Survey Data
Reg No
40900214
Rating
Regional
Categories of Special Interest
Architectural, Historical
Original Use
Lighthouse keeper's house
Historical Use
Semaphore station
In Use As
Lighthouse keeper's house
Date
1880 - 1920
Coordinates
247998, 464849
Date Recorded
10/06/2012
Date Updated
--/--/--
Description
Pair of semi-detached three-bay two-storey former lighthouse keepers’ houses originally possibly associated with a Lloyds Signal Station but later associated with Inishtrahull Lighthouse (see 40900213), built c. 1905, having attached single-bay flat-roofed entrance porches to the side elevation of each structure, and with attached single-storey flat-roofed blocks to the rear of the side elevation of each building. Building to the north-east now in use as originally residence, building to the south-west now in use as storage\office. Flat (felt?) roofs having moulded eaves course and with two rendered chimneystacks to centre; metal rainwater goods. Smooth rendered walls over smooth rendered plinth, and with raised render block-and-start quoins to the corners of the main body of the buildings. Square-headed window openings with two-over-two pane timber sliding sash windows; windows to building to the south-west now infilled with blockwork and glass blocks. Square-headed doorways to front elevation (south-east) of attached porches to former dwellings having replacement and timber doors, and with plain overlights. Cement rendered walls to site. Flight of steps and pathway to the north-east giving access to lighthouse to the north-west. Located at the west end of Inishtrahull Island, about 5 miles to the north of Malin Head. Freestanding fog signal (on hexagonal-plan) to the north-west, built 1905; helicopter pad and single-storey ancillary structure to the north-east.
Appraisal
These simple but well-built and well-maintained former lighthouses keepers’ houses and attached outbuildings/stores retain their early form and character despite some modern alterations, particularly to the structure to the south-west. They were originally built by the Lighthouse Authority, probably in 1905 when the fog signal to the north-west of site was erected for The Royal Navy to facilitate British naval shipping out of Lough Swilly. Their flat-roofed form and general detailing are very similar to a number of early twentieth-century lighthouse keepers’ houses built at various sites throughout the country. They are robustly built to provide shelter from the ravages of the Atlantic storms etc., while the moulding to the eaves adds the bare minimum of detailing to these otherwise plain and utilitarian structures. The retention of fabric such as the timber sliding sash windows to the building to the north-east adds to the integrity. These buildings now act as historical reminders of the dedication and harsh existence endured by the men who worked here throughout the twentieth century. These buildings form part of a pair of related structures along with the associated albeit later lighthouse (built 1956 – 8) and the fog signal that they were probably originally built to serve, and are integral elements of the built heritage and maritime history of Donegal. It is also built on the site of a ‘Lloyds Signal Station’, which was used to relay information (by semaphore) on the arrival of shipping from North America to the former signal tower\Napoleonic (see 40900101) and later telegraph and\or semaphore station (see 40900113) on Malin Head to the south. This information was then passed on to Lloyds of London for insurance purposes (Lloyds of London underwrote the insurance for many transatlantic shipping and mercantile ventures). It is possible that these former dwellings have some connection with this former station.