Survey Data
Reg No
40837030
Rating
Regional
Categories of Special Interest
Architectural, Historical, Social
Original Use
Railway station
In Use As
House
Date
1890 - 1900
Coordinates
181747, 394842
Date Recorded
27/01/2015
Date Updated
--/--/--
Description
Detached three-bay two-storey former railway station, built c. 1895, having four-bay single-storey block attached to the south-west, and with single-bay single-storey lean-to addition to the north-east gable end. Originally built as the terminus of the Stranorlar to Glenties Railway, established 1895 and closed 1952. Restored, c. 2004, and now in use as a private house and bed and breakfast. Hipped natural slate roof to main body of building having overhanging eaves, timber cross-bracing\bargeboards to the gable ends (north-east and south-west) with timber spear finials over to gable apex, red clay ridge tiles, and with smooth rendered chimneystacks to the gable ends. Pitched natural slate roof to single-storey block having timber cross-bracing with spear finial over to the gable apex to the south-west, red clay ridge tiles, and with smooth rendered chimneystack (offset to the north-east side of centre). Smooth rendered walls over projecting smooth rendered eaves course, and with moulded stucco stringcourses brought over openings as hoodmouldings. Square-headed window openings with some stone sills, and with replacement fittings. Central square-headed doorway to main two-storey block having replacement timber panelled door and plain overlight. Set back from road in own grounds to the north\north-west of the centre of Glenties. Former water tower (see 40837014) and remains of former engine house to the south-west. Remains of rubble stone walls to site. Former railway line ran north-east to south-west to the west.
Appraisal
This attractive former railway station, originally built as the terminus of the Stranorlar to Glenties railway line, retains much of its original character and form despite some recent alterations to accommodate new uses. It has been sensitively restored in recent years, although the loss of salient fabric to the openings detracts somewhat from its integrity. Its three-bay two-storey form with attached single-storey wing, and with stringcourses forming hoodmouldings over the openings, is reminiscent of a number of the surviving railway stations in Donegal, particularly along the former Buncrana to Carndonagh railway line in north Inishowen (1900-1). The plain main elevations are enlivened by the stucco hoodmouldings while the replacement timber cross-bracing and finials to the gable ends adds so interest at roofscape level. This building was originally built as the western terminus of the Stranorlar to Glenties railway line, which opened on the 3rd of June 1895, and closed completely in 1952. It was originally built by the Donegal Railway Company (Finn Valley Railway) and later operated by the County Donegal Railways Joint Committee. The line was built to the narrow gauge of 3-foot. The Congested District Board supported the establishment of this railway line, which helped to open up vast tracks of Donegal to new commercial, social and economic opportunities. The service was in operation four times daily and the journey from Glenties to Stranorlar took one hour. The line closed in the 1950s due to increasingly competition from road hauliers and the loss of passenger trade to bus services and motor cars, and the station feel into disrepair before restoration in c. 2004. This former railway station forms a pair of related structures with the associated with the railway water tower (see 40837014), and a wider group associated with this former narrow gauge railway line in north-west Donegal. It now acts as an interesting historical reminder of the formerly extensive railway network in County Donegal, and is an integral element of the built heritage of the local area and of the wider transport heritage of the county.