5 Governor's Place, Carrickfergus, Co Antrim, BT38 7BN

A relatively large, three-storey terraced town house of probably around 1830, with a two-storey return to the rear and a cement-rendered façade that was almost certainly applied later, probably around 1907. The house sits within the short terrace of Governor's Place, just to the south-west of Carrickfergus town centre.

The asymmetrical south-facing front elevation has its entrance to the left of the ground floor: a large segmental-headed opening containing a panelled timber door with plain jambs, lintel, and a plain segmental fanlight. To the right of the entrance are two window openings with slightly bevelled reveals — probably added around 1907 or later when the current render appears to have been applied — both of which are now boarded over. The first floor has three evenly spaced windows, similar in character to those at ground floor but fitted with sash frames: plain glazing to the top sashes and two vertical panes to the bottom ones, which also appear to date from around 1907 or later. The second floor has three similar but shorter windows. The first- and second-floor windows are linked by sill courses, with a matching course between the two floors. The entire front elevation is finished in unpainted cement render.

The west gable is only exposed at second-floor level and is blank, apart from a large projecting chimney breast towards the centre-right (though no stack survives above it). A small square patch near the right-hand verge is unrendered, and internal evidence suggests this was once a window opening. The east gable is similarly exposed only at second-floor level; it too is rendered and has a left-of-centre projecting chimney breast that does not rise to a stack. Just above and to the right of this chimney breast, near the gable apex, is a very small plain sash window.

The rear elevation is more complex. To the left of the ground floor is an 8-over-8 Georgian-paned sash window. Projecting at a slight angle to the right is a large two-storey gabled return. At half-landing level to the left of the main rear wall is a larger 6-over-6 Georgian-paned sash window, with a slightly smaller plain sash window directly above at the uppermost half-landing. At first-floor level to the right is a 6-over-6 Georgian-paned sash window, with a smaller 3-over-3 window directly above at second-floor level.

On the east face of the return, the ground floor has a 2-over-2 sash window with vertical glazing bars to the left, followed by a tongue-and-groove timber-sheeted door, a plain sash window, and then another doorway — which does not appear to be original — fitted with a recent half-glazed door. The first floor of the return has three unevenly spaced sash windows: the leftmost is plain, while those to the right are broader and 2-over-2 with vertical glazing bars. The west side of the return directly abuts the return of the neighbouring property, and the north gable of the return appears to be blank. Both the rear face of the main building and the entirety of the return are finished in plain unpainted cement render.

The main roof is gabled and slated, with partly tiled parapets, and there is a rendered chimney stack to the east gable. The return roof is hipped at the south end where it meets the main building, and gabled at the north end, where a tall rendered chimney stack rises. The return roof is slated with a large skylight on the west side, and some slates are missing near the ridge. Rainwater goods are a mixture of cast iron and PVC. To the rear is a small yard enclosed by whitewashed brick walls; against the east wall stands a small brick-built lean-to shed with a slated roof.

The building's history is well documented. A building is shown on this site on the Ordnance Survey map of 1832. Although the map accompanying the 1836–38 valuation has been lost, the accompanying valuation book records the site as occupied by a relatively newly built three-storey dwelling of similar dimensions to the present house. Since a house of identical dimensions is recorded in the second valuation of 1860, and subsequent valuations note no major alterations, the present building is most likely the new-build recorded in 1836 and probably dates from around 1830. The occupant in 1836 is listed as one John Legge.

By 1860 the house, together with an adjoining one-and-a-half-storey structure described in the valuation as an "office" (that is, business premises of some kind, possibly a coal warehouse) to the east, was held as a single property by a John Hickman-Daly, who leased it from the Reverend William Toland. Between 1863 and 1881 a Jane Montgomery was in residence. In 1881 the property was sub-divided: a Robert Alexander, who had taken over the lease from Toland, occupied the office while renting the house to a Charlotte Porter, who remained there until 1903. After that, both the house and the business premises appear to have stood vacant until 1906–07, when the lease was taken up by Charles M. Legg. The smaller adjoining building was demolished to make way for a new coal office. Valuers' office notebooks from this period describe the dwelling as "an old house in good order — too good for its situation." It is probable that the cement render on the house itself dates from around this same time.

In early 1909 the house was rented by the Reverend John Frederick Macneice (also recorded as Frederick John Macneice), the newly appointed Rector of the nearby church of St Nicholas, and his family. His son, the future poet Louis Macneice, was then two years old. The Macneices remained at the house until 1911, when the death of the bedridden former rector allowed them at last to take possession of the rectory on North Road. The house thus holds a notable historical association with Louis Macneice, who lived here during his early childhood.

Subsequent occupants included Richard Chamberlain, son of the lately deceased former rector, followed in 1917 by the family of Henry Smyth, and in 1935 by James Hamilton. By that date the lease, or possibly the freehold, had been taken up by John Kelly Ltd., the owners of the adjacent coal office. James Hamilton was followed in 1943 by Robert S. Todd, who remained in residence until at least 1972. Both the house and the neighbouring coal office are now vacant and in private ownership.