Former Station, 1 Moneybrannon Rd, Aghadowey, Coleraine, Co Londonderry, BT51 4DH

Former Station, Moneybrannon Road, Aghadowey

This former railway station comprises four interconnected buildings aligned approximately north to south and subsequently converted into a single dwelling after the station's closure. The complex originally consisted of a station master's house, public waiting room, yard with lean-to structures, and toilet block.

The waiting room is a single-storey building with a pitched natural slate roof with plain terracotta ridge tiles (the originals were serrated). Ogee cast-iron rainwater goods serve the front elevation, with half-round plastic gutters to the rear. The walls are constructed of red brick with slightly advanced chamfered base courses. Purple-brick platbands mark the cill level and window drip mould level. The wall heads to the sides and gable comprise a line of serrated red brick topped by moulded yellow-brick specials, a course of plain red brick, and cut stone shoulder stones above the end quoins. The sole opening on the west elevation is a 1/1 timber sliding sash window (replacement of an original 2/2 sash) set within a purple and red brick head with a yellow-brick hood mould, rounded red-brick jambs, and a flush-mounted dressed sandstone cill. The north gable contains an identical window set within a semicircular-headed opening. The platform elevation originally featured a wide glazed screen and doorway at the left, which have since been removed and the void infilled with brick; a new picture window and door have been inserted. The eaves decoration was mimicked in this rebuild. An original window with a sash and a t&g door remain to the right. Access to the interior is via a doorway on the west elevation of the north pile of the station master's house.

The station master's house is a double-pile, two-storey building aligned east to west, with the south pile extending beyond the north pile at their west gables. The ground floor of the north pile originally functioned as an extension of the waiting room, whilst the first floor was for exclusive use of the station master. The roof is detailed as the waiting room but with two rendered chimneys to the south pitch; a chimney on the north pitch of the north pile has been removed. Cast-iron ogee and plastic gutters are present. Windows on both ground and first floors are detailed as in the waiting room. The north elevation of the north pile is abutted at ground floor by the waiting room; the exposed upper section is blank. The west gable of the north pile contains a ground floor doorway, originally a window but subsequently enlarged; a modern metal-framed glazed porch has been added to the front. A first-floor window is positioned above. The north elevation of the south pile is abutted at ground floor left by a lean-to porch, apparently formerly shared between the public and station master. A timber door opens to the north elevation of this porch, with a small single-pane replacement window (originally a 2/2 sash) to its side. To the right, on the exposed section of the pile, is a sash window; the first floor is blank. The south elevation of the south pile is abutted at ground floor right by the yard but is otherwise blank. The rear gables of both piles, facing the platform, form a symmetrical façade. A down pipe from their shared roof valley runs between the piles. Each pile contains a window to each floor and a pair of small staircase lights directly below the roof valley at first-floor level.

The yard originally contained several single-storey lean-to buildings around its interior perimeter, all now demolished. The entire yard has been covered with a flat roof and converted to living space. The yard wall is constructed of red brick, raised by several courses and coped with concrete. It retains two purple-brick platbands on all exposed elevations, continuing those on the house. Two openings have been inserted into the wall's west elevation: a glazed door with picture window towards the left end, and a t&g door with rectangular overlight to the right. The rear elevation contains an original doorway at the left, an original window opening in the middle, and a modern flat-headed window insert to the right; both windows are replacement 1/1 top-opening timber casements with new cills.

At the south end of the yard is a toilet block, subsequently converted to a garage and now functioning as an office with internal connection to the new yard building. It features a hipped natural slate roof with a glazed metal ridge light (probably not an original feature), exposed rafter tails, and half-round metal gutters. The west elevation is abutted by a slightly lower modern extension with a flat roof, glazed frontage, and brick side wall. The south elevation is blank and embellished with purple-brick platbands which continue along the east elevation. The east elevation contains an original doorway at the left with a t&g door.

The platform edge is visible at the north end as a course of rounded purple-brick coping over red brick, with the surface now decked with replacement stone flags. At its north end stands a relatively recent single-storey shed with a monopitched roof and red brick walls.

The station is accessed via a track off the main road, gravelled to the front with a planted garden along the road boundary. The single-track railway line ran along the rear of the block but is now heavily overgrown. A cattle loading bank remains barely visible amongst the undergrowth on the opposite side of the track. A short distance to the northeast stands a large single-storey former goods shed, now refurbished as a Masonic hall, featuring a pitched artificial slate roof (originally hipped), half-round metal gutters, rubble basalt walls brought to courses with gable apexes raised and roughcast; original openings appear to have been modified with all now displaying stucco cement architraves. A bridge carrying the road over the railway is situated immediately south of the station complex.