a shallow semi-circular arched recess. Modern black plastic lamps are mounted on the wall on each side of the door, and a modern tiled doorstep is present. On either side of the porch is a large Venetian window comprising an arched timber central light (sashed 2 over 1 with margins, without horns), rectangular timber sidelights (1 over 1 with margins, without horns), set in a raised lugged smooth rendered surround with rectangular mullions. These rise on a deep projecting bracketed sandstone cill with edges repaired in cement.

The walls are smooth rendered, lined and blocked, with a moulded projecting plinth, a moulded stringcourse below eaves brackets, and slightly projecting broad end piers at the extremities. The roof is covered in Bangor blue slates in regular courses with terracotta ridge tiles. Eaves are overhanging on shaped brackets with flat plastered soffits. Cast iron gutters with cast iron downpipes are fitted throughout. On the entrance front, on axis with the porch and behind the ridge of the main roof, a broad chimney stack rises from the rear wall of the front block. It is smooth cement rendered with a projecting moulded cornice and six original octagonal pots.

The left-hand gable of the front block is rendered without stringcourse and has overhanging verges with timber barge boards on shaped brackets. Moulded gutters and soffits return from the front and rear elevations forming an open pedimental feature to the gable, with a decorative moulded cartouche in the apex. Below this is a large Venetian window similar to those of the entrance front but with the addition of a bracketed cornice over the central light; the bottom portion of the scroll on each bracket to the cornice is missing. The right-hand gable of the front block is similar except the brackets of the cornice over the window are intact.

The rear of the front block, at the left-hand wall of the rear return, has a roof slated as the entrance front with a short blank wall. Eaves match those of the entrance front with moulded cast iron gutter and downpipe.

The left-hand wall of the rear return is smooth rendered, lined and blocked. It contains three window openings each to the ground floor and basement, and one window to the first floor in a gabled dormer. The basement windows are rectangular timber sliding sashes, 8 over 4 without horns (modern replacements to the original pattern), with projecting stone cills. The ground floor windows are original sliding sashes, 8 over 8 with horns; the central opening is blind. The first floor dormer is semi-circular arched, 3 over 6, with radial tracery lights and horns. The roof is slated as the main roof with dark toned ridge tiles. A PVC gutter with PVC downpipe is fitted to the right-hand extremity; a cast iron gutter is fitted to the left-hand extremity.

A large basement well with coved outer corners is formed in a rubble stone retaining wall, whitened, with large Tardree granite coping. A rectangular gateway to the rear yard contains a modern scrolling iron gate. The basement well area is covered with grass.

The rear elevation of the return is three-storeys of double pile form with twin gables, each with a chimney at the apex. The walls are smooth rendered, lined and blocked. The chimneys have a moulded projecting cornice and two original pots each. The inner verges have projecting copings which appear to be concrete; the outer verges are flush. A cast iron soil pipe and PVC downpipe descend from a cast iron hopper. A rectangular water tank sits on the valley between the two roofs.

At first floor level, there are two windows, one in each gable: rectangular timber sashes, 8 over 4 with horns. At ground floor level, there is one narrow rectangular timber sash window, 6 over 6 without horns. At basement level, there is one sashed window, 8 over 4 without horns (a modern replacement to the original pattern), with iron bars affixed. Two doors at basement level are rectangular timber 6-panel with top panel glazed, replacements for original glazed and panelled doors of different pattern. Projecting forward at each extremity of the rear elevation are roughly coursed basalt rubble screen walls, each containing a gateway leading to the basement wells or open basement areas at each side.

The right-hand wall of the rear return has walling and roof similar to the left-hand side, but with a different window arrangement. Two windows are positioned in the first bay to the left at intermediate levels due to half-landings of the stairway. All windows are sashed as described elsewhere: 8 over 4 to basement level; 6 over 6 and 8 over 8 to ground floor; and 6 over 6 with radial tracery lights to the first floor dormer, all without horns. The left-hand window to basement level has iron bars affixed. The basement windows and right-hand window to ground level are all new replacements to the original pattern. The dormer has had new cement repairs to the left-hand kneeler or bracket but not accurately to the original shape. A PVC soil pipe is fitted at basement level. A large basement well similar to that on the left-hand side is present with similar walling and gateway to the rear yard; the area is paved with concrete slabs. The rear wall of the front block at the right-hand wall of the rear return matches that on the other side.

The building stands in a rural area on a corner site between two roads, set well back from either road front behind mature trees, shrubs and hedges. It is approached by a main entrance gateway comprising a pair of octagonal cast iron posts with a pair of original looped iron gates, flanked on each side by short curving screens of looped ironwork railings on low rendered plinth walls. The driveway is tarmac, ending in a tarmac area in front of the house, and continues to a rear gateway in a shared driveway. The grounds are laid out with lawns surrounded at the rear by mature trees.

The rear yard is gravelled with a partly concreted and partly gravelled raised terrace across the rear of the house, accessed by four steps. Screen walls projecting from the rear elevation of the rear return extend to form the boundaries of the yard, with rubble copings. A gateway facing south-west comprises square brick piers, whitened, with flat sandstone caps, and is mounted with a pair of double gates in modern ironwork of appropriate design. The rear boundary of the rear yard is occupied by a gabled outbuilding containing a garage and stores. The wall facing into the yard is rendered with wet dash and has a cast iron gutter and downpipe. The roof is slated as the main house. The outbuilding contains one rectangular timber sliding sash window, 6 over 6 with horns; one sheeted timber half-door; one modern preformed steel garage door; and one rectangular opening without a door. The outer face of the boundary wall to the rear yard to the left of the yard gateway is of rubble masonry, whitened. The adjoining gable of the yard outbuilding is rendered with wet dash, whitened, with a circular opening in the apex. The rear wall of the outbuilding is roughly coursed basalt rubble. The outer face of the boundary wall to the north-west side of the rear yard and the adjoining gable of the outbuilding are of basalt rubble.