13 Vennel Street (The Vennel), Glenarm, Ballymena, Co Antrim, BT44 0AS

A relatively small, plain two-storey rendered terrace house, forming part of a stepped terrace on the south side of Vennel Street in Glenarm. Despite its slightly Georgian appearance, the building most likely dates from around 1930.

The front elevation faces roughly north and is asymmetrical. On the ground floor to the left is a 1930s-style panelled and glazed door, while to the right is a plain tripartite sash window. A similar window is positioned directly above on the first floor. The left side of the first floor is blank. The front eaves are concealed behind a plain parapet with coping. Cast iron rainwater goods, including a rainwater head and pipe, are positioned to the left side. The front elevation is finished with painted render.

The rear elevation faces roughly south and is finished in dry dash render. To the right side is a modern glazed door, with a large modern-framed window to its left. Two modern two-pane windows serve the first floor. A gabled roof clad in slate covers the building.

Historical context: Vennel Street was originally known as "The Vennel" (an archaic Scots term meaning a narrow winding lane). Before the Coast Road was built in the 1830s, it served as the main route from Larne and the south into Glenarm. Early 18th-century leases refer to it as the "Stinking Vennel" or "Stinking Vennel Street", reflecting its unattractive character and prevalence of waste tenements. John O'Hara's 1779 map shows many small densely packed dwellings along both sides of the street. Much of this early housing was subsequently replaced, with the 1832 Ordnance Survey map showing a large gap on the south side, and evidence of significant post-1859 rebuilding on the north side. By the early 20th century, most of the present south side appears to be of early 20th-century construction.

The 1859 valuation map shows a group of eight small dwellings on the site of the present five-house terrace (numbers 11–19). The 1903 Ordnance Survey plan marks six properties, while photographs from around 1910 show that the eastern portion consisted of dilapidated single-storey dwellings, with two-storey structures to the west that appear markedly different from those standing today. This evidence suggests the terrace was built after 1903. The west end of the terrace, including number 13, appears to be slightly later than the east end, possibly dating from around 1930. Plans for three proposed "kitchen houses" in Vennel Street, believed to date from 1930 and held in the Antrim Papers at the Public Record Office of Northern Ireland, appear to relate to this grouping. According to the property owner, the group was built through the efforts of "Lady Antrim", apparently Angela, mother of the contemporary Earl, which would be consistent with a date of around 1930.

The building possesses townscape importance as part of this historic terrace and lies within a conservation area.