Historic Building Details

HB Ref No:
HB03/03/021

Address :
Former Station 1 Moneybrannon Rd Aghadowey Coleraine Co Londonderry BT51 4DH

Townland:
Clarehill

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Survey 2:
Record Only

Date of Listing:

Date of De-listing:

Current Use:
House

Former Use
Railway Station Structures

Conservation Area:
No

Industrial Archaeology:
Yes

Vernacular:
No

Thatched:
No

Monument:
No

Derelict:
No

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OS Map No:
31-06

IG Ref:
C8806 2164

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Owner Category

Private

Exterior Description And Setting

A one- and two-storey block comprising (1) a station master’s house, (2) public waiting room, (3) yard, and (4) toilet block, all aligned approximately N-S and amalgamated into a single dwelling after the station’s closure 1. Waiting room A single-storey building which formerly incorporated a waiting room and ticket office. Pitched natural slate roof with plain terracotta ridge tiles (the original tiles were serrated). Ogee cast-iron rainwater goods to front and half-round plastic to rear. Walls of red brick, with slightly advanced chamfered base courses. Purple-brick platbands at cill level and at window drip mould level. Wall heads to sides and gable comprise a line of serrated red brick over which are moulded yellow-brick specials, over which is a course of plain red brick with cut stone shoulder stones above the end quoins. The interior is accessed from outside through a doorway on the W elevation of the N pile of the station master’s house. The sole opening on the W elevation of the waiting room is a 1/1 timber sliding sash window at right, set in an opening with purple and red brick head with yellow-brick hood mould over; rounded red-brick jambs and flush-mounted dressed sandstone cill. Unless otherwise stated, all windows to the rest of the block are also 1/1 timber sliding sashes, being replacements of the original 2/2 sashes. The N gable has an identical single window, but set in a semicircular-headed opening. The platform elevation originally had a wide glazed screen and doorway at left, but this has been removed, the void infilled with brick, and a new picture window and door inserted. The eaves decoration has been mimicked in the rebuild. At right is an original window and door opening, the former with a sash window and the latter with a t&g door. 2. Station master’s house A double-pile, two-storey building aligned E-W, with the S pile extending beyond the N pile on their W gables. Internally, the GF of the N pile was an extension of the waiting room, but the FF was for the exclusive use of the station master. Roof detailed as waiting room, but with two rendered chimneys to S pitch. There was originally a chimney on the N pitch of the N pile, but it has been removed. Cast-iron ogee and plastic gutters. Walls and windows detailed as waiting room at both GF and FF levels. The N elevation of the N pile is abutted to GF by the waiting room; the exposed section above is blank. The W gable of the N pile has an doorway to GF; this was originally a window but has been broken out. A modern metal-framed glazed porch has been added to the front of this gable. Above, at FF, is a window. The N elevation of the S pile is abutted at left by a lean-to porch, formerly seemingly shared between the public and station master. Timber door to N elevation of porch, and small single-pane replacement window to side (originally 2/2 sash). To right, on exposed section of pile, is a sash window. FF is blank. S elevation of S pile is abutted at GF right by yard but is otherwise blank. The rear gables (to the platform) of both piles form a symmetrical façade. A down pipe from their shared roof valley runs between the piles. There is a window to each floor of each pile, and a pair of small staircase lights directly below the roof valley at FF level. 3. Yard There were originally several single-storey lean-to buildings around the inside of the yard but these have been demolished and the entire yard covered with a flat roof and converted to living space. The yard wall is of red brick, raised by several courses and coped with concrete. It retains two purple-brick platbands (continuations of those on the house) on all exposed elevations. Two openings have been inserted to the wall’s W elevation. One, towards left end is a glazed door with picture window; the other, at right, is a t&g door with rectangular overlight. On the rear elevation, is an original doorway at left, original window ope at middle, and a modern flat-headed window insert at right; both windows are replacement 1/1 top-opening timber casements with new cills. 4. Toilets At the S end of the yard is a toilet block. It was converted to a garage, but is now an office which connects internally with the new yard building. Hipped natural slate roof with glazed metal ridge light (probably not an original feature), exposed rafter tails and half-round metal gutters. W elevation is abutted by a slightly lower modern extension with flat roof, glazed frontage and brick side wall. S elevation is blank and is embellished with purple brick platbands which continued along. E elevation. The latter has an original doorway at left with t&g door. Platform The edge of the platform is visible at N end as a course of rounded purple-brick coping over red brick. The surface has been decked with replacement stone flags. At its N end is a relatively recent single-storey shed with monopitched roof and red brick walls. Setting The station is accessed by a track off the main road. It is gravelled to front, with planted garden along road boundary. The single-track railway line ran along the back of the block but is now heavily overgrown. A cattle loading bank is just visible amongst the undergrowth on the opposite side of the track. A short distance NE of the station is a large single-storey former goods shed, now refurbished as a Masonic hall. It has a pitched artificial slate roof (hipped originally), half-round metal gutters, rubble basalt walls brought to courses with gable apexes raised and roughcast; the original openings appear to have been modified and all now have stucco cement architraves. Immediately S of the station complex is a bridge carrying the road over the railway (HB03/03/020). Schedule: Roof: Pitched natural slate Rainwater goods: Ogee cast-iron and plastic Walls: Brick Windows: 1/1 timber sliding sash

