5 The Vennel, Glenarm, Ballymena, Co Antrim, BT44 0AN

5 The Vennel, Glenarm

A plain two-storey stuccoed town vernacular terrace house dating from circa 1840–1859, situated on the south side of The Vennel in Glenarm. The building forms one of a non-identical pair and is part of the village's conservation area.

The front elevation faces roughly north and is asymmetrical. It is finished in painted render with in-out quoins to the right (west). On the ground floor left is a panelled timber door, with a sash window to its right containing Georgian panes (6/6). A timber sheeted door to the far right leads into a narrow passage connecting to the rear yard. The first floor contains three small sash windows with Georgian panes (6/3). The front elevation was radically altered around 1995, when new doorways were inserted, the previous doorway was converted into the present ground floor window, and the original upper floor windows were reduced in size with a new window inserted between them.

The rear elevation is constructed in limestone rubble, with a small area to the ground floor right finished in basalt rubble. Window headers and cills in brick are present, possibly indicating recently created openings. A partly glazed door is located to the left of centre on the ground floor, with the passage opening to its left. Two small plain sash windows sit to the right of the doorway, and three unevenly spaced windows similar to those on the first floor front occupy the right side of the first floor.

The building is roofed in slate with a rendered chimney stack to the west.

The Vennel was historically the main road to Glenarm from Larne and the south prior to the construction of the Coast Road in the 1830s. Its name derives from an archaic Scots term meaning a narrow winding lane. Early leases from 1743 onwards refer to it as the 'Stinking Vennel' or 'Stinking Vennel Street', reflecting its character. John O'Hara's map of 1779 shows many small densely packed dwellings along both sides of much of its length. During the subsequent century and a half, most of this housing was replaced. The 1832 Ordnance Survey map shows a large gap on the south side; second valuation records show much post-1859 rebuilding on the north side; and 1900s Ordnance Survey plans and photographic evidence indicate that most of the present south side dates to the early twentieth century.

This site is shown vacant on the 1832 Ordnance Survey map. The 1859 valuation map shows it occupied by two two-storey houses whose combined dimensions match those of today. The valuation records indicate that the property to the west (present No. 5) was larger, much as it remains. This arrangement is confirmed by the Ordnance Survey town plan. In the 1990s both properties underwent comprehensive renovation, with the front façade openings of both, especially No. 5, greatly altered in the process.