123 Greencastle Pier Road

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

Left one of a symmetrical pair of two storey / three bay semi-detached lighthouse keepers’ houses on north side of Greencastle Pier Road.

Pitched natural slate roof with clay ridges. Left gable is raised and coped and has a moulded kneelers. Two painted rendered two-stage chimneys: that on party wall between first and second bays has two pots and that on party wall with adjacent property has four pots. Cast iron ogee rainwater goods with decorative hoppers, supported by a decorative eaves course of three courses of yellow brick (middle one saw-toothed). Circular downpipes are held in place by poppy head clasps. Walls are painted smooth cement render with a painted chamfered basecourse. All windows have painted dressed granite cills.

Front elevation faces south to sea. Central bay of facade is abutted by a single storey porch. It has a pitched natural slate roof with wall, raised gable and rainwater goods detailed as those to main block. Its front gable has a 6/6 sliding sash window with horns. Left cheek is blank. Right cheek has a framed and sheeted painted timber door with modern electric light over.

To ground floor left and right bays is a single 6/6 sliding sash with horns. There are three similar windows to first floor, in line with ground floor openings.

Left gable has a single narrow 4/4 sliding sash window set to left on ground floor. Centred above is a modern oriel window on two rendered brackets, with flat roof, large picture window with stained sheeted apron below; each cheek is narrow but similar.

Rear elevation has a single yellow brick eaves course. It is abutted to left and centre by a single storey lean-to above which is a 6/6 sliding sash window to first floor centre.

Lean-to has a monopitched natural roof and half round metal rainwater goods. Its right gable is raised and concrete coped and continues as yard wall. Yard facing elevation is painted and rendered and has two modern top-hung timber casement windows and a modern door. Right gable has two narrow 4/4 sliding sashes and left cheek is party wall with lean-to of adjacent property.

Right gable is party wall with adjacent property.

Silurian rubble yard wall has dressed granite quoins and continues as an outbuilding to rear. Its side (west) wall has a sheeted door with brick dressed reveal. Wall makes two steps down and has had a post-war railing added to its rounded concrete coping. Outbuilding to rear of yard is single storey with a mono-pitched artificial slate roof (sloping to yard), with raised coped verges and decorative kneelers. Walls are coursed random Silurian rubble with granite quoins. External wall (to north) has a brick dressed doorway (infilled with concrete blocks) with a two small vent openings in wall above. The yard does not enclose rear right bay, which contains a driveway and a single storey post-war garage.

Paved area to front of house is enclosed by an embattled mass concrete wall with wrought iron pedestrian gate and shared vehicular gateway with similarly detailed gate held by pair of rock faced ashlar piers with pyramidal copings.

Historical information

Erected by the Commissioners of Irish Lights along with the adjoining boathouse (HB16/04/014C). Inhabited from 1889 or shortly before. Associated with Haulbowline Lighthouse (HB16/04/009). Eventually superseded earlier keepers’ houses at Cranfield Point (HB16/04/008) which were inhabited to around 1922.

Primary Sources:
1. Drawings in archive of Commissioners of Irish Lights, Dublin.
2. PRONI – VAL 12B/19/13C.

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

A. Style
B. Proportion
C. Ornamentation
J. Setting
K. Group value

Criteria for listing: historic interest

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

Evaluation

Together with the adjoining dwelling, block to its east, and boathouse, this is a significant group of houses strategically located near the shoreline at Greencastle Point. Their formalised design clearly distinguishes them from other houses in the area