3 Coastguard Cottages, Helen's Bay, Bangor, Co. Down, BT19 1JY

3 Coastguard Cottages, Helen's Bay

This is a two-storey, two-bay mid-terrace former coastguard cottage, one of a terrace of nine, built in 1856 on the south shore of Belfast Lough to the west of Helen's Bay. It was built for Lord Dufferin of the Clandeboye Estate, under the supervision of his agent Mortimer Thomson, and is attributed to the architect Benjamin Ferrey, who was working for Lord Dufferin at the time. Unlike the majority of coastguard stations built in Ireland following the transfer of the coastguard to the Admiralty in 1856, this terrace was not constructed under the direction of the Board of Public Works — Lord Dufferin took personal control of the design and construction, preferring greater oversight of buildings on his estate than the Board would have permitted. The result is a terrace of notably higher architectural quality than comparable coastguard housing elsewhere in Ireland, and one which lacks the defensive features such as gun loops found in Board of Works coastguard designs.

The building is square on plan, with a single-storey extension to the rear. The roof is pitched natural slate with raised stone gables. To the north there is a masonry chimneystack with rendered coping and decorative terracotta pots; to the south, a rendered chimneystack with a single terracotta pot rises from a shared valley with the adjoining cottage to the west. The walling is Flemish-bonded red brick with stone kneelers at the gable bases. Windows are timber replacements with leaded glass to the upper pane, pointed timber arches, and flat brick lintels. Rainwater goods are cast-iron half-round guttering with drive-in brackets and hoppers, carried on overhanging sandstone eaves with red brick corbels.

The principal elevation faces north and is a single bay wide. The entrance comprises a timber boarded door to the left, fitted with decorative cast-iron hinges and door furniture, with a pointed arch leaded transom light above a timber lintel. The east elevation abuts the neighbouring cottage. The south (rear) elevation is painted render, two windows wide at first floor level; at ground floor it is partly abutted to the east by a rear return with a modern glazed door and window. The rear yard is paved and enclosed by a painted masonry wall with a timber half-door. The west elevation abuts the other neighbouring cottage.

The asymmetrical composition and quality of the architectural detailing are notable. The arches over doors and windows have been finished in wood — this reflects a decision recorded in correspondence from Lord Dufferin in 1868, in which he proposed substituting sanded boards to imitate brick in place of the decorative tiles originally intended. Earlier correspondence from 1856 shows that the question of decorative tiles and specially sourced black bricks had been a persistent concern during construction, with Thomson reporting difficulty obtaining the specified materials and the tiles only arriving close to the completion deadline.

The historical record surrounding this building is unusually well-documented. Lord Dufferin left detailed instructions for the station before departing for London in January 1856, specifying completion by 1 May, uniformity of brick colour, levelled grounds, and grass with trees to the front. Three houses were occupied from June 1856 and the remainder by early August of that year. Two additional houses, originally intended to be let as bathing lodges, were ultimately taken by the Admiralty to accommodate a doubling of the coastguard force. The station was known as Clandeboye Coastguard Station until at least 1890, when it was renamed Helen's Bay Coastguard Station. It appears on the second edition Ordnance Survey map of 1858 captioned "Coast Guard Station," with a flagstaff and boathouse also shown. Griffith's Valuation (1856–64) records the Coast Guard Station and land as occupied by the Board of Admiralty and leased from Lord Dufferin, with the buildings valued at £34 10s.

The Dufferin Estate continued as landlord for many years. Surviving correspondence shows that the station's crew regarded Lord Dufferin as their patron, writing to him on personal and professional matters. In 1879, coastguard Thomas Nester appealed to Lord Dufferin — recalling that Dufferin had offered help during a voyage to Constantinople aboard HMS Melpomene — to use his influence to allow Nester to remain at the station beyond the regulation six-year limit, so as not to disrupt his children's apprenticeships in Belfast. In 1898 the estate was involved in overseeing improvements and additions to the cottages, and it is believed the rear returns were added at around this time, though no changes were recorded in the Annual Revisions. By 1925 the building was no longer in use as a coastguard station. A letter survives from a Mrs John Murry appealing directly to Prime Minister Sir James Craig for one of the houses; his office referred the request to the Ministry of Finance for sympathetic consideration.

The station's crew is recorded in contemporary street directories: the 1901 Belfast and Province of Ulster Street Directory lists John Pring as chief boatman, with boatmen Palmer, Pinwell, Mackay and Purdy Kerr, and coastguards McEwan, Telint and Robertson. By 1907 the crew comprised Henry Brunsen as chief boatman, boatmen T. Dickson and T. Dingley, coastguards T. Seagrove, A. White and M. Gunning, and station master James Thompson. The Helen's Bay coastguard were also noted for their involvement in rescuing the crew of the schooner Clans of Chester, which became stranded in Helen's Bay in 1893.

Refurbishment works were carried out in 1986, including damp-proofing and the replacement of five windows to match the existing detailing. Approval for a garage and workroom in the rear garden was granted in 1988. The property remains in residential use.

The terrace is set at the end of a long private lane to the north-west of Craigdarragh Road, Helen's Bay. Facing north, it enjoys uninterrupted views across Belfast Lough with direct access to the beach. There is a large lawned communal garden to the front, partially enclosed by mature trees to the north and accessed from the east through a decorative cast-iron gate. To the rear, each cottage has a private garden and car parking.