Former 'coastguard's watch house', 72 South Promenade, Newcastle, Ballaghbeg, Co. Down, BT33 0EX

Former Coastguard's Watch House, Newcastle

A small, plain two-storey building built circa 1830 as a purpose-built coastguard's house and store. The building is constructed into the back wall of Newcastle harbour, with South Promenade to the southwest.

The southwest façade faces onto South Promenade and appears single storey, as entry is from the higher ground above the harbour. It has a central doorway with metal sheeted door but is otherwise blank. The remaining façades are two storey. The southeast gable contains a ground floor doorway, also with a metal sheeted door; brickwork to the immediate right of this opening suggests it has been altered on several occasions. The northwest gable has a small ground level window opening with bars over it.

The northeast façade is the most fenestrated, with three evenly spaced sash windows to the first floor, each with 2 over 2 vertical glazing bars. The ground floor contains a small centrally placed window opening which has been filled with modern pierced concrete blocks of the type used in garden walling. Most of the façade is covered in rough-cast render, except the southwest which is lined render. Where rough-cast has fallen away, the underlying fieldstone rubble construction is visible. The building rises from an unusual rubble-built base. The gabled roof is covered in natural slate, notably large to the southwest side. Small rendered chimney stacks sit at each gable, with a granite parapet to the northwest. The building has PVC rainwater goods, a modern light fitting to the northeast façade and southeast gable, and stone steps beside the southeast gable.

Prior to 1830, the Board of Customs had rented the 16th-century Magennis tower house as a coastguard's house and offices, describing it then as "a commodious dwelling house". In 1830, the Board was instructed by Lord Annesley to vacate the building, which was demolished shortly afterwards. The Board relocated to this purpose-built successor, though considerably smaller, positioned to the south overlooking the new harbour. Valuation records from circa 1834 describe the property as containing a "water guard's house and store under the dwelling". The building served as the town's coastguard station until circa the 1880s, when a much larger headquarters was erected nearby with quarters for the coastguard and five assistant officers. The building now appears to be used exclusively as a store.