119 Greencastle Pier Road

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

Left one of a pair of identical two storey / two bay semi-detached houses on north side of Greencastle Pier Road.

Flat mass concrete roof. To left is a rendered chimney with projecting coping, and to right is a similar chimney shared by both properties.

Walls are painted smooth render with chamfered basecourse, quoins to left corner of facade and projecting platband between ground and first floors this continues around the left and rear elevations of the main block. There is a deep moulded cornice at eaves level with low blocking course over.

Principle façade faces south to sea. Abutting facade at ground floor left is a single storey porch, which partially obscures the quoins. It has a flat roof and is detailed as main walls (but without the quoins). On front wall of porch is a small 1/1 sliding sash window with moulded eared architrave and concrete cill. Its left wall is blank. Right wall has a sheeted painted timber door with identical architrave (all openings have these architraves unless otherwise stated). On porch roof, and similarly detailed with basecourse and cornice, there is a slightly smaller (set back) concrete water tank, rising almost to eaves of main block, its the front face is decorated with an applied roundel. It has a flat roof with slate lid.

At ground floor right on main block is a 2/2 sliding sash window. Above is an identical window with cill advancing from platband. To first floor left, the wall is recessed behind the water tank. It has a two paned casement window which provides access to the tank and porch roof.

Left gable is detailed as main walls, with cement rendered chimney rising from centre of blocking wall. It abutted by a modern single storey wing above which is a single 1/1 plastic double glazed window to first floor left. Wing roof is flat and concealed behind a parapet (as other). Ogee hopper. Walls are as main block but without quoins. On front wall is a 1/1 sliding sash. On left cheek there are two similar openings. Its rear wall has a modern picture window.

Rear wall is abutted to right by a two storey return. Remaining wall to left has a single plastic double glazed window to each floor. Extension is flat roofed with blocking course and detailed as main walls, with quoins and shallower base course. Its right cheek has plastic double glazed windows which are same size as those on main block. Its rear wall has a large plastic picture window on each floor. Its left cheek is blank.

Right elevation is party wall with adjacent property.

Front drive is shared with adjacent property and these share a common gateway with Nos 121 and 123 (HB16/04/014A & B). To road is a concrete boundary wall with embattled copings, which all of these properties share. Opposite No.117 is a small pedestrian gate in wrought iron, and to centre is a similarly detailed carriage gate which hangs on rockfaced ashlar granite piers with pyramidal granite cap. In front of No 119 is a slate capped cistern and a communal water pump. Pump is cast iron with curved handle, lugged nozzle, fluted top section, and removable finialed lid; internal mechanism has been disconnected.

Small garden to rear and to right all is enclosed by a modern fence.

Historical information

Erected in late 1910s by Commissioners of Public Works in Ireland to a standard design. An earlier block of c.1889 stands immediately to its west (HB16/04/014A&B) and a boathouse to its south-east (HB16/04/014C). A 1975 photograph shows no windows on the left gable of the main block at first floor.

Primary Sources:
1. Drawings in archive of Commissioners of Irish Lights, Dublin.
2. Photograph (Rankin 1975): in Historic Monuments Record of N. Ireland, 5-33 Hill Street, Belfast, BT4 2LA.

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

A. Style
B. Proportion
C. Ornamentation
F. Structural System
H-. Alterations detracting from building
J. Setting
K. Group value

Criteria for listing: historic interest

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

Evaluation

An imposing pair of houses unusual for their mass concrete construction and water tanks to the front. They are an interesting contrast to the adjacent keepers’ houses and all form an imposing group above the shoreline.