Sexton's House, 93 Main Street, Crumlin, Co Antrim, BT29 4UU

Sexton's House, 93 Main Street, Crumlin

A gabled 1½ storey building of three bays wide to the main front, with south-facing main entrance. The south elevation is single storey, roofed with Bangor blue slates in regular courses and fitted with angled chimneys at each extremity of the ridge.

The walls are of roughcast render incorporating pebbles and crushed stones, with smooth cement borders to extremities, a projecting plain cement plinth, and eaves course. A cast iron gutter with cast iron downpipe runs down the left hand side, though the lower portions of the downpipe are now missing.

The central doorway is Gothic arched, containing a flush timber door with an angle-headed glazed panel set in a plain rectangular frame with plain fanlight over. A modern aluminium letterbox is fitted to the door. The doorway is surrounded by plain smooth cement. One window stands to each side of the doorway: these are Gothic arched, set in slightly projecting surrounds with projecting stone cills. The windows are timber Gothic arched vertically hung sliding sashes with 2 over 2 panes, horns, and Gothic arched glazing bars to the toplight, with exposed sash boxes.

A short rib wall extends to the left hand side, forming a gateway into the side alley between Sexton's House and the neighbouring building. To the right hand side, a screen wall is stepped in two stages with finishes matching the main building and a painted concrete coping.

The east gable is of similar walling to the entrance front, with verges of smooth cement render and an angled chimney on the apex of the gable with a roughcast finish and plain projecting course topped with one modern pot. Two attic-level windows are set within: these are Gothic arched lancets in plain surrounds of smooth cement render with projecting concrete cills. The windows are timber vertically hung sliding sashes with 2 over 2 panes, horns, and exposed sash boxes.

The rear elevation comprises the back wall of the original gabled block with a flat-roofed return projecting forward. The wall to the left of the return is roughcast rendered with wet dash of crushed stones. The roof is slated as to the front, with cast iron gutter and downpipe. One rectangular timber window stands here: a vertically hung sliding sash of 1 over 1 with horns and exposed sash boxes, set in plain reveals with a projecting stone cill.

The rear return has an oversailing flat roof with asphalt covering. Its walls are roughcast as previously described. A cast iron downpipe is fitted. Large rectangular windows occupy each floor on the east side: these are modern timber fixed lights and casements with fixed and top-hung vents, set with projecting thin concrete cills. The ground floor window incorporates a flush timber door to its left hand side. The north wall of the return is roughcast with a first-floor window of similar modern character. The west side of the rear return is built of concrete bricks exposed at the base, with roughly cement rendered upper portion.

A low concrete block link wall extends from the west side of the rear return to connect with a single storey outbuilding. The rear elevation of the main house to the right of the return has a wall of basalt rubble at the base, rendered above with roughly finished cement and dry dash of crushed stones. One modern rectangular window is set within: a timber fixed light with top-hung vent in plain reveals.

The west gable of the main house is built of basalt boulders and rubble with lime mortar smeared over it, exposed at base but roughcast rendered to the upper portion. Some modern concrete blockwork underpinning is present at the north west corner. The pitch of the roof is raised at the rear where the return is built up.

The outbuilding stands to the rear of the house and is a small gabled structure of later date. Its roof is of Bangor blue slates in regular courses with two small rooflights in the south side. The south elevation has a wall rendered with dry dash of stone chippings, overpainted, with a slightly projecting border to the right hand extremity. A PVC gutter on wooden fascia with PVC downpipe is fitted. Three rectangular ledged timber doorways in plain reveals occupy this elevation, with decorative iron hinges to two doors on the right.

The east gable is blank, roughly rendered with wet dash of crushed stones and projecting smooth cement render borders to each extremity. Painted wooden barge boards with a crude angled wooden finial are set at the apex. The north elevation is a blank wall crudely rendered as on the gable, with smooth borders to extremities and a slated roof. The west gable is built of concrete blocks with original basalt rubble exposed at the base of the rear wall; the upper portion is roughly cement rendered with timber barge boards and plain timber collar.

Between the main house and outbuilding lies a small yard enclosed on the east side by a roughcast wall with concrete coping slabs and a modern iron gate. The yard is concreted. Along the east side of the main block is a small flower bed enclosed by a short roughcast wall with concrete coping, separated from the main gable by a path of concrete pavoirs.

The building stands facing the main street, set within the grounds of the Presbyterian church. It forms part of a semi-formal arrangement with the adjacent Session Room on the other side of the main gateway to the church, framing the view of the church itself which is set back from the street front. The main gateway to the church grounds has a low curving screen wall of roughcast with broad concrete copings surmounted by plain modern iron railings, connected to the higher screen wall of Sexton's House by a short low return wall. The area to the side and rear of the building is covered with lawns.