4 Coastguard Cottages, Harbour Road, Ballintoy, Ballycastle, Co Antrim, BT54 6NA

An attached single bay coastguard dwelling, with attached three-stage lookout tower, built c.1870, forming the eastern end of a group of four (formerly five) coastguard cottages. Both the dwelling and the tower are rectangular on plan. Roof is hipped artificial slate with a rebuilt brown brick chimneystack having moulded cap and multiple terracotta pots. Tower has a flat roof (formerly pyramidal) with pebbledashed chimneystack. Plastic gutters on a timber fascia. Walling is painted roughcast rendered, with contrasting rock-faced stone quoins to the tower. Windows are uPVC, including several insertions to the tower, generally having rock-faced long-and-short surrounds (insertions have painted rendered surrounds mimicking stone). Original 1/1 diminutive lancet windows to east elevation tower. Painted masonry and concrete cills. The seaward (north) elevation of the original cottage is lit by a single window to each floor. The entrance is located to the south (landward) elevation of the cottage, contained within a later timber conservatory which spans the elevation. It comprises an original t&g sheeted timber entrance door to right, and window to left; single window to first floor. The west side elevation is abutted by No.3. The east side elevation is abutted at the right side by the tower and is blank with the exception of a diminutive square opening to ground and first floor (the latter just beneath eaves level). The tower is accessed to south side via a replacement timber door with transom light set in a stepped stone surround, accessed via three stone steps and having a narrow lancet insertion to right side. The first stage has a triple lancet sash to east, and a similar group of windows to north is infilled. The exposed west elevation has an inserted window to first and second stage. The upper (lookout) stage has a double-faceted lookout window to each side; each has a hipped artificial slate roof and is set on a long stepped corbel. Setting: The coastguard cottages are set on an extremely exposed location on the clifftop above Ballintoy harbour. Gardens are communal and comprise a narrow strip of lawn to north, and a series of original individual kitchen garden plots to east; the garden for No.4 is self-contained within a railed enclosure; it retains some decorative features including a large sun dial. To south, each cottage has a rendered single-storey lean-to outbuilding and toilet. That to No.4 has enlarged vehicular timber-sheeted doors. The rear (south) of the properties are connected by a raised platform. No 4 is bounded by dwarf barley-twist cast iron railings, terminating at east with a communal wrought-iron gate leading to the gardens via a set of stone steps. The shared northern boundary wall is rubble masonry with soldier coursed coping, having a single remaining tooled and dressed pier at the west end, having a pyramidal cap. Roof: Artificial slate Walling: Painted render Windows: uPVC RWG: Plastic