Public House, (formerly Aghalee Bar), 2 Soldierstown Road, Aghalee, Craigavon, Co Antrim, BT67 0LR

Public House at 2 Soldierstown Road, Aghalee

This is a much altered and extended two-storey public house of probable pre-1832 origin, situated on the east side of Soldierstown Road near the centre of the village of Aghalee. The building has a hipped roof covered with natural slate and fireclay batten roll ridge tiles to the original two-storey section, with a flat roof to later single-storey extensions.

The west front is asymmetrical. To the right of centre is a plain door opening with a modern timber door, flanked by modern period-style electric coach lamps. To the left of the door is a narrow two-pane window with the upper pane top hung. To the far right is a large bar window with acid-etched design. To the far left is a narrow two-pane window of similar type. The first floor has four unevenly spaced two-pane windows, slightly shorter than those below. A large painted wooden signboard is positioned at the far right.

The north façade comprises the gable of the front section merging with the side of a two-storey return. There are three windows to the ground floor and three two-pane windows to the first floor, positioned directly above those below but somewhat shorter. A large wooden painted signboard is located at the left of the first floor. To the far left is a large flat-roofed single-storey extension with no openings, its far left section slightly lower. A large galvanised metal extract duct is visible.

The south façade mirrors the north, with the front gable merging into a two-storey return. To the left of centre is a small single-storey gabled porch, its door facing west with a small two-pane modern window to the south face. To the left of the porch is a large two-pane window, with two further similar windows to the right. The first floor has three small two-pane windows to the left. To the right is a half dormer door serving as a fire escape, leading to a galvanised steel fire escape stair. To the right of the stair is a single two-pane window. All first floor windows are shorter as before. To the far right, set back, is the side of the single-storey flat-roofed extension with a door opening containing double timber doors.

The east elevation comprises gables of returns to either side, the left having a single plain door while the right is blank. Between the returns and projecting forward is the flat-roofed single-storey extension with a blank east face.

The building has modern window frames and contrived distressed render attempting to achieve a vernacular effect. The interior is entirely modern, and the overall impression of a vernacular public house has been lost. A rectangular building of similar size without the returns appears on the Ordnance Survey map of 1832 and the revised map of 1857, suggesting the present building is substantially the same structure. The returns to the east side appear to date from the late 1800s or early 20th century. The building served as a public house in the latter half of the 20th century but had been abandoned by the mid-1990s and fallen into disrepair. It was completely renovated and extended in 1996–97 and continues to function as a public house.