Boat House Restaurant

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

Former mid-19th century two-storey single bay boat and watch house aligned N-S located at the SE corner of Bangor Marina; prior to the latter’s construction, it was situated at the water’s edge.

Hipped natural slate roof with eaves board along exposed rafter tails. Downlights affixed to eaves soffit. The original chimney (as shown on the 1912 photo) has been replaced in brick with sandstone coping and chamfered yellow plinth course. Half-round metal gutters and circular metal down pipes. Walls of roughly-dressed blackstone brought to courses and embellished with replacement stepped cut sandstone quoins. All openings are square-headed and also trimmed with cut sandstone.

North gable, facing seaward, has wide segmental headed doorway, now with double glazed doors and glazed canopy over, leading out to fenced-off yard. Above is an 8/8 sliding sash window in front of which is a small cantilevered balcony on two timber beams. No traces survive of former slipway.

West elevation has a flight of external stone steps with vertically-barred metal handrail leading to first floor doorway with replacement sheeted timber door. To right of door is 2/2 sliding sash window with cut sandstone cill. Underneath stairway is a 2-pane timber window with dressed granite cill and vertical metal security bars.

South gable is partly cut into slope such that only the first floor is visible externally. Semicircular headed opening to centre containing a 2/2 sliding sash window.

East elevation has 2-pane window to ground floor, detailed as W elevation. Two 8/8 sliding sash windows to first floor, both with sandstone cills.

Setting

Set in a tarmacadam car park to the SE corner of Bangor Marina at the junction of Victoria Road and Seacliff Road to the north of the listed Tower House (HB23/05/012) and overlooking Bangor Bay. The surrounding car park has been built on made ground obscuring the former slipway. Modern steel railings guard the resulting retaining wall around three sides of the building.

Roof: Natural slate
Walling: Stone
Windows: Timber
RWG: Metal

Historical information

No boathouse is shown on either the 1834 or 1858 OS maps. The Office of Public Works Archive contains a contractor's drawing of 1865 showing the boathouse with a watch house on the floor above. It was associated with the nearby Coastguard Station (now Bangor Tourist Information Office). It is captioned on the 1901 OS map as a watch house. Old photographs show a small slipway in front of its north gable, running west to the water. The building was subsequently used as an office by the Bangor Harbour Master. It was converted to a restaurant in the 1990s.

References – Primary sources:
1. PRONI OS/6/3/2/1, First edition OS six-inch map, Co Down sheet 2 (1834).
2. PRONI OS/6/3/2/2, Second edition OS six-inch map, Co Down sheet 2 (1858).
3. National Archive, Dublin: OPW 5HC/4/446.
4. PRONI OS/6/3/2/3, Third edition OS six-inch map, Co Down sheet 2 (1901).

References - Secondary sources:
1. Wilson, I & Jaggers, A. Bangor Bay & Harbour: a Pictorial History, p.82 (Bangor: North Down Heritage Centre, 2002).
2. Information from Denis Mayne, Groomsport, Bangor, Co Down.

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

A. Style
B. Proportion
C. Ornamentation
D. Plan Form
J. Setting

Criteria for listing: historic interest

X. Local Interest

Evaluation

A two-storey single bay rubble masonry boat and watch house, built c.1865, located at the SE corner of Bangor Marina. Although renovated in its recent conversion to a restaurant, its distinctive architectural form and external character has survived. The setting has been somewhat compromised by raising the ground to form a carpark for the new marina, however, it is of historical interest as one of the few surviving representations of mid 19th century maritime activity in Bangor and associated with the Coastguard station that used to be housed in the Tower House(HB23/05/012).