Former garage, 52a Circular Road, Larne, Co Antrim, BT40 3AB

Former Garage, 52a Circular Road, Larne

A two-storey former garage building dating from 1920, situated on the north side of Circular Road to the south-east of Larne town centre. The building is constructed with a stepped 'Art Deco'-like front façade and a Belfast Truss roof. It appears to have originally formed the front office section of a larger building that is now divided into two separate properties, with the northern section still operating as a garage.

The front (south) elevation is rendered in painted concrete block and is symmetrical, rising to a stepped parapet in 'Art Deco' style. The ground floor features two plain shop fronts, now boarded up, with three relatively small windows at first-floor level. A narrow stringcourse separates the fenestration from the parapet above. At the centre of the parapet, the date '1920' and the word 'GARAGE' are spelled out in moulded characters. The south-west corner is bevelled, containing a single boarded-up ground-floor window and a tall recent signboard at first-floor level.

The west elevation is also rendered in painted block. At the far left of the ground floor is a large vehicle entrance with a roller shutter. To its right is a pedestrian doorway with a boarded-up window. The east elevation is abutted by a long single-storey gabled building, which obscures views of the curved roof. The building's curved roof is supported by a Belfast Truss, a structural system developed in the mid-nineteenth century to provide efficient, lightweight, long-span roofing. The Belfast Truss features internal bracing members that meet on the top curved member rather than on the bottom, as was conventional.

The building now serves as storage space for a separate business. It is notable for its industrial archaeological interest.