Merryview, 13 North Street, Ballycastle, Co Antrim, BT54 6BN

Merryview is a modest, two-storey house dating to the early to mid-19th century. It retains its original appearance to the front elevation and its basic layout. The building contributes positively to the character of the surrounding conservation area, recalling the appearance of seafront properties from an earlier era. While alterations to the rear elevation and interior have diminished some of its original interest, the house remains a notable example of its type.

The house is a three-bay-wide terraced house. The front elevation to North Street features a central panelled door, above which is a shallow, rectangular fanlight and a moulded plaster architrave with a keystone. Flanking the door are double-hung, two-pane sash windows with matching architraves, keystones, and painted sills. The first floor contains three similar windows, slightly narrower than those below. The front wall is smooth, rendered, and painted, with a plinth and rusticated plaster quoins. A half-round metal gutter with a single downpipe runs along the roof edge. The roof is covered in natural slates, with a simple ridge tile and large chimney stacks at each end. The gable of the adjacent property, number 14, rises significantly above Merryview’s gable. The rear of the house has been altered, with modern windows replacing the originals and lacking back returns. The rear wall is roughcast rendered and unpainted, with an asbestos slate roof and a PVC gutter and downpipe.

The precise date of construction is unknown, but the house first appears on an Ordnance Survey map of 1855. Stylistically, the front facade suggests a mid-19th century date. The house was formerly occupied by Captain Black around 1958, later by the Bakewell family. According to the current owner, the house may have replaced two earlier buildings. The interior was substantially refurbished since 2000. Situated between Quay Road and Strandview Road, the house is located where the road begins to climb in gradient. It lies within the area of the ancient monument Ant 5:22.

The building’s architectural interest lies in its style, proportions, ornamentation, and plan form, and it holds local historical interest. It is privately owned and notable as a building within a conservation area and in association with an ancient monument.