Water pump

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

There are two pumps along the south side of the road, opposite 93 Moycraig Road.

Pump 1
This pump is situated at the NE corner of a derelict single-storey house (at grid D0010 4051) and was heavily overgrown at the time of survey. It has a fluted column with a plain band around, spherical top and fluted cap with acorn finial. The handle is of standard cowtail design and the spout has a lug from which to hang a bucket. Around the top is the legend: "Christies Ltd Coleraine".
Although the cap is now glued down for security reasons, the owner states that it no longer has any internal mechanism.

Pump 2
This pump is located c.20m SE of the above one (at grid D0011 4049). It has a plain shaft with two bands, a plain cylindrical top and fluted cap. It also has a cowtail handle and lugged spout. Embossed around the top of the cap is "Daniel Christie Coleraine Plumber". As with pump 1, the cap is is now glued to the body and no internal mechanism survives.

Setting
A small cluster of houses and outbuildings lie in the immediate vicinity of these pumps. Some of the buildings are now derelict, but others have been refurbished and are occupied.

Historical information

A pump is recorded a short distance NE of the present one, on the opposite side of the road, on the 1904 and 1921 OS maps. However, none is shown along the south side of the road where the present two are situated.

Daniel Christie, whose name appears on both pumps, is noted in the 1865 Belfast & Provincial directories as a "plumber, gasfitter, marble and stone works" of Meeting St, Coleraine. By 1870 he had relocated to the Diamond and remained there until at least 1900. Although his name appears on both pumps, it is highly likely that they were actually manufactured by a specialist foundry who were willing to put his, rather than their, name on them.

The present owner of the house opposite the pumps believes that one of them may have been moved from its original location on the north side of the road to its present position. However, neither is in its original position and both have been preserved, according to the owner, for their ornamental rather than functional value.

References - Primary Sources:
1. 1865 Belfast & Province of Ulster Street Directory, p.727.
2. PRONI OS/10/1/7/4/1. OS 1:2500 map, Co Antrim sheet 7-04 (1904).
3. PRONI OS/10/1/7/4/2. OS 1:2500 map, Co Antrim sheet 7-04 (1921).

References - Secondary Sources:
1. Information from pump owner, 26 June 2015.

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

Not listed

Criteria for listing: historic interest

Not listed

Evaluation

Although these pumps are of interest in showing that Messrs Christie were a sufficiently large plumbing enterprise to have had their name cast on them, the fact that they are no longer in their original positions and of uncertain provenance precludes their listing.