Muckamore House, Oldstone Road, Muckamore, Antrim, Co Antrim

Muckamore House is a two-storey late Victorian country house in Italianate style, laid out on an asymmetrical plan with its main entrance facing north. The north elevation is five windows wide at first floor level, with the main plane set back from the third to fifth openings from the left on the first floor. At ground floor level there is a set-back from the third window, incorporating a projecting porch. The roofs are covered with Bangor blue slates laid in regular courses, with overhanging eaves supported on a bracketed cornice.

The walls are finished in smooth cement render, or stucco, with a projecting moulded plinth. The ground floor features channelled rustications, while the first floor has smooth render. Moulded string courses run across both storeys, forming cills to the windows. Ground floor windows are rectangular timber sliding sash windows, vertically hung, one over one pane, with horns, set in rusticated reveals. First floor windows are similarly sashed but have segmental heads and are set within segmental arched openings with chamfered reveals and moulded surrounds with keystones. Moulded cast iron gutters run along the eaves with rectangular cast iron downpipes secured by trefoil brackets and moulded hoppers. The chimneys are smooth cement rendered with moulded cornices and caps.

The porch is single storey with rusticated square piers and pilasters. To one side is a three-light rectangular timber glazed screen with moulded mullions and transom. The porch is surmounted by an open-work balustrade on three sides, which returns to the east over the ground floor bay to the left. Four granolithic steps with moulded nosings, now cut through by a concrete ramp, lead to the front entrance at the rear of the open porch. The ceiling of the porch is stuccoed with a moulded cornice. The side wall of the porch facing the glazed screen is rusticated to match the exterior. The main entrance is of rectangular timber construction, stained and varnished, comprising a large nine-panel door set between plain pilasters, flanked by glazed sidelights and panels, with a plain fanlight over. Modern tubular steel handrails have been fixed to each side of the ramp, attached to the door frame.

Extending to the left of the main block and set back from it is a lower two-storey wing, four windows wide to each floor, with walling similar to the main block. The windows are similar to those in the main block except that the surrounds to the first floor are not moulded.

The east elevation is essentially symmetrical, three windows wide to the first floor between projecting chimney stacks, but with the lower two-storey wing projecting from it at the right-hand side. The bracketed cornice is continuous across the elevation. The main projecting string course from the front and rear elevations returns at each side to meet the chimney stacks, and the channelled rustications from front and rear also return for a short length. First floor windows are rectangular timber sashes as described previously but set in continuous moulded surrounds. At ground floor level, currently only visible from within the courtyard, there is a doorway to the left and a window to the right. The rectangular doorway contains a rectangular flush timber door set in a deep recess, approached by five concrete steps. The window is a large rectangular timber sliding sash, vertically hung, six over six panes, with horns, plain reveals, and a projecting concrete cill. A crude covered way has been constructed across the ground floor consisting of a corrugated iron roof on tubular steel supports.

The east gable of the service wing has a smooth cement rendered first floor and a ground floor rendered with dry dash of mixed stone chippings. The hipped roof is slated as previously described, with a later modern fire escape door breaking up through the eaves line in a small gable of crude construction. The door is a modern glazed two-panel timber door. There is one window to the first floor on the right-hand side, a small rectangular timber sliding sash, three over three panes, with horns and a recessed cill. A cast iron gutter runs behind the moulded cornice, with a rectangular cast iron downpipe to the right, fixed with trefoil brackets. At ground floor level there is one window: a modern rectangular timber, two-light casement window with plain fanlight, set in plain reveals with a projecting rendered cill that is partly damaged, revealing the brickwork carcass. A large metal fire escape staircase runs from the first floor.

The south side of the service wing is of two storeys, laid out on an L-plan with a later single storey lean-to infill block of one storey in front. The walling is of smooth cement render except for dry dash finish to the ground floor of the projecting end bay. The roof is slated as previously described. A hidden gutter runs behind the moulded cornice with circular cast iron downpipes. First floor windows of the main wall of the return are sashed, three over three panes, with horns. The first floor window in the end bay is one over one panes, with horns. Two ground floor windows of the infill block are large, sashed, six over six panes, with horns. The end bay has a plain rectangular flush door, and the infill block has a glazed and panelled door with two-pane sidelights and a two-pane fanlight.

The east side of the kitchen yard has a single storey lean-to block with dry dashed walls and two ledged timber doors, projecting from the dry dashed yard wall. A rectangular timber ledged door to the left leads to the stable yard to the east. The south side of the kitchen yard has a single storey lean-to covered passage of corrugated asbestos on a timber beam, supported by two cast iron posts, set against a dry dashed yard wall.

