Survey Data
Reg No
40901307
Rating
Regional
Categories of Special Interest
Architectural, Historical
Original Use
Signal tower
Date
1880 - 1910
Coordinates
268306, 443723
Date Recorded
26/09/2008
Date Updated
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Description
Detached two-bay single-storey military observation \ signal post erected c. 1890 with projecting window bay to north and projecting entrance porch to south. Adapted c. 1940. Flat concrete roof with rendered chimneystack. Mass concrete walls. Square-headed window openings with cut-stone sills. Square-headed door opening. Concrete base for former water-tower to east. Set at cliff edge within remains at Inishowen Head. Concrete signal deck, c. 1940 with concrete steps and iron handrail between concrete corner posts to east.
Appraisal
his unassuming former World War Two-era former watchman's hut is a structure of some historical interest. It was originally built by the Irish Army\Navy to keep watch for shipping, submarine, and aircraft activity in and over Irish waters during the Second World War, details of which was subsequently reported back to central command. It was one of over eighty such structures built along the Irish coastline in the first years of the war. It is a simple structure constructed of mass reinforced concrete and was designed to provide basic comfort for the watchman/men on duty, having a fireplace to one wall. They were equipped with telephone, semaphore, and Morse code machines. The canted front provided an excellent view in three directions. It is one of a number of such surviving structures in County Donegal, and acts as a subtle historical reminder of this period in Irish history. Located in a dramatic coastal location at Inishowen Head, this structure is an integral element of the built heritage and maritime heritage of the local are. Indicated on the Ordnance Survey twenty-five inch map of c. 1905 as 'Inishowen Signal Station', it appears to have been adapted as a military observation post during the Second World War. Inishowen Head would have been a commanding point on the approaches to Lough Foyle and the City of Derry. Still relatively complete, together with the added interest of the more unusual signal deck, it is a site of historical value for the maritime and military history of the region.