Pier

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

This is a quay with a rubble stone base and was constructed c.1788. It is located to the East of Ballyronan at the edge of Lough Neagh to the East of Ballynagarve Road. It is long and linear in plan and is orientated on a Northeast – Southwest axis. The North-eastern end juts out into Lough Neagh. The South-western end is inset to the land, located opposite Ballyronan House. The quay is constructed on a mound of rubble stone, which are exposed to the sides. The perimeter is also overgrown with creeping foliage and trees.

The entrance point of the quay at the South-western end is marked by eight cut-stone steps leading to the main plateau of the quay. There is a galvanised metal handrail to the left of the steps. The railings continue along the left of the quay. It has a tarmac path to the left and a grassed area to the right.

The North-eastern end of the quay has a random rubble wall to the right. There is a raised random rubble stepped area beneath the wall which stretches to meet the tarmac path. To the North of this there are large boulders laid out in an irregular fashion. Beyond this to the end of the quay is a sloped cut-stone slipway. The stones are laid out in a random rubble fashion. The metal railing to the left continues around the end of the slipway and returns around to the right side. It continues up to meet the random rubble wall to the right.

Setting

The Quay is located to the East of Ballyronan on the shores of Lough Neagh. The Ballynagarve is the main Road accessing the Quay from Ballyronan. Ballyronan House is located to the West of the Quay at the junction of small street perpendicular to the Shore Road.

Historical information

A pier is indicated on the OS map of 1832. According to the OS Memoirs of 1836, this consisted of ‘a collection of stones secured by piles’ extending ‘into the lough in a curving direction to a distance of 257 feet…and…15 feet broad at an average’

The pier was built by David Gaussen, on a lease of land belonging to the Salters’ Company, in c.1788. Around this he developed the village of Ballyronan, building, ‘extensive grocery, spirit, timber, iron, coal and grain stores, chiefly for the supply of the shopkeepers in the neighbouring towns’. In 1824, his sons, David, Charles and James, added a distillery to the south of the village, and, in c.1828-30, a brewery, just to the south-west of the pier, exporting much of the produce of the two ventures to Belfast; both had relatively short existences, however, closing some time prior to c.1857. By this stage, (1852 to be exact), the lease of Ballyronan had reverted to the Salters’ Company. The long-standing expectation, (expressed by Lewis in 1837, for one), of improvements to the village and linkage to the nascent railway network under the management of the Salter’s, never materialised, and its further growth stalled. Thus, in the second half of the 19th century Ballyronan was surpassed by other centres of trade (with easy access to the railway) and never expanded beyond its pre 1830s bounds.

The pier itself experienced a somewhat unusual fate as the lowering of the level of the lough in the later 19th century and again in the 2oth century, lead to much of it becoming ‘landlocked’.

References- Primary sources
1 PRONI D.4108/11/2/1 Salters’ Company papers ‘Map of the townland of Ballyronan, coloured with the markings of W. Gaussen’s holdings’, c.1830
2 PRONI OS/6/5/47/1 OS map, Co. Londonderry, sheet 47, 1832
3 ‘Ordnance Survey Memoirs of Ireland…vol.6’ eds. Angelique Day and Patrick McWilliams, (QUB, 1990), pp.6-7, 9 (1836)
3 Lewis, Samuel, ‘A topographical dictionary of Ireland vol.I’, (London, 1837)
4 PRONI D.4108/11/2/2 Salters’ Company papers ‘Map of the Salters’ estate with detailed town plan of Ballyronan’, 1837
5 PRONI OS/6/5/47/2 OS map, Co. Londonderry, sheet 47, 1853
6 PRONI OS/6/5/47/3 OS map, Co. Londonderry, sheet 47, 1904-06
7 PRONI OS/6/5/47/4 OS map, Co. Londonderry, sheet 47, 1928
8 EHS OS map, Co. Londonderry, sheet 47, published 1937

Secondary sources
1 Rowan, A.J., ‘North west Ulster’, (Belfast, 1979), pp.124-26
2 Curl, James Stevens, ‘The Londonderry Plantation, 1609-1914’ (Philimore & Co., 1986)

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

D. Plan Form
H-. Alterations detracting from building
K. Group value

Criteria for listing: historic interest

X. Local Interest

Evaluation

This is a quay with a rubble stone base and was constructed c.1788. This is an unusual example of a late 18th century pier that, unfortunately has been degraded over time due to the activity around the lough shore here. The setting has been somewhat degraded with the lowering of the water level of the lough and the addition of adjoining buildings. Scheduling may be a more appropriate means of protection but the structure remains listed at present.

General comments

This record was originally listed together with Ballyronan House as HB09/09/014. The House is now recorded as HB09/09/014 A and the pier as HB0909/014 B.