Water screening house, Silent Valley reservoir, Head Road, Kilkeel, Newry, Co Down, BT34 4PU

This water screening house, built between 1940 and 1959, is functionally linked to the Bignian tunnel and forms part of a group of water-related buildings within the Silent Valley reservoir area, including a screening house, scour valve house, and lime dosing plant. Its design demonstrates a deliberate effort to create a well-considered utilitarian structure, sharing a similar style with the 1933 screening house. The bronze plaques within the walls are a crucial element in understanding the story of the Mourne Water Scheme.

The building is a single-story structure containing water screening plant, constructed from rock-faced granite blocks laid in irregular courses, set upon a chamfered projecting base. It features stepped ashlar granite quoins and an oversailing ashlar parapet to a flat concrete roof. Cast-iron rainwater goods are present, and a metal roller shutter door is set into the south-west façade, surrounded by ashlar granite. The windows are paired 1/1 sash windows, the upper portion opening and the lower portion hung, also with ashlar surrounds and chamfered cills. A “1950” datestone sits above the door, flanked by two bronze plaques. The plaque to the left details the duplicate aqueduct served by this screening plant and lists officials from Belfast City & District Water Commissioners. The plaque to the right recounts the history of the Mourne Scheme and the need for this new aqueduct.

The building’s completion in 1950 marked its entry into service upon the opening of the Bignian tunnel in 1952. It provided an additional aqueduct belonging to Belfast City & District Water Commissioners, connecting the Silent Valley and Dunnywater (Annalong valley). This additional conduit became necessary due to the construction of the Slieve Bignian tunnel, which diverted the headwaters of the Annalong River into the Silent Valley reservoir. The original 1901 conduit proved insufficient to meet demand, having initially been intended for a reservoir in the Annalong valley. The building was constructed by McLaughlin & Harvey (Belfast), with R.H. McCullough serving as engineer for the Belfast City & District Water Commissioners and Binnie, Deacon & Gourley (Westminster) acting as consulting engineers.