Boathouse on lane to, 97 Cranfield Point Lane, Cranfield, Kilkeel, Newry, Co Down, BT34 4LP

The ruinous remains of a boathouse stand between the road and the cliff edge at Cranfield, near Kilkeel, Co Down. Dating to between 1820 and 1839, the structure is functionally associated with the nearby coastguard houses, which were erected in the early 1820s and occupied until the 1880s.

The visible structure comprises a retaining wall to the road, enclosing a passage to the rear of the remaining walls, including a low rear wall and two side walls. The walls are constructed of split rubble, and were originally whitewashed internally. The floor appears to have been cobbled with beach stones. Scattered within the ruins are pieces of slate, likely from the roof, and red brick, possibly from dressings around openings. The structure has been significantly eroded by wave action.

The boathouse is referenced in the 1836 Ordnance Survey Memoir and shown on the 1834 Ordnance Survey map. A local resident recalls that the building once had a front garden and a slipway to the sea, and was occupied until the 1930s. Although derelict, the boathouse possesses industrial archaeological interest.