Torr Head Signal Station

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

Signal station

The station is approached by a steep unmetalled footpath from the car park at the end of the single-track road. It is a single-storey building of rectangular plan, aligned east-west. There is a full-height canted bay at east, facing the sea, and a lower porch on the south wall.

Both the main part and porch are covered with flat reinforced-concrete slabs waterproofed with tar. They are delineated with low red-brick parapets with projecting concrete copings. The purpose of this particular arrangement was to collect rainwater which fed through a cast-iron down pipe affixed to the north side of the wall into a cement-rendered concrete cistern in the yard; this cistern is now surmounted by a modern plastic tank. There are two red-brick chimneys, one over each internal party wall, both with concrete copings and terracotta stacks (the latter probably relatively modern). Towards the east side of the roof, just behind the bay extension, is a circular metal bracket on four legs. This probably once supported a flag pole which appears also to have been braced by cables to metal cleats which are still embedded in the ground on both sides of the building. A cast-iron stairway leads up to the roof on the east side of the porch.

The walls are now pebble dashed so their material is not immediately obvious (they are probably of random rubble or brick). They sit on a projecting base with chamfered red-brick top course. The quoins and door/window surrounds are trimmed with stepped red-brick.All the windows have flat brick heads and dressed sandstone cills. Although their wooden frames are now greatly decayed, sufficient survives to show that they had one-over-one panes (top-hung top panel and side-hung bottom panel). In all probability these are much later replacements.

Two stone steps lead up to the main entrance on the west wall of the porch. The door is of vertical vee tongue-and-groove boards, now metal sheeted. There is a single window on the south wall. To the left of the porch is a single window to the middle room. On the west wall is a pair of windows to the end room. On the north wall there is also a single light to the middle room. There was formerly a door at left into the east room, but this has been blocked and rendered over. The bay still retains a window in each of its two side cants, but an extension has been added at middle (see below).

Just beyond and to the north side of the bay window is a small shed with concrete brick walls and flat concrete roof. It is accessed by concrete steps down from either side. Its three sea-facing walls each have small rectangular light. Its style suggests a second world war construction date. Most recently, it was used as a toilet cubicle by the occupant of the house. Immediately to its south is a low circular concrete block, now partly covered by the wooden extension to the bay end. Metal lugs project from its top, but what was mounted on it (and when) is unknown.

Abutting the inside face of the station’s boundary wall, at north-west, is a small random rubble shed, with flat concrete roof, pebble dashed walls and red-brick quoins and door reveals. It is divided into two sections one of which contains a dry toilet. This building is first shown on the 1922 OS 25” map, indicating that it was erected after the previous edition of 1903.”

Setting

The station is surrounded by a low random rubble basalt wall. The main entrance is a pedestrian gate on the landward side, from which a concrete footway leads to the entrance. This gate has dressed square piers coped with red sandstone. There is a smaller gate along the north wall to concrete stairs (on a random rubble base) which lead down to a field below the rocky outcrop on which the station is sited. The maps indicate that these stairs were also added between 1903 and 1922.

Coastguard Houses

On the north side of the road leading towards the signal station is a terrace of two-storey dwellings. Aligned north-south, its main facade faces west. It comprises four single-bay units of identical size and a larger single-bay unit at south which projects out from the main facade; the latter was undoubtedly occupied by the commanding officer and his family. The terrace is accessed at south-west through a gateway which has square ashlar piers coped with sandstone. There is also an smaller entrance, now infilled, at the south-east corner of the yard wall.

The roof has entirely disappeared (most probably in the fire of 1920), but the lack of gables indicates that it was hipped. The walls are of coursed random rubble basalt over a projecting base edged with chamfered sandstone; the external surfaces have been dashed with cement. Most of the terrace’s east wall has collapsed.

Each of the four smaller houses has a single window on each floor of the main facade. All have jambs and segmental heads of yellow-brick (but with red-brick reveals), and chamfered sandstone cills. From what little remains, it would appear that there was also a rear ground floor door and window, and possibly at least one first floor window. Although their internal masonry party walls survive, all the internal floors, stairs and any stud partitions have long gone.

The facade of the larger unit at south has, at ground floor, a door at right and two windows at left trimmed like the windows of the other units. At first floor is a single oriel window at right, and two standard windows to left. The right gable has two windows to each floor; that at top left is an oriel window similar to the facade. At rear is a ground floor door, with a concrete cistern just outside. There are traces of a chimney flue on the inside face of this wall. Both oriels are of mass concrete (cast in situ) and are probably first world war additions

A coursed random rubble wall encloses a large yard at the rear of the houses. Abutting the inside face of the east curtain wall are the ruinous remains of lean-to outbuildings.

Setting

On the shoreline of the bay to the south of the headland, the site of the 1 830s Coastguard houses is now occupied by two modern (or refurbished) houses and a small harbour (with reinforced-concrete walls).

