Coastguard Cottages

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

Attached two-bay two-storey terraced former coastguard cottage, built c.1864, located to the south of Belfast Road, Carrickfergus. West end-terrace in a group of seven, L-plan with single-storey lean-to entrance porch to west.

Roof is hipped natural slate; blue/black clay ridge tiles, cogged brick eaves with few cast-iron downpipes remaining; square profile replacement uPVC rainwater goods. Three roughcast rendered corbelled chimneystacks; one to east party wall, two at west elevation; decorative clay pots. Walls are roughcast rendered; cogged brick string course and smooth rendered platband over, (north and west elevation only); smooth rendered plinth. Windows are timber casements with painted masonry cills (unless otherwise stated.)

Principal (west) elevation is abutted by a single-storey extension with slated lean-to roof (off-centre to left); exposed section to right has two 6/6 timber casements at first floor; single at ground floor diminished.

North (road-facing) elevation contains two windows at ground floor; three windows at first floor.

East gable is abutted by No.16 (HB22/07/021F.)

South (rear) elevation has two-storey projecting bay to left with hipped roof, detailed as main block; exposed section has single 6/6 timber casement window to each floor, narrow 1/1 timber casement to re-entrant angle at first floor. Left projecting bay contains 6/6 timber dipartite casements at ground floor; 5/10 timber casement at first floor. East elevation of projecting bay is abutted by single-storey lean-to extension with slated roof; (east elevation contains replacement entrance door and window to right.)

West entrance porch contains single 1/1 window to west elevation, larger window to right cheek; replacement segmental-headed glazed panelled timber door to left cheek.

Set parallel to the Belfast Road, Carrickfergus, accessed from the north with parking to west and garden to south. Bound to road-edge by roughcast rendered wall with saddleback coping. Divided form remainder of terrace (HB22/07/021A-F) by hedge. Two garages to rear, of no interest.

Roof covering: Natural slate.
Walling: Roughcast render.
Windows: Timber casements with painted masonry cills (unless otherwise stated.)
Rainwater goods: Few cast-iron downpipes remaining; 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.