6 Coastguard Cottages, Ballygalley, Larne, Co Antrim, BT40 2QY

This is a single-storey mid-Victorian coastguard cottage, built in 1873 to the design of architect William Gray of Belfast. It forms part of an attractive terrace of five similar cottages and one two-storey house, all set back from the main road facing the sea. The house retains its original character and most original features on its entrance front.

The cottage is constructed in red brick with sandstone dressings, laid out on an L-shaped plan with a hipped roof of Bangor blue slates in regular courses. A projecting porch with a flat roof projects in the angle with the front return to the left.

The entrance facade faces north-east and is five openings wide. The main doorway is recessed in the centre of the porch, set within a segmental arch in sandstone (inappropriately over-painted), with a segmental-headed panelled wooden door (replacement). A painted sandstone blocking course sits on the porch. The side wall of the porch contains two windows set in coupled round sandstone heads with semi-circular headed wooden fixed lights of single pane; the right-hand window has translucent glass. A painted sandstone cill runs across, and a PVC downpipe (replacement, inappropriate) is visible.

To the right of the porch is a wall one window wide, constructed in red brick with a rubble blackstone plinth and painted sandstone weathering. The window is a rectangular timber sliding sash, vertically hung, with 6 over 6 panes and horns, painted white. It sits beneath a flat arch head in red sandstone with painted keystone and a painted sandstone cill. PVC guttering and downpipe are in place.

To the left of the porch is the front return wall, similar in construction but with painted sandstone quoins to the left-hand extremity. Three windows are symmetrically arranged: a central rectangular sliding sash as previously described, flanked on each side by a semi-circular headed timber sliding sash, vertically hung with horns and one horizontal glazing bar, all set in semi-circular red sandstone arches with painted keystones. The roof over this section is hipped with slates as to the main front.

The side elevation facing south-east is constructed in red brick with basalt rubble plinth and painted sandstone weathering. Painted sandstone quoins mark the extremities of the main cottage block. A moulded brick chimney with sandstone weathering to the offset and sandstone projecting string bears a cream earthenware pot. One window, a rectangular timber fixed light with a top-hung vent, is present. PVC guttering is installed.

Extending to the left is a rear return of rubble basalt with a cement rendered portion at the left-hand extremity. This contains one window (a rectangular timber fixed light with top-hung vent between two fixed top lights) with painted sandstone dressings and a concrete cill. The slated roof matches the front, with a cylindrical metal flue pipe.

The end wall of the rear return is cement rendered. The elevation of the rear return to the yard faces north-west; originally of rubble basalt with red brick dressings, most of it is now inappropriately cement rendered. A ledged door (original) leads to the store, and a glazed wooden door (new) opens to the kitchen. Two windows (rectangular timber fixed lights with top-hung vents, replacements, inappropriate) are set in this elevation. PVC rain water goods are present.

A cement rendered extension occupies the angle between the return and the rear wall of the main cottage, with a flat roof and a new unmoulded red brick chimney.

The rear wall of the cottage, facing south-west and one window wide, is constructed in rubble basalt with red brick dressings. It contains a window of inappropriate replacement type as found in the rear return. The slated roof matches the front. A moulded red brick chimney (original) is paired with an identical chimney to the adjoining house (no. 5), both standing on a common base at the party wall, with cream earthenware pots (original).

A low rubble basalt wall with square piers and a small wooden pedestrian gate bounds the rear yard.

The house sits within a terrace of five similar cottages and one two-storey house, all set back a short distance from the main road with a communal gravelled and grassed area to the front. A low stone front boundary wall of rubble basalt with a short return to the south-east boundary and a concrete block wall extending around that side and behind the rear boundary enclose the property.

The cottages first appear on the Ordnance Survey map of 1903.