The rear elevation of the main block is two-storey, of similar detailing and materials to the entrance front. It contains a central two-storey canted bay with one window to each storey in each face of the bay. The wall to the left of the bay has two windows to the ground floor and one to the first floor, sashed and detailed as previously described to the front. The wall to the right of the bay has two windows to the ground floor with two above in the first floor, in line. The ground floor windows are as previously described but the first floor windows are rectangular timber sashes, vertically hung, one over one panes, with horns, set in segmental arched openings with segmental recessed stuccoed panels above what appears to be moulded timber window heads. Extending to the right is the long screen wall of the yard to the east, linked to the main block by a modern tongued and grooved doorscreen. There is a circular section cast iron downpipe and soil pipe, and two other modern soil pipes wrapped in insulating material. The cast iron downpipe is incomplete, finished in PVC.

The west elevation of the main block is of similar architectural character to the front with similar materials and detailing. It has four windows to the ground floor and four to the first floor, asymmetrically arranged, all timber sashed as previously described to the entrance elevation.

The outbuildings and screen walls of the stable yard extend to the east from the end of the service wing. A screen wall of rendered rubble with a roughcast finish contains a pair of smooth cement rendered square piers, now missing gates, leading into the former stable yard. To the east of the gateway is a gabled end of a two-storey block of basalt rubble, roughly coursed, with handmade red brick quoins and block dressings to two windows, one in each floor. The windows have projecting concrete cills and there is a platband at first floor level. The upper opening contains timber louvres, and the lower opening is a rectangular timber sliding sash window, vertically hung, three over three panes, with horns and iron bars affixed. The gable has oversailing eaves with timber barge boards on shaped brackets.

The east elevation of the two-storey block is of similar walling. The ground floor window to the right is a later insertion with machine-made red brick dressings, a concrete lintel, and contains metal casements. To the left of the window is a doorway with a rectangular ledged timber door set in a segmental brick archway. To the left of that is a small window with brick surrounds, a rectangular timber sliding sash, two over two panes, with horns. To the left of that is a poor quality lean-to outside toilet. At the extreme left is a crude rectangular opening blocked by wood and dressed in cement. Across the upper level are small rectangular openings containing timber louvres. The whole elevation is difficult to view owing to overgrowth. The roof is of Bangor blue slates in regular courses with oversailing eaves and timber barge boards. A large heating flue emerges from the base of the east wall.

The end elevation to the south is smooth cement rendered with a rendered platband at first floor level and timber barge boards on shaped brackets. There are two windows to the ground floor, rectangular timber sliding sash, two over two panes, with horns and iron bars affixed, and one opening to the first floor, rectangular, containing timber louvres. To the left of the south gable is the smooth cement rendered, lined and blocked, rear wall of a single storey gabled block in the stable yard, with a roof slated as previously described. The gable end to the west has oversailing eaves with timber barge boards on shaped brackets. Set back to the left of the single storey gabled block is a screen wall to the yard, smooth cement rendered, partly coped with black ridge tiles and partly with concrete coping. Three rows of pipe ducting are attached.

Within the stable yard, the ground surface is of loose black stone chippings on hard core. The east side is occupied by a gabled two-storey block with a roof of Bangor blue slates in regular courses and black ridge tiles. Cast iron gutters and cast iron downpipes in poor condition run along the eaves. The walling is of basalt rubble with red brick dressings to the openings. The openings include a new doorway to the left containing a flush timber door with plain fanlight set in modern pressed bricks, a window to the ground floor which is a rectangular timber sliding sash, two over two panes, with horns, set in an original brick surround, and a large rectangular opening with timber boxing to a beam, supported on chamfered timber struts, leading into a recessed lobby area. On the first floor are small rectangular openings containing timber louvres, with a gabled dormer above the main rectangular opening. The dormer has a segmental brick arched opening, now without a door, and timber barge boards on shaped brackets. A chimney to the right-hand extremity is constructed of brickwork smooth cement rendered, in poor condition. The brick walling within the recessed lobby area contains rectangular ledged timber doors leading into heating chambers. The ceiling of the recess is timber boarded.

The south side of the stable yard is occupied by a single storey gabled block and a line of garages. All roofs are of Bangor blue slates in regular courses. The single storey block has walling of brickwork and ledged timber doors. The west side of the stable yard is formed by the east gable of the service wing of the house, already described, with a later low-quality lean-to block to the south of it.

The house stands in its own grounds surrounded by grassed areas, with agricultural land to the south and east. There are mature trees and shrubs in the immediate vicinity of the house, with a tarmac area to the front and to the west side. It is approached by a winding driveway from the main road to the west. There is also an overgrown driveway from the main road to the east, marked by a set of gate piers.

The gate piers at the entrance to the eastern driveway consist of a pair of square gate piers with recessed panels and moulded caps, flanked by curving screen walls terminating in a pair of smaller and less elaborate piers. All are smooth cement rendered. The original gates are missing and have been replaced by a modern tubular steel gate. Extending to each side of the gatescreen are low basalt rubble boundary walls to the estate. The eastern driveway is now disused, overgrown, and not passable. The original gates are currently in storage in a garage in the stable yard: a pair of wrought iron ornamental gates with scrolling designs and ball finials.