Historical information

A Revenue Station is known to have existed here in 1730; this would have been established by the Government to combat smuggling and is one of the earliest such stations in the Province.’ The 1832 05 6” map shows a signal staff at the summit of the headland; several buildings are also shown on the shore of the bay immediately south. These buildings are described in the 1834 First Valuation book as a Water Guard dwelling and boat house, and probably developed from the earlier 18th century station. Although described in the valuation as belonging to the Water Guard, the force had been under the direction of the Board of Customs since 1822, when it was renamed the Coastguard Force. It was one of a number of such stations in operation around the Ulster coast at this time.

The Coastguard Service came under Admiralty control in 1856. The OS 6” map of 1859 shows a ‘Coastguard Watch House’ on the site of the signal staff the nearby boat house is also captioned; both buildings are also cited in the Second Valuation, c. 1 860.

The Valuation Revision book entry for 1879 suggests that it was around then that the Coastguard houses to the east of the station were erected. What had been the station now became the watch house and a ‘station house’ is added to the schedule. The Board of Public Works, which had taken over the construction and maintenance of coastguard stations in 1845, would have been responsible for this work.

The 1903 05 25” map captions the station as ‘Coastguard Signal Station’ and also shows a flag staff; the terrace of houses noted in the 1879 Valuation is also shown.

It was from Torr Head station that the world was notified of the success of Gugielmo Marconi’s pioneering wireless transmission between Rathlin and Ballycastle in 1898. Lloyds, the London-based shipping insurance company, was particularly interested in this development because until then it relied on pigeons and semaphore to relay sightings of ships passing in and out of the North Channel from their watch station at Rathlin’s East Light to Torr Head. The messages were then relayed by land line to its London headquarters. Thanks to Marconi, there was now the possibility of using a more reliable method of communication between the island and mainland. In 1906, the Coastguard entered into a formal agreement with Lloyds whereby the station would also act as a signal station on the company’s behalf.

The Admiralty retained the right to exclusive use of the station in the event of war, and so it was that during the first world war, Torr Head operated as a War Signal Station.

On 11 September 1920, the station and houses were raided for weapons by the I.R.A. The premises were evacuated on 23 September and the houses were gutted by an arsonist on 6 November.

The station was reoccupied by the Coastguard as a look-out during the second world war. In the 1950s the Ministry of Defence attempted to set up a radar installation at the station. It did not work, however, as planes were apparently able to fly low over the sea and thus avoid detection. The station remained in use by the coastguard until the 1970s. It was then sold off and became a private dwelling which has recently been vacated and now lies derelict. H.M coastguard still maintain a radio aerial on the site.

It is of note that whereas in most cases the watch house was usually integral with the dwellings, in this case they are separate, presumably because of the exposed situation of, and difficult access to, the headland. Architecturally, however, neither set of buildings can be said to be of particular note. Moreover, the signal station has suffered inappropriate pebble dashing and the dwellings are in a ruinous state.

Although the dwelling houses to the west date from the 1 870s, it is unclear when the present signal station was built. The OS map shows a watch house here in 1859 which had become a signal station by 1879. However, the use of mass concrete on the roof would suggest a later 19th or, more probably, an early 20th century refurbishment or total rebuild. Unfortunately there is no indication in the Valuation revisions as to when this took place, and further research would be required in the Office of Public Works archives at the Public Record Office, Dublin.

Acknowledgements
Mr John Liewelyn, Conservation Officer with Coleraine Sub-Divisional Planning Office, for background information on the site’s 20th century operations, and to Denis Mayne for the early 18th century reference.

Primary Sources

1. PRO Kew - Cust 20/98.
2. PRONI - OS 6/1/10/1.
3. VAL 1B/133, pp 66 + 146
4. OS 6/1/10/2; VAL 2B/1/27B, p.79.
5. VAL 12B/2/15B, p.14.
6. OS 10/1/10/1/1.
7. OS 10/1/10/1/2

Secondary Sources

7. Chamberlain’s History of the Intelligence Department at Lloyd’s (unpublished MS supplied by Mr J. Liewelyn).
8. B. Scarlett (1971), Shipminder: the story of Her Majesty’s Coastguard, pp 125-6 (London: Petham Books).
9. Information from Mr Jim Cameron, Coleraine.
10. Information from H.M. Coastguard, Bangor.

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

Not listed

Criteria for listing: historic interest

Not listed

Evaluation

Group of maritime structures comprising a single storey early Twentieth century signal station and the remains of a terrace of four single storey coastguard houses. Torr Head is of some historical interest in being the site of an earlier 18th century Revenue station. It is unclear when the present signal station was built However, although the dwelling houses to the west date from the 1 870s. The use of mass concrete on the roof would suggest a later 19th or, more probably, an early 20th century refurbishment or total rebuild. It is of note that whereas in most cases the watch house was usually integral with the dwellings, in this case they are separate. It is the station’s historical associations which are perhaps of most interest, particularly its links with Lloyds and minor role played in Marconi’s pioneering experiments in wire-less telegraphy. However, they do not meet the statutory and policy tests as buildings of special architectural or historic interest.
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