Water tower, Portrush Railway Station, Eglinton Street, Portrush, Co Antrim, BT56

Water Tower at Portrush Railway Station

This water tower is a cast-metal structure dating from 1883, built on a masonry foundation. It stands at the southern end of the down platform at Portrush Station, which was the northern terminus of the Coleraine-Portrush branch line.

The structure comprises a painted cast-iron open-topped rectangular water tank mounted on a squared basalt rubble single-stage tower with a flat concrete roof. The tank bears maker's plates on each side inscribed 'D & W Grant / Belfast / 1883', which documents both the manufacturer and construction date. The tower features flat-headed windows with metal heads, brick jambs and concrete cills on its east and west elevations, and a similarly detailed door at the south end. An operating chain is positioned on the west side, and cast-iron pipe outlet pipes run along both sides of the tower.

Historical Context

The line was originally built by William Dargan between 1853 and 1855 as the main line of the Ballymena, Ballymoney, Coleraine & Portrush Junction Railway. In 1861 it passed to the Belfast & Northern Counties Railway, which built this tank prior to the appointment of B.D. Wise in 1888. The tank appeared on the 1904 Ordnance Survey map and all subsequent editions. The railway passed through various ownership changes: the Midland Railway (Northern Counties Committee) took over in 1903, becoming the London, Midland & Scottish Railway (Northern Counties Committee) in 1923, before nationalisation brought it under the Ulster Transport Authority in 1949, now operated by Translink.

Later Additions and Alterations

Between 1946 and 1965, a second tank was added at the north end of the original one, evidently reflecting increased demand from steam train traffic in the mid-twentieth century. This second tank, cast iron and dated 1886 by maker 'T. Grendon & Co Drogheda Engineers', was supported on reinforced-concrete transoms over concrete beams set into the adjoining tower. Between April 2013 and April 2017, this second tank and its supporting structures were removed prior to listing.

Present State and Setting

The original 1883 tank remains in place and continues to function, supplying water to excursion steam trains operated by the Railway Preservation Society of Ireland. The tank survives in its original setting at the southern end of the station, with tracks running on either side. It has group value with the original station building (HB03/010/003A), now superseded by a modern single-storey block, and with the signal box and associated signals to the southeast (HB03/010/003B).