17-19 Ann Street, Ballycastle, Co Antrim, BT54 6AA

This is a four-bay, three-story building with a basement and gateway, located in Ballycastle, County Antrim. While likely dating to the mid-to-late 19th century, it is not considered to be of significant architectural or historic interest.

The ground floor features a panelled door leading to an upper floor, followed by a wide shopfront with aluminium framing, central double doors, and large single-pane glass shop windows on either side. A low cill is present, along with a panel beneath and pilasters at each end. Above the shopfront is a long fascia sign in glass or vitrolite. To the right of the shopfront is a segmental arched gateway. The first floor has four double-hung, two-pane windows with exposed sash boxes, each framed by a plain, shallow lugged architrave. The second-floor windows are similar, but slightly smaller with thinner architraves. A half metal gutter runs over a corbel course, with a single downpipe. The roof is covered in asbestos slates, and large chimney stacks are present on each gable, along with an additional chimney lining the gateway. The walls are smooth, rendered, and painted, with the architraves not highlighted.

The rear elevation of the main street block has a roof of artificial slates and a PVC gutter. The walls are rendered with a dry dash finish, and the top floor windows are rectangular timber fixed lights with top-hung vents. A long rear return projects from the rear wall of the main block, comprised of a three-story flat-roofed section adjoining the main block, a two-story flat-roofed link, and a three-story section with a segmental arched roof at the rear. The rear return’s windows feature modern glazing arrangements, primarily casement and fixed lights. The rear boundary of the plot is defined by a rendered wall containing a pair of corrugated iron gates.

Buildings are shown on an Ordnance Survey map of 1832 in the vicinity of this property, suggesting a potential construction date around the mid-1700s when the town was developed. A similar block appears on an Ordnance Survey map of 1857. By 1904, the individual buildings within the block were distinguishable, and this building was shown with a rear return at No. 19. Notably, no features from the mid-18th century survive, and the present fenestration pattern and size likely date to the mid-to-late 19th century. Recent alterations have largely shaped the building’s overall character. The building stands within a conservation area, directly overlooking the main street of the town and built within a terrace of houses and shops.