Coastguard Station, 130 Main Street, Portrush, BT56 8DA

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

Substantial, two-storey 'detached' house of 1896, built as a Coastguard station/commanding officer's dwelling but now a private residence. The station consists of this building, and six two-storey dwellings arranged in a terrace, as well as original outhouses and a later boathouse/associated store. Designed in a simple, loosely Georgian-style, the entire grouping may originally have been finished in brick but is now almost entirely rendered. The buildings are set in urban surroundings, to the north of Portrush town centre, on a slight rise between Main Street (in the south) and Causeway View Lane (in the north). Gardens belonging to each of the dwellings are detached and set to the to the west side.

The terrace (1-6 Coastguard Cottages) is orientated north-south with the former station (130 Main Street) to the south end of the site with its south side facing on to the pavement onto Main Street.

Cottages 3-4, and 5-6 are paired, with a mirrored internal layouts and identical internal accommodation. These are entered from the east side, with access off Causeway View Lane.

No 130 is by far the largest house of the whole grouping, containing as it did the coastguard station and the commanding officer’s dwelling. Originally a fully detached structure, it is now connected by a later single-storey garage, to the adjoining street terrace. It is street-fronted with the side façade fronting directly on to Main Street. To the rear, abutting the north side of the garage, there is a single-storey, flat-roofed kitchen extension; abutting the north side of this, is a later single-storey flat-roofed outbuilding.

The roof is hipped and finished with artificial slate and grey fireclay ridge tiles; eaves are overhanging with exposed rafter tails. Rainwater goods are uPVC. There are two rendered chimneystacks, one set to the right side of the ridge and has corbelled bands, the other is a plain replacement and is set to the rear. Clay pots are mixed in style.

Walls are rendered with a ‘light’ roughcast finish; on the south and west sides there is a rubble-stone plinth; on the north the plinth is painted. On ground and first floors a there was a continuous moulded stringcourse linking impost levels of the openings; the ground floor section to the west front is now missing. Replacement window frames are mainly 6/6 with faux-astragals set within double-glazed units; all are uPVC.

The front west façade is symmetrical with a central semi-circular-headed door opening. The replacement timber panelled door is surmounted by a radial uPVC fan-light. To the left side of the main front door there is a uPVC soil stack. There is a single opening to either side of the main entrance and three windows to first floor and . Windows to the west front and the south/street side are segmental-arched with cut stone sills. The south side is also symmetrical and has three openings to first floor and two to ground floor. Window openings to north and east facades are flat-headed; these are informally arranged. The lh side of the east elevation breaks forward and is abutted by the single storey flat roofed extension single window over; the rh side has a small single window at ground floor with two windows on first floor. On the north/side elevation there is a secondary flat-headed entrance with a window to either side.

Setting

The south wall of the house merges with a stone boundary wall. The wall has been raised from approximately 1.2 metres to perhaps 2.3 metres. The original lower section is formed in squared rubble basalt; the upper section is rendered masonry.

Adjacent to the house there is a wide gateway with replacement timber paired gates. The opening is flanked with square dressed stone gateposts and opens to a short flight of steps. The original wall has a chamfered coping; the upper section is built directly off this; but for the top of the gate posts the upper section is without coping. The opening is flanked with square dressed stone gateposts. The original wall has a chamfered coping; the upper section is built directly off this; but for the top of the gate posts the upper section is without coping.

Historical information

This former coastguard Station, which originally consisted of the station itself (No.130 Main Street) and the six dwellings –with detached gardens- to the north (1-6 Coastguard Cottages), was built in 1896. It replaced a pre-1857 station, which was made up of a station house itself and four smaller dwellings, all arranged in a terrace fronting directly on to Main Street (and which may not have been purpose-built). The Board of Works tender notice for the construction of the new buildings appeared in August 1892, however, it is only in 1896 that the valuations make reference to a 'new coastguard station in progress'. The identity of the architect is not known, but the valuations appear to suggest that the building costs amounted to £2,500.

In 1923, with the placing of the Coastguard under the Board of Trade and the changes that this entailed (see below), the number of staff was cut back and the dwellings began to be rented out. In that year ‘one house’ [‘No.6 Cottage’] is recorded as ‘let to Mrs. Millar’. By 1925 ‘Cottages’ 2-6 were tenanted by George Scarborough, William Elliott, John Henry, Chas Meadows, and the aforementioned Mrs. Millar, respectively. ‘Cottage No.1’ and the station itself were retained by the Coastguard service until at least 1972. ‘No.1’ was acquired by the present owner in the mid 1980s, whilst the station building was acquire by the present owner in 1975. The station has been renovated on a number of occasions; work has included upgrading and annexing an outhouse to ground floor plus the addition of two bathrooms directly over at first floor; windows were replaced in uPVC.