Architects

Historical Information

Aghadowey Railway Station lies on the Derry Central Railway (DCR) which ran between Magherafelt and Macfin Junction. It was designed by James Barton, the DCR’s architect/engineer. A contract for its construction, along with stations at Maghera, Upperlands, Kilrea, Garvagh and Macfin, was signed with Messrs Dixon & Co in April 1879. The station and line opened in February 1880. The line was worked by the Belfast & Northern Counties Railway as it connected its Belfast-Londonderry line near Coleraine with its Antrim-Cookstown Branch at Magherafelt. This station complex is depicted on the 1904 OS 25-inch map; it is also on the 1852 six-inch map, but the line is obviously a later amendment of the original plate as it did not exist at the time of the 1850s’ survey. The BNCR acquired outright possession of the DCR’s assets in 1901 and was in turn taken over by the Midland Railway (Northern Counties Committee) in 1903. This company was reconstituted as the London, Midland & Scottish Railway (Northern Counties Committee) in 1923. At nationalisation in 1949, the line was taken over by the Ulster Transport Authority. All services on the Kilrea-Macfin section of the line were axed in 1950 and the station closed. It was eventually converted to the present house. References - Primary sources: 1. PRONI OS/6/5/11/2, Second edition OS six-inch map, Co Londonderry sheet 11 (1852). 2. PRONI OS/10/5/11/16/1. First edition OS 25-inch map, Co Londonderry sheet 11-16 (1904). 3. PRONI VAL/11/103. Valuation note book (1913). 4. PRONI OS/10/5/11/16/2. Second edition OS 25-inch map, Co Londonderry sheet 11-16 (1923). 5. OS/11/31/6/1. First edition OS 25-inch map, IG sheet 31-06 (1973). References – Secondary sources: 1. J.R.L. Currie, The Northern Counties Railway, vol.1, p.173 (Newton Abbot: David & Charles, 1973). 2. S. Johnson, Johnson’s Atlas & Gazetteer of the Railways of Ireland, p.107 (Leicester: Midland Publishing, 1997). 3. W.A. McCutcheon, The Industrial Archaeology of Northern Ireland, p.173 and plate 39.2 (Belfast: HMSO, 1980).

Criteria for Listing

Architectural Interest

Not listed

Historic Interest

Not listed

Evaluation

A one- and two-storey brick station block of c.1880, Aghadowey Railway Station lies on the Derry Central Railway (DCR) which ran between Magherafelt and Macfin Junction. It was designed by James Barton, the DCR’s architect/engineer. Although the station house and waiting room are externally intact, the original window detailing has been lost, as well as the glazed panel to the platform elevation. Other alterations mean that whilst this former staton is a reminder of the railway system in this area it is not of sufficient interest to warrant listing.

General Comments

Recorded previously during 1st survey as HB03/03/042

Date of Survey

07 May 2013