R.U.C. Station, Mill Road, Crumlin, Co Antrim

R.U.C. Station, Mill Road, Crumlin

This is an inter-war police station built in 1930 to a standard design from the 1920s by architect T.F.O. Rippingham under the direction of R.I. Smith, Chief Architect to the Northern Ireland Office of Works. The building exemplifies neo-Georgian style favoured by important Ulster architects of the period, though its original appearance has been compromised by later alterations.

The structure is a two-storey building with hipped roof and symmetrical front elevation facing east. The roof is finished in Bangor blue slates laid in regular courses, with three rendered chimneys—one to each gable end and one central on the ridge—each finished with projecting block cornice and swept haunches returning around the front face. Oversailing eaves are lined with tongued and grooved soffits, with gutters returning to side elevations now appearing to be PVC.

The walls are constructed of roughcast, wet dash render using crushed stones, with a slightly projecting smooth cement rendered plinth. A moulded projecting smooth cement string course at first floor level runs across the front.

The east elevation features a triple arched single-storey breakfront to the ground floor, containing twin doorways flanking a central window. The doorways are rectangular, set within semi-circular arched recesses with blind tympanum panels of roughcast, with smooth cement rendered springing blocks continuing as a string course linking with the central archway. The left door is a rectangular six-panel raised and fielded varnished hardwood door with original brass handle and appears to be a replacement; a concrete step and original tapering rectangular lamp project above. The right door is modern timber flush design with concrete doorstep. Above the breakfront, three windows to the first floor are original rectangular timber sliding sashes with vertically hung 6 over 6 lights and horns, set in roughcast reveals with heads flush with the eaves soffit and cills formed by the string course. Three windows occupy the ground floor, all altered, with two original openings now partly blocked up.

The south and north elevations follow similar form, with hipped roofs returning around the front face of the central chimney stack on either side and swept haunches to the chimneys. First floor windows are original timber sashes, while ground floor windows have been altered. The rear elevation is of similar character to the front but without the breakfront feature. All windows here are original timber sashed except for a small timber fixed light of a former cell. Attached to the rear wall is an original iron-handled water pump on a timber post, no longer functioning.

The building stands facing the main road on an elevated site, slightly set back and partly hidden by a modern protective screen. A lawn occupies the front with modern security fencing forming the boundaries. A detached later garage and single-storey block of no architectural interest stand to the rear.