The tenancy of ‘Cottage No.2’ passed to a Daniel Aughlin in c.1926 and Patrick J. Fleming in 1928 before being taken back into Coastguard use once again c.1933 and remained as such until sold to the present owner in c.1973. ‘No.3’ remained in the Elliott family until 1944 and was later occupied by Mary C. Ferguson (1945-51), and James Gildea (1951-61). In 1961 the Thomas Patton became resident, and acquired the freehold in 1963; the house was bought by Alistair McCooke in 1985, who sold it in 1993. It was sold again to the present owners in c.2003. ‘No.4’ is recorded as the home of Catherine Minihan in 1926 and appears to have stayed with her family until 1954 when Thomas Patton is recorded as the tenant, followed by Thomas Hamilton in c.1961 and Anna Hamilton in c.1971. The present owner bought the house in the mid 1990s. Angus Mann is listed as the occupant of ‘No.5’ in 1926, followed by Marta C.G. Mann in 1945 (with a William Knox the immediate lessor). The present owner acquired the property in 1971. Finally, ‘No.6’ remained with Mrs. Millar’ until 1940 when a William Strathdee is noted as resident. A Mr or Mrs. Hamill is listed as the next occupant, from c.1957 to c.1972. According to the present owners (who bought the house in 1994), there were at least three other residents, including Vicky and Jimmy Doole (c.1974-84), Gail [?] (1984-86), and Brian Ross (1986-94).

It is possible (given the rear elevation of Cottage No.4) that all of the buildings were originally finished in brick, but this is not certain. The main station building originally possessed a ‘rocket station’ and ‘look-out hut’. The hut may have been elevated, but again this is not certain.

The Belfast Truss roofed building built on part of the gardens originally belonging to Cottage No.5 and No.6 was constructed some time after 1921, and possibly even after 1935, as it is not shown on the OS map partially revised in that year. It does not appear to have had any relationship to the cottages themselves.

Note on the history of the Coastguard

The Coastguard in Ireland can trace its origins to the Preventative Water Guard a UK-wide body, which was established in 1809 to combat smuggling. In 1816 the PWG was expanded and reorganised to take control of revenue vessels, and in 1822 this force was transferred to the Board of Customs and renamed the Coast Guard. Although in fact responsible for the rescue of those in difficulties at sea, revenue protection, not lifesaving, remained the official function of the body. In 1856 the Guard was transferred to the Admiralty and the staff (henceforth mainly naval men) became involved in coastal defence roles, as well as acting as a naval reserve. In 1923 the Coastguard was placed under the Board of Trade and its role restricted to ‘life-saving, salvage from wreck and the administration of the foreshore.’

References- Primary sources
1 PRONI OS6/1/2/2 OS map, County Antrim sheet 2, 1857
2 PRONI VAL2D/1/7 Valuation plan of Portrush, c.1859
3 PRONI VAL2B/1/30B Second valuation, Dunluce parish, c.1859
4 PRONI VAL12B/6/2A Annual valuation revision book, Portrush ED, 1859-64
5 PRONI VAL12B/6/2B Annual valuation revision book, Portrush ED, 1864-76
6 PRONI VAL12B/6/2C Annual valuation revision book, Portrush ED, 1876-84
7 PRONI VAL12B/6/2D Annual valuation revision book, Portrush ED, 1884-89
8 PRONI VAL12B/6/2E Annual valuation revision book, Portrush ED, 1889-95
9 ‘Irish Builder’, 1 August 1892
10 PRONI VAL12B/4/22A Annual valuation revision book, Portrush Urban ED, 1895-1906
11 PRONI VAL12E/46/2/1-4 Valuation plan of Portrush book, 1897[-1916]
12 PRONI VAL12B/4/22B Annual valuation revision book, Portrush Urban ED, 1906-13
13 PRONI VAL12B/4/22C Annual valuation revision book, Portrush Urban ED, 1914-25
14 PRONI OS6/1/2/4 OS map, County Antrim sheet 2, 1921
15 PRONI VAL12B/4/22D Annual valuation revision book, Portrush Urban ED, 1925-30
16 PRONI VAL12F/1/15 Annual valuation revision book, Portrush Urban ED, 1930-35
17 NIEA OS map, County Antrim sheet 2, 1935
18 PRONI VAL3B/1/16 First General Revaluation of Northern Ireland, Portrush Urban ED, 1935
19 PRONI VAL3C/1/30 First General Revaluation of Northern Ireland, Portrush Urban ED, 1936-57
20 PRONI VAL4B/1/64 Second General Revaluation of Northern Ireland, Portrush Urban ED, 1957-72

Secondary sources
1 Information supplied by owners, August 2009

Internet sites / articles
1 http://www.hm-waterguard.org.uk/History.htm

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

A. Style
B. Proportion
D. Plan Form
H-. Alterations detracting from building
J. Setting
K. Group value

Criteria for listing: historic interest

X. Local Interest

Evaluation

Substantial, two-storey detached house of 1896, built as a Coastguard station / commanding officer's dwelling. The late Victorian Coastguard station of which this property is part has maintained much of its original form and appearance as well as some ancillary buildings and most of the gardens relating to the individual dwellings. Although lacking the architectural flourishes of some earlier stations, the main terrace has an attractive Georgian-style - almost artisan-cottage - simplicity, whose impact is enhanced by its location, wedged between two streets with the properties facing into their respective detached gardens, whilst the main freestanding station building, again of Georgian derivation, has a sturdy, commanding presence which adds interest to the streetscape. It is a good example of the type and of interest as part of the Coastguard estate in the Province.