Coastguard Cottages

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

Attached single-bay two-storey terraced former coastguard cottage, built c.1864, located to the south of Belfast Road, Carrickfergus, east end-terrace in a group of seven; apartment 6a at ground floor and 6b at first floor. Rectangular-on-plan with two-storey hipped return to rear, (shared with No.8 HB22/07/021B.)

Roof is hipped natural slate; blue/black clay ridge tiles; brick corbelled eaves; few cast-iron downpipes remaining and square profile replacement uPVC rainwater goods. Walls are roughcast rendered with cogged brick string course and smooth rendered platband over, (north elevation only); smooth rendered plinth. Windows are 6/6 replacement uPVC casements (mimicking 6/6 timber sliding sashes) with painted masonry cills (unless otherwise stated.)

East gable is abutted at left by projecting precast concrete staircase with roughcast rendered plinth wall and segmental coping. Exposed section at ground floor has a centrally located replacement uPVC door (accessing apartment 6a); single window to right. At first floor apartment 6b is also accessed through a central timber door (fixed panel with 6 glazed panes over); single window to each side. String course projects partially onto east gable. Wall below first floor landing of projecting stair contains round-arched-headed opening, stair enclosed to left with timber sheeted door.

South (rear) elevation is abutted by two-storey hipped return to left (shared with No.8 HB22/07/021B); exposed section has replacement uPVC double doors at ground floor; single window at first floor.

West gable is abutted by No.8 (HB22/07/021B.)

North (road-facing) elevation has a single window to each floor, (first floor contains dipartite 4/4 uPVC casements.)

South return has hipped roof detailed as main block; two windows at each floor of south elevation, (two at left contained within No.8 HB22/07/021B.) East elevation is blank.

Set parallel to the Belfast Road, Carrickfergus, the coastguard cottages are accessed from the east with parking to north and south. Bound by roughcast rendered wall with saddleback coping.

Roof covering: Natural slate.
Walling: Roughcast render.
Windows: Windows are 6/6 replacement uPVC casements (mimicking the original 6/6 timber sliding sashes) with painted
masonry cills.
Rainwater goods: Few cast-iron downpipes remaining; also square profile replacement uPVC.

Historical information

The Coastguard Station is first recorded in the Valuation Revision book of 1861-94, and is leased from J. Bowie, with a ground rent of £36. It succeeds an earlier station at Governor’s Place, Carrickfergus. The town plan for Carrickfergus of 1860 shows the buildings added in pencil at a later stage (date of addition not given).

The houses are shown on the third edition OS map of 1902 captioned ‘Coastguard Station’.

Hamond’s survey of 1991 states, “The station remained in use until at least 1945. It is now in private ownership and has recently been refurbished as dwellings...The coastguard housing comprises a two-storey terrace of six houses, with a larger house set at right angles to them at the west end. Various additions have been made to the rear (south) wall in the recent refurbishment...The terrace is now harled, and it is unclear from cursory inspection whether it was of brick or basalt construction. It is ornamented with stone and diagonally-set brick stringing below first floor window sill level, with further decorative brickwork along the eaves and chimney corbels”.

References

Primary Sources:

1. PRONI OS/6/1/52/2 – Second Edition OS Map (1857)
2. PRONI OS/6/1/52/3 - Third Edition OS Map (1902)
3. PRONI VAL/2/D/1/14A - Town plan of Carrickfergus (1860)
4. PRONI VAL/12/B/7/5A-F – Valuation Revisions (1861-1894)

Secondary Sources:

1. Hamond, F. First Survey Information. (1991)

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

Not listed

Criteria for listing: historic interest

Not listed

Evaluation

A group of mid-nineteenth century coastguard cottages, built c.1864, and located to the south of Belfast Road, Carrickfergus. Set parallel to the road, with small gardens to rear. Appealing characteristics of the façade include cogged brick eaves and string course. This group has historic interest in terms of the maritime association it has within Carrickfergus but has been altered and does not have sufficient architectural interest to warrant listing.