Ulster Bank, 8 Market Square, Antrim, BT41 4AW

Ulster Bank, Market Square, Antrim

This Victorian bank was built in 1886 to the designs of Thomas Jackson, a well-known Belfast architect. It is a five-bay, two-storey stuccoed block in Italianate style, facing south onto the main street. The building retains its distinctive Italianate entrance façade, though its interior layout and some detailing have been lost. Despite these alterations, it remains a building of substantial architectural quality.

The south elevation features a gabled roof of Bangor blue slates laid in regular courses. The walling is of painted render, smooth to the upper storey and rusticated to the lower storey, with a moulded plinth, quoins at the extremities, a plain platband at first floor level, and a moulded eaves cornice and frieze with paired shaped brackets. One smooth rendered chimney with cornice, frieze and four stub pots rises from the roof. Windows throughout are rectangular timber sliding sash, 1 over 1 with horns, paired about central panelled pilasters with lugged and heeled surrounds and shaped brackets. A single similar window occupies the central space above the entrance. The entrance is marked by a raised semi-circular arched surround with moulded cornice, panelled pilasters and keystone, containing a rectangular timber panelled door surmounted by a semi-circular fanlight. The entrance is approached by a flight of steps contained by low smooth rendered walls and pedestals surmounted by original cast iron railings, which extend across the front of the building from the pedestals on a smooth rendered plinth, returning in a curve to the front face. A cast iron downpipe serves the south elevation.

The west elevation is a two-storey gable with attic storey. The wall is smooth rendered, lined and blocked, with painted projecting coping continuing across the base of the chimney. The cornice, rusticated quoins and platband from the front elevation return a short distance on the west gable, though without return quoins to the ground floor. At ground floor level, the remnant of an arch projects from the wall, formerly leading to the rear of the building. One timber sliding sash window, 1 over 1 with horns, serves the first floor; two semi-circular arched timber sliding sash windows, 1 over 1 with horns, light the attic storey.

The rear elevation has roof and walls rendered as the west elevation. The main rear wall to the left of the rear return contains rectangular timber sliding sash windows, 1 over 1 with horns, except for one ground-level window which is a modern timber fixed light with side-hung casements. A semi-circular arched stair window of timber fixed lights is also present. The rear return contains modern timber windows with fixed lights and top-hung vents, along with PVC fixed lights.

The east elevation comprises a gable similar to the west, but with returning quoins to both ground and first floors. A cast iron downpipe is present. Two attic windows only are provided, as on the west gable.

Projecting from the south side of the east elevation at ground floor level is a single-storey block with monopitch roof containing an automatic banking machine. This structure has smooth rendered walls, rusticated to the front and lined and blocked to the side, with a moulded cast iron gutter, cast iron downpipe and slate roof matching the main building.

The building stands facing the main street, with a lower modern building alongside it to the west, a modern shopping centre behind it, and a side yard to the east. The side yard is enclosed by a pair of widely spaced gate piers of apparently modern construction, with steel railed gates closed off by modern wooden fencing. The rear yard has a concrete surface and is bounded by plain smooth rendered walls. The building lies within a conservation area.