‘The Restaurant’, Silent Valley Reservoir Scheme, Head Road, Kilkeel, Newry, Co Down, BT34 4PU

This single-storey building, likely constructed between 1900 and 1919, stands on a terrace overlooking the Kilkeel River, just south of the Silent Valley dam. The structure, of relatively scarce corrugated metal construction for its date, holds historical significance due to its association with the Silent Valley reservoir construction and its proximity to other water-related buildings, contributing to its group value.

The building has a gabled roof clad in green painted corrugated metal, adorned with finials. Two rendered chimney stacks rise from the ridge, positioned over internal walls. Metal rainwater goods are in place, and the walls are corrugated sheeted metal, painted white, set over a wooden frame and resting on a concrete plinth. A veranda extends across the southeast-facing frontage, featuring a porched entrance at the left, which is now disused, and supported by five cast-metal columns. While original paired wooden 2/1 casement windows survive on the gables and at the rear, the original fenestration along the front facade has been altered; the right-hand bay window has been replaced with a large picture window, new windows have been inserted along the facade, and a new entrance has been added. The fire exit door on the right gable is an original opening, but all other doors have been replaced. A small concrete outbuilding located on the rear north-east corner is likely an original feature.

Initially built as a meeting room for the Belfast City & District Water Commissioners during the Silent Valley reservoir’s construction (1923-32), the building appears on a site map from 1921 and is visible in a photograph taken before work commenced on the dam in 1923. It was probably erected around the same time as the engineers’ houses (approximately 1915). Original maps and drawings are held in the DOE Water Service archives in Belfast. Its rarity and association with the Mourne Scheme, a significant infrastructure project, contribute to its industrial archaeological interest, along with its local and social importance.