White Harbour, Knocknagulliagh, Whitehead, Carrickfergus, Co Antrim, BT38

White Harbour is situated on the seaward side of the Belfast-Larne railway line, just north of Cloghan Point and 1km SW of Whitehead. It is accessed by a bridge under the line. The harbour has been formed by the construction of a substantial masonry pier aligned parallel with the shore. This pier is faced with finely dressed limestone blocks (undoubtedly quarried locally) laid to courses and with a string course along its outside face. It curves around at its SW end to a rounded terminal pier which marks the entrance to the harbour. There is a raised walkway around the landward side of its sea wall. Towards its SW end is a gap which marks the former position of a timber jetty which projected out to sea. Many of the coping stones are now loose and the NE end of the sea wall has fallen away as a result of wave action. The sides of the harbour are also of dressed limestone blocks laid to courses, with rounded inner corners. Two recesses along its SE side indicate the former position of cranes. The quayside around the three sites of the harbour is flagged and there are steps into the harbour at its NE corner. Just beyond the NE side of the harbour is a trapezoidal single-bay, single-storey former stable now used as a store. It has a replacement curved corrugated metal roof and rubble limestone walls. There is an infilled window opening and doorway on its NW elevation. It is abutted along its SE side by a relatively modern corrugated metal lean-to which is now used as a boat repair workshop. The refurbishment works in the 1990s include timber mooring pontoons along its NE and SE sides of the harbour, a wire fence around the site, a rubble stone breakwater just beyond the harbour mouth, and a concrete slipway just outside the NE end of the pier. The breakwater and slipway are marked on the sketch map accompanying this report. In the vicinity of the harbour are several associated features of interest (also on the sketch map): • The access bridge under the railway is a single segmental masonry span of rock-faced limestone blocks. It was widened on both sides in reinforced concrete in 1929 (this date is carried on its NW parapet). At the same time, the two-span metal girder viaduct leading to the south end of this bridge was replaced by an earth/stone embankment. • A short distance west of the access bridge is a single-story house which was undoubtedly once associated with Kerr’s enterprise. When surveyed in 1988, only the foundations survived. A new house has since been built on its footprint and incorporates the original rebuilt SE façade. • In the vicinity of the house are the remains of clay pits and also the side wall to the former brick kiln. The latter is of brick over a rubble limestone foundation. • North of the clay workings is the overgrown limestone quarry which was the focus of the harbour’s activity.