4 Coastguard Cottages, Harbour Road, Ballintoy, Ballycastle, Co Antrim, BT54 6NA

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

An attached single bay coastguard dwelling, with attached three-stage lookout tower, built c.1870, forming the eastern end of a group of four (formerly five) coastguard cottages. Both the dwelling and the tower are rectangular on plan.

Roof is hipped artificial slate with a rebuilt brown brick chimneystack having moulded cap and multiple terracotta pots. Tower has a flat roof (formerly pyramidal) with pebbledashed chimneystack. Plastic gutters on a timber fascia. Walling is painted roughcast rendered, with contrasting rock-faced stone quoins to the tower. Windows are uPVC, including several insertions to the tower, generally having rock-faced long-and-short surrounds (insertions have painted rendered surrounds mimicking stone). Original 1/1 diminutive lancet windows to east elevation tower. Painted masonry and concrete cills.

The seaward (north) elevation of the original cottage is lit by a single window to each floor. The entrance is located to the south (landward) elevation of the cottage, contained within a later timber conservatory which spans the elevation. It comprises an original t&g sheeted timber entrance door to right, and window to left; single window to first floor. The west side elevation is abutted by No.3. The east side elevation is abutted at the right side by the tower and is blank with the exception of a diminutive square opening to ground and first floor (the latter just beneath eaves level).

The tower is accessed to south side via a replacement timber door with transom light set in a stepped stone surround, accessed via three stone steps and having a narrow lancet insertion to right side. The first stage has a triple lancet sash to east, and a similar group of windows to north is infilled. The exposed west elevation has an inserted window to first and second stage. The upper (lookout) stage has a double-faceted lookout window to each side; each has a hipped artificial slate roof and is set on a long stepped corbel.

Setting:
The coastguard cottages are set on an extremely exposed location on the clifftop above Ballintoy harbour. Gardens are communal and comprise a narrow strip of lawn to north, and a series of original individual kitchen garden plots to east; the garden for No.4 is self-contained within a railed enclosure; it retains some decorative features including a large sun dial. To south, each cottage has a rendered single-storey lean-to outbuilding and toilet. That to No.4 has enlarged vehicular timber-sheeted doors. The rear (south) of the properties are connected by a raised platform. No 4 is bounded by dwarf barley-twist cast iron railings, terminating at east with a communal wrought-iron gate leading to the gardens via a set of stone steps. The shared northern boundary wall is rubble masonry with soldier coursed coping, having a single remaining tooled and dressed pier at the west end, having a pyramidal cap.

Roof: Artificial slate
Walling: Painted render
Windows: uPVC
RWG: Plastic

Historical information

The Water Guard (also known as Preventative Boat Service) was formed in 1809; it was the sea-based arm of revenue enforcement that patrolled the shore and operated a series of Watch Houses along the coast. Following the imposition of excise duties by the British Government on a large number of goods, the smuggling trade became increasingly active. In response, the Irish Coast Guard was established by the Board of Customs in 1822, replacing a number of earlier independent bodies, such as the Water Guard, Revenue Cruisers and Riding Officers, who were concerned with policing the coastline. The role of the Irish Coastguards was initially revenue-protection and coastal defence but following the Coastguard Service Act of 1856, control passed from the Board of Customs to the Admiralty. There was a subsequent shift in the role of the Coastguard; with a decline in smuggling activities, the service functioned as an auxiliary to the Navy, as well as maintaining a role in revenue protection, with some lifesaving duties. The 1856 Act had enabled the acquisition of land for new stations and the enlargement of existing ones, with the Admiralty undertaking much new building work (spending £35,000 between 1856 and 1862) which resulted in a large number of purpose-built stations.

Between 1907 and 1912, 79 stations were closed with 4,100 men employed in 1901, a figure which had reduced to 3,000 by 1911. When control passed to the Board of Trade in 1923, a number of Admiralty stations were closed down or facilities downgraded, as the locations and priorities of the stations had shifted. At this time the primary role became one of coastal observation, in conjunction with the responsibility for the co-ordination of all life-saving activities (including the RNLI). The number of regular Coastguards had dramatically dropped by 1931; although supplemented by auxiliary staff, stations therefore were manned by smaller numbers of men. The number of stations continued to decline throughout the 20th century. In the 1960s there was a move away from coastal watch in stations, to the remote monitoring of ships from designated Maritime Rescue Co-ordination Centres and by the mid 1970s it had been decided to sell off the remaining Coastguard accommodation.

Until the late 20th century accommodation was provided for most ranks of the Coastguard service and their families, comprising a closely grouped row of cottages, often with a watch room, boathouse, equipment store, wash-house and enclosing boundary wall. Gardens were often provided for the growing of vegetables, as rural stations often had to be self-sufficient. The officer’s house was often located at the end of the terrace and did not differ extensively, except for the provision of few additional rooms. As the stations of the Admiralty era were required to be defendable from attack, it is thought that the houses were designed to be intercommunicating, with the number of entrances kept to a minimum and gun loops strategically placed on the exterior to defend entrances and windows.

Watch rooms or watch houses were used for the storage of ammunition, signaling and observation equipment, were a place from which orders were given and from the 1920s, contained the station telephone. If the watch room was contained within the officer’s house, this had separate access and was unconnected to the residence.

