Electricity generating house, Silent Valley Reservoir, Head Road, Kilkeel, Newry, Co Down, BT34 4PU

This small, single-storey building, located on a west-facing bank below several lodges, is of industrial archaeological interest. Constructed between 1920 and 1939, it predates the Silent Valley Reservoir itself and is one of several buildings established before the reservoir’s completion, alongside the Water Superintendent’s house and lodges. The building is built of irregularly coursed, rock-faced granite blocks resting on a chamfered base, with moulded granite eave courses and a projecting flat concrete roof. Tooled edges define the quoins, and ashlar granite surrounds the window and door, with chamfered cills. A plain door is located in the north wall, while three-paned windows with vertical divisions are present on all other sides except the bank wall. Original plans indicate the presence of a Pelton turbine connected to a 3-inch diameter pipe, which would have powered an electricity generator, potentially supplying power to nearby lodges and bungalows. The building's construction is documented to around 1923, based on information from Mr. S.J. Graham (Department of the Environment, Silent Valley) and original drawings held by the Southern Electricity Board’s Water Service, Westland House, Belfast.