Glenarm Harbour

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

Crude looking, limestone-constructed ‘L’ shaped harbour of mainly 1864-8 which encloses a small bay to the E of the mouth of the Glenarm River. There is a high wall to the seaward side of the N end. To the outer face there is a battered rubble base formed from large boulders.

At the time of the survey extensive renovation / improvement work was in progress. The writers were advised by the workmen that this work will convert the structure for use as a marina.

Historical information

Prior to the building of Glenarm bridge in 1823, small ships and boats were able to come up river at high water to the warehouses at the rear of properties on the west side of Toberwine Street. There had apparently been a pier near the mouth of the river in the late 15th century (which was given by local landlords the McEoin Bissets to the near by Friary), and John O’Hara’s map of 1779 shows proposal for a new bridge (roughly on the site of the present one) and ‘a basin intended to be made for shipping’ beyond it, but this ‘proposal’ was not carried through. Further proposals were discussed by the Countess of Antrim’s husband, Edmund [Phelps] MacDonnell in the 1830s, but like the earlier plans these also appear to have come to nothing.

The present harbour dates from the 1860s. In 1864 a pier was constructed by a Mr Hanbury under a crown lease and four years later this was enlarged and improved by local man William Reid. When the crown lease expired in 1898, the pier was sold to Lord Antrim. In the early 1900s, due to export of iron ore and limestone, the traffic within the harbour greatly increased and improvement work had to be carried out in 1910.

In the second half of the 20th century the exporting of limestone went into decline and with it the main pier, part of the pier collapsed in the 1970s. The harbour area was later acquired by Larne Borough Council and at present (Spring 2001) is undergoing extensive rebuilding.

References- Primary sources
1 PRONI D.2977/36/3/1A Antrim Papers Map, showing the Town of Glenarm, plus Glenarm Castle and demesne, by John O'Hara, 1779
2 PRONI D.2977/31/1-2 Antrim Papers Correspondence and legal papers relating to Glenarm harbour, 1815-1910; import and export books, 1896-1907

Secondary sources
1 Felix McKillop, ‘Glenarm- A local history’ (Glenarm 1987), pp.77-8

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

A. Style
H-. Alterations detracting from building
J. Setting

Criteria for listing: historic interest

Y. Social, Cultural or Economic Importance
X. Local Interest
V. Authorship

Evaluation

Utilitarian , limestone-constructed ‘L’ shaped harbour of 1864-8 and 1910 which enclosed a small bay to the E of the mouth of the Glenarm River. The harbour has recently underwent extensive reconstruction and enlargement. The current structure is mostly new, is much enlarged and now seems to function as a yacht marina.. Llittle remains of the original which was of limited historic engineering interest. However pending the results of a schematic study of all historic harbour structures around the coast of N. Ireland Glenarm harbour will retain listed status.