C400 Exhibition to open in September

Coleraine Museum is preparing for the C400 exhibition by reviewing research and showcasing Ulster’s oldest known town house!

In the early 1980s, archaeologist Nick Brannon and a colleague were walking along New Row when a burnt out roof caught their attention.

Nick said:“There stood a massive, timber-framed roofClose examination followed. The hand-wrought roof timbers, rafters and purlins, were numbered (in Roman numerals).

“Each had been shaped, pre-fabricated, on the ground, in green oak, then raised and ‘keyed’ into place, the carpenter’s numbers helping in the raising and jointing. Tree-ring datingfound that the oak timbers had been felled in 1674!”

At the time, planning permission had already been granted to demolish the building, so the Ulster Folk and Transport Museum took the roof apart and re-installed it at the Museum – where it can still be seen today. The location of this house was where Gordon’s chemist now stands today on New Row.

Nick Brannon p29