The Cobweb House

The Cobweb House

This Grade A listed building comprises a detached symmetrical quadrangular range of two-storey stone structures, originally built between 1790 to designs by Robert Adam as stable buildings. It now encompasses what were formerly two dwellings (Nos. 6 & 7), plus the central arched tower with its flanking blocks and part of the northeast corner of the south yard including the central east tower. The complex was renovated and converted into 12 dwellings between 1988 and 2000.

The architectural layout features a main arched entrance clock tower to the south, a further arched rear entrance block to the north, and a central range running on an east-west axis with an additional arched tower flanked by a pair of square-plan blocks. Six square-plan towers with chamfered corners define the corners of two yards. The south and central arched towers, along with five of the six corner towers, have crenellated parapet walls with sandstone coping, resting on a redbrick corbelled course. This parapet treatment also appears on the front south elevation of the two linear ranges, which feature slender arched recesses with redbrick heads. The central arched tower has four bartizans at its corners, formed in redbrick with sandstone corbelling and replacement sandstone capstones.

The walling is constructed in coursed and snecked rubblestone with lime pointing and features a projecting rubblestone plinth course. The roofs are finished in natural slate with lead to ridge rolls, pitched to the linear sections with several skylights, and hipped to the towers and arched entrance blocks. The entrance clock tower has an octagonal-plan spire with lead ridges, natural slate to the lower half and metal louvres to the upper half, surmounted by a lead globe and weather-vane. A square-plan lead spire was added to the central arched tower circa 2008.

The south entrance tower is flanked by a pair of full-height projecting stone piers on both elevations, capped with a parapet wall and sandstone coping on a redbrick corbelled course. These piers feature blind balistrariae to the upper stage and blind loop-holes to the lower stage on both elevations. The four outer corner towers are similarly adorned with balistrariae on their outward-facing chamfered corners, with a double-height round-headed recess appearing on the south-facing elevations of the front pair only. The rear entrance block has balistrariae to the ground-floor south elevation (some glazed to the interior), while its north elevation has loop-hole openings to the ground floor, also glazed internally.

Windows are predominantly square-headed with rendered reveals and concrete sills, fitted with timber sash windows with exposed sash boxes, dating from circa 2000. A slender round-headed window opening between the paired piers flanking the arched entrance tower contains 4/4 timber sash windows at ground floor and first floor. Yard-facing openings feature 6/6 timber sash windows at ground floor with oculi openings to the first floor, formed in redbrick with circular timber casement windows. Some large round-headed window openings occupy former carriage arch openings in the central linear range, fitted with voussoired stone arches and multi-pane timber windows with integrated fanlights. The linear east and west ranges each have a lucarne opening to their yard-facing elevations, with timber weather board to the gable and timber casement windows. Tripartite sash windows have been inserted to some outward-facing elevations, with a central 6/6 flanked by 4/4 timber sash windows. First-floor outward-facing elevations feature 3/6 and 6/3 timber sash windows.

The main south entrance clock tower has a large round-headed carriage arch with sandstone architrave surround, plinth blocks and impost blocks. Above impost level is a timber panel with glazing, and a pair of 19th-century vertically-sheeted timber doors on iron hinges provides access to the yard. The arch walls and soffit are finished in smooth lime render with small square-headed door openings to either side, fitted with replacement timber panelled doors. Door openings are generally square-headed with multi-paned glazed timber doors, some double-leaf. Within the double-height recesses of the front south elevation corner towers are round-headed door openings formed in voussoired stone, fitted with double-leaf multi-paned timber glazed doors featuring Gothick tracery fanlights and an oculus to the upper stage with circular timber casement windows.

Rainwater goods are replacement cast-iron on iron drive-through brackets to projecting rubblestone eaves courses, with some lead hoppers and redbrick chimneytstacks with octagonal clay pots and lead flashing.

The two yards are surfaced in gravel. The rear (north) yard contains a flower-bed formed in stone setts taking the form of a Prussian iron cross, with a carved stone pedestal and iron sun-dial on a moulded redbrick base. Stone flags surround the east, north and west elevations. The stable range, now known as the Adam Yard, is set to the east of Castle Upton and accessed by a long tree-lined avenue perpendicular to the main street of Templepatrick (Belfast Road). To the north of the rear is a lawned area with a stone ha-ha and small stone bridge, with a bitumac driveway providing vehicular access to the north yard. To the northeast, abutting the wall of the Upton graveyard, is a seven-bay single-storey stone-clad garage built circa 2000.