1-6 Coastguard cottages, Langdale Lane, Islandmagee, Larne, Co Antrim, BT40 3TB

Coastguard Cottages, Langdale Lane, Islandmagee

A terrace of six cottages, with varying ridge heights that step down a slight slope, each single-storey or 1½-storey in height. A small annex is attached to number 6, now known as number 7. All cottages have a projecting lean-to porch and red brick chimneys, which have been rebuilt. The roofing, wall finishes, windows, and other elements vary considerably from cottage to cottage.

Number 1 has a roof of Bangor blue slates in regular courses with a cast iron gutter. The wall is rubble harled and whitened with later smooth cement render around the window. It has one rectangular timber fixed light with a top-hung vent and a ledged timber door. A concrete area with red and yellow tiles lies in front of the house. The west gable has a rendered wall with eaves flush to it. Two windows on the first floor are timber sliding sashes, vertically hung, 2 over 2, with horizontal divisions and wooden heads plastered over, with no cills. The rear elevation shows two windows on the first floor, both timber sliding sashes, vertically hung, with horns, 2 over 2, with horizontal divisions and wooden heads plastered over, with no cills.

Number 2 has a roof continuous with number 1, cast iron gutter and downpipe, and walls as number 1. It has two windows: one upper timber sliding sash, vertically hung, 1 over 1, with horns; one lower window as on number 1. The door is ledged timber and glazed. A concrete area lies in front. The rear elevation is one window wide, with a roof and gutter continuous with number 3. Two flush rooflights are old. The wall is rubble harled and whitened with projecting basalt boulders along the base. One window is a timber fixed light with top-hung vent, with new concrete cill and recent cement render to reveals.

Number 3 has a roof continuous with numbers 1 and 2. The wall is as number 1. It has four windows: two on the upper floor and two on the lower, corresponding to those on number 2. The door is a ledged timber half-door with a plain rectangular fanlight. A rough stone cobbled area lies in front, with a small concrete area outside the door and loose stones enclosing planted areas to each side. The rear elevation is two windows wide. The roof is Bangor blue slates ending flush with the left hand gable, with a metal gutter and no downpipe. The wall is as number 4 but with some painted brickwork to the left extremity. Two ground floor windows are: to the left, a timber fixed light with top-hung vent, plain reveals and plastered head, concrete cill; to the right, a timber sliding sash, vertically hung, 2 over 1, with horns, original, set in a similar opening. Two first floor windows are both timber sliding sashes, vertically hung, 1 over 1, with horns, with wooden heads tucked into the eaves.

Number 4 has a roof of asbestos slates in regular courses with a small rooflight. The gutter and downpipe are as on number 3. The wall is rendered with dry dash of limestone chippings. It has two ground floor windows as on number 3. The door is as on number 2. A concrete area lies in front. The rear elevation is three windows wide. The roof is asbestos slates in regular courses contained by cement coping to the gable at the left hand side, with one old flush rooflight. The wall is rubble basalt harled and whitened in part, with a projecting basalt boulder at ground level on the left extremity. Three windows are present: two large timber fixed lights with top-hung vent, with wooden heads, concrete cills and brick jambs, painted; one small three-pane central pivoted window tucked into the eaves on the right hand side.

Number 5 has a roof as number 4 with a small rooflight. The wall is roughcast using crushed stones. A PVC hopper and downpipe run from the porch. It has one ground floor window as previously. The door is as number 4. A concrete area lies in front. The rear elevation is two windows wide. The roof is continuous with number 6 with a cement upstand to coping on the left. Two old flush rooflights are present. The wall is as number 6 but with a large projecting boulder of basalt on the right hand side. The gutter is as number 6. Two windows are timber fixed lights with top-hung vent, new, with concrete cills. Recent cement render covers the reveals and head of the window on the left, and a crack appears in the window head plasterwork of the one to the right.

Number 6 has a roof continuous with number 5. The walls and door are as number 5. It has one ground floor window as previously. On the right hand extremity is a lower single-storey outbuilding with one timber fixed light on each side of a timber ledged half-door, with a roof as numbers 1 to 3. A concrete area lies in front. The east gable has smooth cement rendered walls with one first floor window on the left hand side, a timber fixed light with top-hung vent, with plain reveals and no cill. The rear elevation is one window wide. The roof is asbestos slates in regular courses with two old flush rooflights. The metal gutter has no downpipes. The wall is rubble basalt, harled and whitened, but patches of original masonry are showing. One window is a side hung timber casement, two-pane, replacement, with plain reveals and no cill.

Number 7 is a single-storey annex with a roof of Bangor blue slates in regular courses with a chimney on the right hand gable. The wall is rubble masonry, harled and whitened, with a black painted strip around the base. Brick jambs to the doorway are painted white. A ledged timber half-door is in the centre between two windows. The left window is a timber fixed light with a wooden head tucked into the eaves, painted reveals, and no cill. The right window is as the left but with the head clear of the eaves. A concrete area lies in front. The east gable wall is as the entrance front and is blank. The rear elevation shows one window. The roof is slated as the front. The wall is rubble masonry, harled and whitened, with some roughcast using crushed stones. One window is an old timber fixed light, two panes, with a horizontal glazing bar, with a wooden window head, brick jambs painted, and a painted concrete cill.

The west gable of number 1 has a square cement rendered pier with a concrete slab on top, with a modern gate mounted on an adjacent circular pier of harled rubble with a conical cap on a slate cornice. Opposite this gateway, on the other side of the lane, is a matching pair of piers, but the conical cap of the circular one has a cement rendered finish. The approach lane has a limestone grit surface with hedges on each side and some stone revetments. Rubble stone walling, whitened, links the gateway opposite to a white-painted rubble stone fronted shed with a corrugated iron roof. Adjacent to the shed are a series of strip gardens facing the houses, bounded by low rubble stone walls to the front.

The cottages stand in an isolated and remote position in open countryside along a lane and are not visible from main roads, with a distant view to the sea.