57 Warren Road (former light house keepers' dwellings), Donaghadee, Co Down, BT21 0PQ

57 Warren Road, Donaghadee (formerly light house keepers' dwellings)

A relatively plain two-storey rendered terrace block with hipped roof, projecting end wings, and flat-roofed porches. The building contains five properties and overlooks the coastline to the north of Donaghadee. It displays a conservative late Georgian style appearance, which initially suggests a date of the 1850s or 1860s, though evidence points more reliably to construction around 1884, coinciding with the building of the new lighthouse on Mew Island and replacing earlier keepers' dwellings that had served the old lighthouse on Light House Island.

The properties are arranged symmetrically: the south-east wing contains all of no. 53 and part of no. 55; the north-west wing contains all of no. 61 and part of no. 59; the central portion houses the remainder of nos. 55 and 59, with no. 57 positioned between them. No. 57 retains its original appearance to the front, featuring a centrally positioned single-storey flat-roofed entrance porch with panelled doors to the north-west and south-east faces, and a window to the north-east face. This porch window has a sash frame with Georgian-style panes (2 over 4) and label moulding, beneath a tall parapet with cornice-like string course. Flanking the porch are sash windows with Georgian panes (6/6) and label moulding to the ground floor; three similar windows appear on the first floor without label moulding. The first floor features a centrally positioned sash window with 2 over 4 panes. The façade is rendered and painted white, with an eaves course and bevelled base. The slated gabled roof is shared with two rendered chimney stacks serving nos. 55, 57, and 59. Cast iron rainwater goods serve the front elevation. A large single-storey lean-to section covers the entire ground floor level to the rear, also slated. A small enclosed yard lies at the rear.

The building ceased to be used by lighthouse staff during the 1960s and was subsequently sold as a single unit. Modern single-storey garages were constructed to the rear circa 1969, positioned just beyond the backyards of each house. From the 1970s onwards, the individual dwellings were sold as separate properties. No. 63 at the north-west end was used as a store for lighthouse provisions for much of the twentieth century. The relatively spacious interior and surviving original detailing support the late 19th-century construction date.