Boat House, off Craigdarragh Road, Helen’s Bay, Bangor, Co Down

Boat House

An oblong-shaped rubble stone boathouse located on the shores of Belfast Lough off the Craigdarragh Road in Helen's Bay. The building features a concrete barrel roof with bitumen covering. The rubble stone walling includes a raised parapet at the east elevation. A segmental-arched opening faces east and is fitted with replacement steel doors. The north and south elevations each have a single blocked-up opening; the opening to the north retains its granite cill. The west elevation is blank.

The boathouse is set on the shore of Belfast Lough and is accessed via a long private lane to the north-west of Craigdarragh Road. The listed Coastguard Cottages are located a short distance away to the south-east. The North Down Coastal Path passes immediately to the south, with a concrete slipway and shingle bay to the east and rock outcrop to the north.

The boathouse is thought to belong to Helen's Bay Coastguard station. The Coastguard cottages were built in 1856 by Lord Dufferin and Clandeboye under the supervision of his agent, Mortimer Thomson. A 'Flag Staff' and 'Boat House' are shown on the second edition Ordnance Survey map of 1858. Griffith's Valuation (1856–64) lists a Coast Guard Station and land occupied by the Board of Admiralty and leased from Lord Dufferin, with the buildings valued at £34 10 shillings.

The Coast Guard in Ireland was established in 1822, and by 1824 there were stations along the entire Irish coastline. The primary purpose during the first half of the nineteenth century was to prevent smuggling and protect government revenue. In 1856 the coastguard was transferred to the Admiralty, and its functions were redefined to include coastal defence and naval reserve duties in addition to revenue protection. Responsibility for building and maintenance was given to the Board of Public Works, though the Clandeboye station building was not entrusted to them, likely because Lord Dufferin took an active interest in the aesthetic properties of the dwellings on his estate. The station was called Clandeboye until around 1890, when the name changed to Helen's Bay Coastguard Station. By 1925 the building was no longer in use as a Coastguard station. The boathouse is currently used as a store.