49 High Street, Antrim, BT41 4AY

49 High Street, Antrim is a mid-Victorian building dating to approximately the third quarter of the 19th century (a structure appears on the 1857 Ordnance Survey map, though its precise date remains unrecorded). The building is of special architectural and historic interest, though it has suffered some inappropriate alterations. It stands within a terrace of shops and houses facing the main street, with rear plots overlooking the river, and lies within the area of an ancient monument (SMR no. ANT 183).

The building is a 3-storey, 5-bay gabled block in Italianate style with ground-floor shop accommodation. The main entrance faces north.

The north elevation features a pitched roof of Bangor blue slates laid in regular courses, with two smooth rendered and painted chimneys topped with modillion cornices and red stub pots, and one modern flush rooflight. The walling is smooth rendered and painted, with raised quoins to the extremities, a plain cill course to the second floor, and a moulded eaves cornice. The ground floor is finished with a full-width fascia incorporating a dentil cornice.

Windows throughout are rectangular timber with two panes, partly fixed light and partly opening sashes. Those on the upper floors are set in moulded lugged and heeled surrounds with shaped pedimental tops and floral ornamentation to the first floor.

The ground floor is smooth rendered, lined and blocked, with panelled pilasters to the left-hand extremity and to each side of the main entrance; the pilasters have foliated capitals. A full-width moulded cornice with dentil course breaks forward slightly at the main entrance, above a moulded plinth. The entrance contains a panelled double-leaf door with a plain rectangular fanlight. Flanking the entrance are large shop windows glazed with plate glass in timber frames with concrete cills. Modern rectangular shop signs are mounted above each shop window and above the entrance. At the extreme right-hand end is a vehicular doorway with a pair of timber sheeted doors leading to an alley at the rear; a cast iron downpipe serves the elevation.

The rear elevation is 3-storey with Bangor blue slate roof in regular courses and one modern rooflight. The walls are rendered with wet dash finish. At ground floor level on the left-hand side is an open carriageway, above which on the first floor is an arched recess. The building features PVC gutters and downpipes. Windows are modern small-paned timber fixed lights with top-hung vents, or single-pane fixed lights with top-hung vents.

A short rear return projects from the first floor, featuring a mono-pitch roof and wet dashed walls with similar windows, carried on an iron beam with steps to a recessed rear entrance below. To the west is a single-storey rear return. To the east is a gabled 3-storey rear return containing one original sashed window (3 over 3 with horns). Projecting south of that is a long 2-storey return with modern fixed lights and opening vents.