Coastguard Cottages, 6a-b Belfast Road, Carrickfergus, Co. Antrim, BT38 8BU

Coastguard Cottages, 6a-b Belfast Road, Carrickfergus

A group of mid-nineteenth century coastguard cottages built circa 1864, located south of Belfast Road in Carrickfergus. The building described here is an attached single-bay two-storey terraced former coastguard cottage, situated at the east end of a group of seven cottages. It now contains two apartments: 6a at ground floor and 6b at first floor.

The cottage is rectangular in plan with a two-storey hipped return to the rear (shared with No. 8), which also has a hipped natural slate roof with blue and black clay ridge tiles. Brick corbelled eaves and a few remaining cast-iron downpipes characterise the roofline, alongside square profile replacement uPVC rainwater goods. The walls are roughcast rendered with a cogged brick string course and smooth rendered platband above on the north elevation only, with a smooth rendered plinth throughout.

Windows are 6/6 replacement uPVC casements mimicking the original 6/6 timber sliding sashes, fitted with painted masonry cills. The east gable is abutted by a projecting precast concrete staircase with roughcast rendered plinth wall and segmental coping. At ground floor, a centrally located replacement uPVC door accesses apartment 6a, with a single window to the right. At first floor, apartment 6b is accessed via a central timber door with fixed panel and six glazed panes above; single windows flank either side. The string course projects partially onto the east gable. The wall below the first floor landing contains a round-arched-headed opening with a timber sheeted door enclosing the stair to the left.

The south (rear) elevation is abutted by the two-storey hipped return shared with No. 8 to the left. The exposed section has replacement uPVC double doors at ground floor and a single window at first floor. The west gable is abutted by No. 8. The north (road-facing) elevation has a single window to each floor, with the first floor containing dipartite 4/4 uPVC casements. The south return has a hipped roof matching the main block, with two windows at each floor on the south elevation; two at the left are contained within No. 8.

The cottages are set parallel to Belfast Road, accessed from the east with parking to north and south, and are bounded by a roughcast rendered wall with saddleback coping. The east elevation is blank.

Historical Context

The Coastguard Station is first recorded in the Valuation Revision book of 1861-94, leased from J. Bowie at a ground rent of £36. It succeeded an earlier station at Governor's Place, Carrickfergus. The town plan of Carrickfergus from 1860 shows the buildings added in pencil at a later stage (date of addition not specified). The cottages appear on the third edition Ordnance Survey map of 1902, captioned 'Coastguard Station'. According to Hamond's survey of 1991, the station remained in use until at least 1945, after which it passed into private ownership and was refurbished as dwellings. The terraced accommodation comprised six two-storey houses with a larger house set at right angles at the west end. The terrace is now harled, with ornamental stone and diagonally-set brick stringing below the first floor window sill level, further decorative brickwork along the eaves, and chimney corbels.

The building retains historic interest by virtue of its maritime association within Carrickfergus, though alterations and modifications mean it lacks sufficient architectural interest to warrant listing.