Shelter

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

A double-height gabled former RNLI lifeboat shelter with slipway out to sea; built c.1860, refurbished and extended in 2012; located on the coastline to the north of Portrush town centre. Rectangular on plan with modern extension to northwest.

Flat roof, covering not visible, corniced pediments to gables. Aluminium downpipes and hoppers. Walling is ruled-and-lined painted render with stepped cornice; contrasting chamfered band above a stone plinth. Replacement 3/2 timber-framed windows surmounted by painted stone lintels and with flush painted stone sills; plate-glass aluminium framed windows to northeast.

Gabled front to southwest has a large square-headed opening containing a replacement folding timber-sheeted door with four sets of four-paned top-lights. Original stone lettering to pediment reads “SHELTER”.

The northwest elevation has three-evenly spaced windows; contemporary stone-faced public convenience extension to right with varnished hardwood-sheeted openings.

The northeast elevation opens to slipway and has been modified to incorporate large aluminium doors with sidelights at ground level fronted by a modern steel balcony; replacement aluminium plate glass windows to original opening above. Slipway formed from stone and concrete ramp retains original steel slip rails.

The southeast elevation has four evenly-spaced windows.

Setting:

Prominently sited along the coastline to the northern tip of the western strand in Portrush; slipway running northeast out to sea. Large tarmacadamed car-park to west. Original raised concrete pathway directly to southeast side of building; modern paving laid to southeast and enclosed by a modern metal handrail. Original stone walling with rounded coping to northwest side of slipway.

Roof: Not visible
Walling: Painted ruled-and-lined render
Windows: Replacement timber frames
RWG: Aluminium

Historical information

The present shelter dates from c1860 and is first shown captioned ‘Lifeboat Ho[use]’on the third edition OS map of 1906 together with a slipway to the rear. Unusually, the structure does not appear in valuation records and an exact date of construction could not be determined. By the fourth edition of 1921-31 the building is captioned ‘Lavatories’.

The building was refurbished and an extension added in 2012 by Donnelly O’Neill architects of Belfast and Dundalk. The contractors were Bell Contracts of Cookstown (http://www.d-on.co.uk).

References:

Primary Sources

1. PRONI OS/6/1/2/1 First Edition OS Map 1831-2
2. PRONI OS/6/1/2/2 Second Edition OS map 1853
3. PRONI OS/6/1/2/3 Third Edition OS Map 1906
4. PRONI OS/6/1/2/4 Fourth Edition OS Map 1921-31
5. PRONI OS/6/1/2/5 Fifth Edition OS Map 1946-50

Secondary Sources

1. http://www.d-on.co.uk – Donnelly O’Neill, Architects

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

A. Style
B. Proportion
C. Ornamentation
J. Setting

Criteria for listing: historic interest

R. Age
S. Authenticity
T. Historic Importance
X. Local Interest
Y. Social, Cultural or Economic Importance

Evaluation

A double-height gabled former RNLI lifeboat shelter with slipway out to sea; built c.1860, refurbished and extended in 2012; located on the coastline to the north of Portrush town centre. Plainly detailed, the building has been sensitively refurbished in recent years and much of the original character has been preserved along with the original slipway and steel slip. Although no longer in use by the RNLI, the building has an important social history and is a good example of modest type of structures that were built throughout Ireland to house lifeboats in the mid-nineteenth century.

General comments

Listing Criteria R - Age; S - Authenticity and T - Historic Importance also apply.