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

Number 9 Coastguard Cottages is a two-storey, two-bay end-of-terrace former coastguard cottage, built in 1856 and situated on the south shore of Belfast Lough to the west of Helen's Bay. It is one of a terrace of nine red brick cottages, and is notable as one of the finest examples of its type in the region, designed by the architect Benjamin Ferrey under the personal direction of Lord Dufferin of Clandeboye Estate.

Architectural Description

The building is square on plan with a single-storey extension to the rear. The roof is pitched and finished in natural slate, with raised stone gables and a masonry chimneystack topped with decorative terracotta pots. The walling is red brick laid in Flemish bond, with a striking decorative pattern of yellow and black 'V' and 'X' shaped tiles. There are tiled courses at both floor levels as well as a stone corbel course. The eaves overhang in sandstone, supported on red brick corbels, with cast-iron half-round rainwater goods, drive-in brackets, and hoppers.

The principal elevation faces north and is a single opening wide. The entrance features a pointed-head timber boarded door to the left with a timber lintel. To the right, there is a shared niche with a pointed arch. The east elevation has a single window opening, along with a modern timber door and window to the rear return. The south (rear) elevation is painted and has two window openings at first-floor level; the ground floor is fully abutted by the rear extension, which contains three window openings. The west elevation is abutted by the adjoining property. The windows throughout are uPVC replacements, which detract from the building's original character. The arches over the doors and windows have been finished with wood, a solution arrived at by Lord Dufferin himself in 1868 as an alternative to the decorative tiles originally intended for those areas.

Historical Background

The coastguard terrace is unusual in that its construction was not entrusted to the Board of Public Works, which was at that time responsible for building and maintaining coastguard stations across Ireland following the transfer of the coastguard service to the Admiralty in 1856. Instead, Lord Dufferin commissioned the work privately, supervised by his agent Mortimer Thomson, and the cottages are attributed to Benjamin Ferrey, who was working for Lord Dufferin during this period. Lord Dufferin took a close personal interest in the aesthetic qualities of buildings on his estate and wished to retain greater control over the design than would have been possible under the standard Board of Public Works process. As a result, the cottages notably lack the defensive features — such as gun loops — found in many Board of Works coastguard stations of the period. Thomas McKnight, editor of the Northern Whig, observed that the houses Lord Dufferin built for the coastguards and estate workers were "in a style far superior to similar buildings on the estates of much larger landlords."

The construction correspondence survives in full and gives a vivid picture of the building process. Before leaving for London in January 1856, Lord Dufferin left his agent with detailed instructions, including that the station should be finished before 1st May, that jet black bricks or recessed devices filled with coloured tiles should be used to carry out his decorative intentions, and that the grounds in front should be levelled, laid with grass, and planted with trees. By 1st April 1856, Thomson reported that the decorative tiles had arrived after an initial period of working without them, and that he hoped to obtain black brick from a contact in Limerick. By 23rd July the houses were described as almost finished, with three already occupied by coastguard crews since 1st June. Two of the nine cottages had originally been intended for letting as bathing lodges, but the Admiralty requested that these also be taken over to accommodate a doubling of the station's complement.

The station was known as Clandeboye Coastguard Station until at least 1890, after which it was renamed Helen's Bay Coastguard Station. It appears on the second edition Ordnance Survey map of 1858, captioned 'Coast Guard Station', alongside a flagstaff and boat house. Griffith's Valuation of 1856 to 1864 records a Coast Guard Station and land occupied by the Board of Admiralty and leased from Lord Dufferin, with the buildings valued at £34 10s.

The Coast Guard in Ireland had been established in 1822, with stations along the entire coastline in place by 1824. Its primary purpose during the first half of the 19th century was to prevent smuggling and protect government revenue, particularly in relation to unprocessed tobacco, which was heavily taxed but widely used. Coastguard crews were generally unpopular with local communities, were often perceived as representatives of the Crown, and were deliberately housed separately from the local population to discourage too close a relationship with local people. In 1856, alongside the transfer to the Admiralty, the coastguard's functions were extended to include coastal defence and acting as a naval reserve. Lifesaving did not become an official function until 1922, though the station's crew were involved in a number of rescues, including that of the crew of the schooner Clans of Chester, which became stranded in Helen's Bay in 1893.

Lord Dufferin maintained an ongoing involvement with the station for many years. Surviving letters from Station Officer Richard Keane appeal to Lord Dufferin for help in securing employment for family members and colleagues in Belfast. A letter of September 1879 from crew member Thomas Nester recalls that Lord Dufferin had promised him assistance when they had sailed together to Constantinople on HMS Melpomene under Captain Hewitt, and asks him to use his influence to prevent Nester being transferred from the station after the regulation six-year limit, so that his children could continue their apprenticeships in Belfast.

In 1898 the Dufferin Estate Office was still involved in the maintenance and development of the cottages as landlord, with correspondence surviving regarding proposed improvements and additions by a builder named Kerr. It is believed that the rear returns were added to the cottages at around this time. The 1901 Belfast and Province of Ulster Street Directory lists the crew of Clandeboye Coastguard Station as John Pring (chief boatman), boatmen Palmer, Pinwell, Mackay, and Purdy Kerr, and coastguards McEwan, Telint, and Robertson. By 1907 the crew had changed and the station was now listed under the name Helen's Bay. By 1925 the building was no longer in use as a coastguard station, and correspondence survives in which a Mrs John Murry appealed directly to Prime Minister James Craig for one of the houses, a request that was referred to the Ministry of Finance for sympathetic consideration.

Alterations and Present Condition

A flat-roofed single-storey extension to the rear was replaced with a mono-pitched single-storey extension around 1999. Repairs to the roof were carried out in 2010. Some alterations to the facade have taken place in recent years, including the replacement of the original windows with uPVC units, but the building retains much of its original character and remains substantially intact. The property continues in residential use.

Setting

The cottage is approached via a long private lane to the north-west of Craigdarragh Road, Helen's Bay. Facing north, the terrace has uninterrupted views over Belfast Lough and direct access to the beach. There is a large communal lawned garden to the front, partially bounded by mature trees to the north and accessed from the east through a decorative cast-iron gate. Each cottage in the terrace has a private garden and car parking to the rear.