A Coastguard station was first established at Ballintoy in January 1822, and a square-plan watch house is shown on the first and second edition OS maps (1831-3; 1853-8), just to the north of the present site. Lewis (1837) makes reference to this original watch house, in the following description of Ballintoy; ‘At Port Ballintoy there is a coast-guard station, which is one of eight stations that form the district of Ballycastle’. This previous watch house and the associated boat house were valued at £1 5s in Griffith’s Valuation (1859) but the Annual Revisions (1864-78) show that this were replaced by the present group of buildings, which were newly built c.1873 and valued at £20. An Alexander G. Fullerton was noted as the lessor. First shown on the third edition OS map (1900-06) captioned ‘Coastguard Station’, this linear group, which is located to the south of the previous watch house, contains four small garden plots to the rear with a number of detached outbuildings, and a square-plan watch house abutting to the eastern elevation of the main building. Census Records (1901) show that the buildings comprised five private dwellings, housing each of the five Coastguards and their respective families (Thomas Fox, Arthur Strange, John Jarrett, John Giles and William Stokesbury). Each of the buildings were noted as comprising four rooms (two on each floor), with two windows to the front of the property. John Jarrett as listed as ‘Chief Boatman in charge’ and his house (thought to be No.1; HB05/10/010A) was larger than the others, consisting of six rooms with four windows to the front of elevation. Notably all of the coastguards and much of their families were noted as being from England, showing that they had been stationed in Ballintoy rather than being appointed from the local area.

The collective value of the buildings decreased to £17 10s in 1909 when one of the houses was listed as vacant. By 1910 the value had increased to £20 but the whole group was noted as being vacant at this time. By 1914 the vacant houses and outbuildings, which were listed as the ‘old Coastguard Station’ had been surrendered by the Admiralty and were in the ownership of a George Fullerton. Although they remined captioned 'Coastguard Cottages', on the fourth edittion OS map (1922-31), the valuations and Ulster Town Directories (1906-1913) indicate that the Coastguard station at Ballintoy ceased to operate c.1908, as the Admiralty closed down a number of stations throughout Britain and Ireland during this period. Following the transfer of control to The Board of Trade in 1923, the watch tower was separately valued at £4 in the Annual Revisions (1916-30) and continued to be operated by the Board, likely functioning as an auxiliary lookout point for the Coastguard. The First and Second General Revaluations (1935-57; 1958-72) show that the watch tower and store remained in use until 1937, after which the building was converted into a dwelling, which remained occupied by a Helen May until at least the 1970s.

The First and Second General Revaluations (1935-57; 1958-72), show that the present No.4 (originally No.5) was owned by an Andrew McGoogan, followed by an Ann Duff in 1952. The rateable value was more than double that of the adjoining terraces to the west, however as the building itself does not significantly differ; this difference in valuation may be a result of the number of outbuildings included with the property. During the late 20th century, the property was amalgamated with the adjoining watch tower to the east, forming a single dwelling.

The associated outbuildings have remained largely unchanged since at least the early 20th century.

References

Primary Sources

1. PRONI OS/6/1/4/1 First edition OS map (1832)
2. PRONI OS/6/1/4/2 Second Edition OS map (1855)
3. PRONI OS/6/1/4/3 Third Edition OS map (1904)
4. PRONI OS/6/1/4/4 Fourth Edition OS map (1922-31)
5. PRONI VAL/2/B/1/24A-B Griffiths Valuation (1859)
6. PRONI VAL/12/B/2/2A-F Annual Revisions (1864-1929)
7. PRONI VAL/3/B/1/4 First General Revaluations (1935-54)
8. PRONI VAL/3/C/1/4 Annual Revisions (1936-57)
9. PRONI VAL/4/B/1/9 Second General Revaluations (1956-72)
10. Ulster Town Directories (1878-1950)
11. Irish Census Records (1901;1911)

Secondary Sources

1. Fingal Coastal Architecture Survey

Online Sources

1. ‘Introductions to Heritage Assets; Coastguard Stations’ English Heritage (https://historicengland.org.uk/images-books/publications/iha-coastguard-stations/)
2. Irish Coastguard Service; Stages of Development (http://www.coastguardsofyesteryear.org/articles.php?article_id=96)
3. Irish Coastguard History (http://www.dttas.ie/maritime/english/about-irish-coast-guard-0)

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

A. Style
B. Proportion
C. Ornamentation
D. Plan Form
H-. Alterations detracting from building
I. Quality and survival of Interior
J. Setting
K. Group value

Criteria for listing: historic interest

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

Evaluation

The former Ballintoy Coastguard Cottages and Watch House were built c.1873 to replace a smaller watch house which remains directly to north. The group is dramatically located on an exposed site at the head of cliffs above Ballintoy harbour, surprisingly hidden from view from the harbour due to the steep terrain. No.4 is of particular interest as it includes the three-storey watch tower which was previously used for storage and observation. While there have been some changes to facilitate its conversion to residential use, including the addition of windows, its historic significance remains. The group is considered special because of the retention of many historic features and detailing, the completeness of the overall group, the contextual importance and the overall historical and social importance. Retaining physical evidence of the defensive and regulatory functions of the early coastguard service in the form of gun loops and panoramic lookout windows, the group (including No4) is of considerable significance in the context of the maritime history of this coastal area. The interest of the group is further enhanced by the retention of original boundary features and outbuildings, including laundry and original kitchen garden plots which are of social interest, contributing to our understanding of the domestic aspects of coastguard life.

General comments

Also HB05/LQ025