103-113 Greencastle Pier Road

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

Terrace of six two-storey coastguard houses, sea-facing on the north side of Greencastle Pier Road. The end units to left and right are double the width of the four central ones. Some are much altered, but enough details survive to give an idea of the original scheme.

Hipped artificial slate roof (originally natural slated), with five concrete coped modern red brick chimneys, symmetrically placed to serve each property. Exposed rafter tails. Semicircular metal rainwater goods.

Walls appear to have been smooth rendered with a chamfered basecourse, but only extreme left property (No113) retains this detail; the others are dashed or re-rendered. All but No103 retain their original segmental window openings and canted granite cills to first floor. Nos. 109 and 111 also retain their 2/2 sliding sashes. The four central houses (Nos. 105-111) each have a single window at first floor, and probably had similar below (all now have modern sunroom extensions).

No 103 is remodelled but retains an oriel on end (right) gable.

No 113 has a number of features of interest. At first floor left is a canted oriel supported on decorative rendered corbels, with a segmental span between. It has a small mono-pitched roof and a single modern window. Left gable has a similar oriel set to right of centre and an entrance to ground floor centre with modern door in a chamfered opening. All windows to rear elevation are 6/6 sliding sashes. To left of centre is a sheeted timber door with segmental head. Over, framing its head, is an oriel as those to front and left, and containing a 3/3 sliding sash. To left and right is a 6/6 sliding sash to each floor. To extreme right at ground floor is a small two paned casement window.

The rear elevations of the other houses are much altered Nos. 103, 105 and 107 are all extended. However, Nos.109 and 111 both appear original. Walls are painted smooth render. No.109 shares a lean-to return with No 111 at ground floor right and has a 6/6 sliding sash window to left. At first floor there is a 6/6 to left and a small four paned casement window to right (over return). No. 111 is mirror image.

Adjacent to No 103 is an associated boathouse, aligned N-S. It has a pitched natural slate roof with modern eaves board and plastic rainwater goods. Split Silurian rubble walls have rendered concrete quoins to each corner and concrete dressings to openings. Seaward facing front gable has a segmental headed sheeted timber double leaf door (very poor condition). Left and right side walls each have a single segmental headed shuttered opening. Rear wall is blank.

Historical information

Built to standard design by Commissioners of Public Works and occupied from 1888 or shortly before. Superseded coastguard houses at Cranfield (HB16/04/041). Valuation revision book notes “four rooms in each including kitchen … two watch rooms … John Sweet, chief boatman”. The boathouse is probably contemporary with the houses and both are captioned on the 1901 OS 6” map.

Primary sources:
1. PRONI – VAL 12B/19/13C, p.38 (1888 valuation entry).
2. OS 6" map, 3rd edition (1901) Co Down sheet 57 (PRONI OS/6/3/57/3)

Secondary sources:
1. D. Mayne ‘19th century coastguard stations in Mourne, in 12 Miles of Mourne, vol.7 (Kilkeel 1996), p.27.

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

Not listed

Criteria for listing: historic interest

Not listed

Evaluation

Although this group is of some historic interest and retains some of its original features, the large number of inappropriate alterations have reduced its merit.