50 Main Street, Crumlin, Co Antrim, BT29 4UR

50 Main Street, Crumlin

A two-storey gabled building with attics, four windows wide, dating from the early Victorian period (1840–1859). The house was known historically as 'Ulsterville', though this name no longer appears on the building. A structure is recorded on the Ordnance Survey map of 1832–3, but the present building's style indicates an early Victorian rebuilding. The building was listed in 1974.

The north elevation, facing the main street, has a roof of Bangor blue slates laid in regular courses between gable copings. Three chimneys rise from the roof, smooth cement-rendered with moulded cornices: one on each gable and one in an intermediate position on the ridge with a single pot. The walls are smooth cement-rendered and lined, with raised quoins at the extremities, a moulded plinth, and moulded cornice. A cast iron gutter returns to the side elevation on the right.

The ground floor contains the main entrance doorway on the left-hand side, flanked by three sashed windows on the right. The first floor has four rectangular timber vertically hung sliding sash windows, 2 over 2, with horns, set in aedicule surrounds comprising triangular pediments, curved ornamented brackets, panelled pilasters, and small brackets below projecting cills. Modern canopies have been added over each opening, obscuring the architectural features to the heads.

The entrance doorway is particularly fine, with a pair of fluted Ionic columns on short pedestals set within a segmental moulded surround. A deep-set plain fanlight sits above a lintel with scalloped chamfers to its top and bottom edges. The rectangular timber door is original, four-panel work with semi-circular heads to the upper panels, all panels raised and fielded. Original iron doorknob, letterbox, and knocker survive.

The east gable is rendered in wet dash with a patch repaired in smooth cement render, lined and blocked, with raised quoins to the right-hand extremity. Two attic windows are semi-circular headed, timber vertically hung sliding sash, 1 over 1, with horns, each with a projecting moulded label with ornamented stops. The west gable is smooth cement-rendered, lined and blocked, with a single attic window similar to those on the east gable.

The rear elevation is complex. The main block stands 2½ storeys, with a single-storey flat-roofed return projecting forward on the left-hand side and a two-storey gabled return at the extreme right-hand end, which returns again with a single-storey flat-roofed wing to form a small inner courtyard. Main house walls are smooth cement-rendered, lined and blocked; the roof is Bangor blue slate in regular courses between gable upstands. Three chimneys, smooth cement-rendered with moulded cornices, serve the main block. Cast iron gutters and downpipes are present. The eaves line is broken by two wall-head dormers with shallow sloping roofs containing rectangular timber windows, vertically hung sliding sash, 2 over 2, with horns and concrete cills. Two first-floor windows on the left-hand side are rectangular, sashed with similar cills. Two semi-circular headed stair windows to the right-hand side, one above the other, feature timber vertically hung sliding sash: the top window is 1 over 1 with horns; the lower is 3 over 2 with margin lights.

The left-hand return has a flat roof covered in asphalt and PVC rainwater goods. Its windows are rectangular timber with fixed lights and top-hung vents. Walls are smooth cement-rendered, lined and blocked. The right-hand return has a Bangor blue slate roof in regular courses. A large chimney of red brick with two original pots rises from the gable. Walls are rendered with dry dash limestone chippings; PVC rainwater goods are installed. The gable features an angle-headed ledged timber door to the loft in the apex, and modern rectangular double doors to the ground floor enclosed by a modern lean-to conservatory of white-coated aluminium. Windows in the east and west sides of this return are modern timber fixed lights with top-hung vents. The single-storey wing to the rear has similar walling and a felt roof with a deep painted wooden fascia; it contains one PVC window to the south face and one timber window to the west face.

The building stands facing the main street and forms the end of a terrace. Its entrance front is set back slightly from the pavement by a modern cobbled surface contained by original cast iron railings on low plinth walls. A short stepped path leads from the pavement to the front door. A large modern shop sign on a post stands in the front area. The rear yard is paved with modern hexagonal concrete paviors and raised flower beds. The eastern boundary is formed by a rubble blackstone wall with concrete coping; the southern boundary by modern gabled and lean-to outbuildings with rendered walls.

Despite inappropriate additions to the exterior and interior, including modern canopies, conservatory, shop signage, and PVC fittings, the building remains important in the centre of Crumlin. The original four-panel door, iron hardware, cast iron railings, and the quality of the aedicule surrounds to the first-floor windows testify to its early Victorian quality and proportion. However, these alterations have detracted from the integrity of the original design.