Old Signal Tower — Britfieldstown

Situated on are area of level ground c. 880m N of Robert’s Head (OD m). Located c. 320m W of the coastline at its closest point overlooking Robert’s Cove. The landscape slopes gently to the E towards the coastline at Robert’s Cove where there are abrupt sea cliffs. The surrounding area consists mainly of large arable fields defined by linear field boundaries. A narrow strip of rough pasture to the E connects the site of the signal station to the coastline. The adjacent stations in the signal station\tower chain are found at the Dunbogey, Barry’s Head (CO113-032----), located c. 6.7kms to the SW, now demolished, and at an unknown location at Fort Carlisle (later Fort Davis; CO087-058---- for fort complex; CO087-058001- for unknown site of signal station), which is located c. 9.2kms to the NNE. This signal station\tower at Barry’s Head is located c. 810m NE of a coastal promontory fort (CO113-044----) occupying a short headland overlooking Carrigadda Bay, and c. 1.7kms E of the site of a church (CO113-011002-) at Ballyfoyle that is set in an associated graveyard (CO113-011002-). An early nineteenth-century (c. 1804-5) three-storey square-plan signal station\tower (ext. dims. c. 5.85m NE-SW x c. 5.85m NW-SE; wall T c. 0.72m), built with randomly coursed rubble stone masonry, with later modifications and additions. Flush squared sandstone quoins to the corners. The signal station\tower survives to its full height (H c. 11m). Remains of sections of lime render to the exterior; originally weather-slated but only very limited sections of slating now survive. The walls face NW, NE, SE and SW. The extant building is not of the standard\typical signal station\tower design as seen elsewhere along the N, NW and SW coasts. It is a tall three-storey structure with gabled walls to the NW and SE elevations. The original main doorway is located to the centre of the SE elevation at first floor level; this has been subsequently blocked\infilled with rubble stone masonry. There are two-square-headed window openings over this blocked doorway at second floor level located close to the gable apex. The SW elevations features five large square-headed window openings; a pair to both the ground and first floor levels, and a single window opening offset to the SE end at second floor level. There was possibly another window opening to the NW side at second floor level that was later infilled. The NE elevation features a single square-headed doorway at ground floor level to the NW end, a square-headed doorway or window opening to the SE end at first floor level, and a square-headed window opening to the SE end at second floor level. There was possibly another window opening to the NW side at second floor level that was later infilled. The NW elevation features a square-headed doorway at ground floor level to the SW end, a square-headed window opening to the NE side at second floor level, and a tall rubble stone chimneystack that protrudes from the peak of the gable apex. The NW elevation bulges slightly towards the centre to accommodate the chimney flue. The structure and the additions bear a strong resemblance to the signal station\tower at Mizen Head (CO152A001----). Kerrigan established that the signal tower was completed in 1804 (Kerrigan 1995, 277). A small single-bay two-storey addition abuts the NE side of the building at the SE end and larger single-storey addition abuts the NW elevation. A low flat-roofed rectangular-plan reinforced concrete water cistern set into the ground is located adjacent to the SE of the original structure. Fragments of a former enclosure survive to the NW of the signal station tower as a short section of tall rubble stone boundary walling but the rest of the original enclosure (see below) has now been removed. Hamilton’s 1806 map shows the signal tower located in a narrow rectangular-plan enclosure with a wide fan-shaped\oval end to the SE (Kerrigan 2003, 37). The Ordnance Survey first ed. six-inch map, surveyed 1841-2, identifies the site as ‘Old Signal Tower’ and shows the signal station\tower close to the centre of a rectangular-plan enclosure (ext. dims c. 100m NW-SE x c. 34m SW-NE) with a fan-shaped termination to the SE end. This map also suggests that there was possibly a narrower inner enclosure at this time. The Ordnance Survey second ed. six-inch map, surveyed 1897-1904, shows a narrow rectangular-plan enclosure with a wider rounded end to the SE (ext. dims. c. 58m NW-SE x c. 14m SW-NE at the N end and c. 36m SW-NE at widest part of rounded end to SE). The Ordnance Survey third ed. six-inch map, surveyed 1926-1937, shows that the enclosure has been widened along the NE side by this time. The signal station\tower is shown with a small square-plan addition or enclosure built against the NW wall, and with a larger square-plan enclosure or building extending from the same NW wall. The signal station was part of a system of over 80 signal stations constructed by the British Board of Ordnance in the first decade of the nineteenth century to warn of the approach of a French invasion fleet. Signalling between sites was accomplished using a naval signal post. The system formed a continuous chain from Dublin Bay running clockwise all the way around the coast to Malin Head in County Donegal. It was abandoned by the mid-1810s when the threat of a French invasion diminished (Kerrigan 1995, 157-66). Compiled by: Stuart Rathbone Uploaded on: 26/09/22