Causeway Hotel: A Brief History

In November, 1836, Elizabeth Henry leased just over four acres of land in the townland of Ardihannon, County Antrim, from SIR FRANCIS WORKMAN-MACNAGHTEN, 1st Baronet.

The Macnaghten Baronets, of DUNDARAVE, Bushmills, County Antrim, were the major landowners in the area, owning 7,134 acres in 1876.

Miss Henry, formerly the proprietress of The Copeland Arms in Coleraine, proceeded building on the site.

By 1841, however, her financial circumstances were such, that she was unable to complete the construction of her hotel on the Macnaghtens' land at the Giant's Causeway.

When she died, the Macnaghten mortgage debt was still outstanding.

In 1844, the Hotel was let to William McNaul, who pledged

By diligence and attention to do all in my power to promote the comfort of my Guests, and they may depend on my always keeping a well stocked larder and being well supplied with the choicest Wines and Liquors.

Twenty years later, in 1863, a new lessee, William Coleman, ran the Hotel, the business at least servicing the interest on the debt for the Macnaghtens.

Mr Coleman was the proprietor of Coleman's Portrush Hotel.

The Causeway Hotel (Robert French/ Lawrence Collection/ NLI)

On acquiring the Causeway Hotel, he demonstrated his flair for the catering industry in his press advertisement:

W Coleman begs to inform his patrons that he has become Proprietor of the GIANT'S CAUSEWAY HOTEL, which he has completely refitted. 

The arrangements and rates are the same as those which have given so much satisfaction at his Portrush Establishment.

The GIANT'S CAUSEWAY HOTEL, being immediately above the Causeway itself, is admirably situated for Tourists having only a short time to spare, and also for those who wish to spend some time in the neighbourhood. 

The Hotel is commodious, and, in every respect, a First class Establishment.

Mr Coleman added,

Tourists are particularly requested not to engage either Guides or Boatmen till arrival at Giant's Causeway Hotel.

HOTEL CHARGES:-

Sitting-room per day ~ from 2 shillings (/) to 3/-
Bed-room ~ from 1/6 to 2/-
Sitting-room fire per day ~ 6d
Breakfast ~ from 1/6 to 2/-
Hot Lunch ~ 1/6
Cold Lunch ~ 1/3
Dinner ~ from 1/8 to 3/-
Visitors' Servants per day ~ 4/-

HOTEL ARRANGEMENTS:-

VISITORS taken at the under-mentioned charges:-
Board, including Bed-room ~ 35/- each per week
Sitting-room ~ from 12/- to 21/- each per week
Attendance ~ 5/-  each per week
Visitors' Servants ~ 21/- each per week

A Two-horse van leaves daily, from The Portrush Hotel for The Giant's Causeway, from 1st June to 1st October, at 9.40am, on arrival of first train from Belfast, returning at 2pm, in time for the afternoon trains. Fare:- Return, 2/-; Single, 1/6.

£2 (40/-) in 1860 was worth about £200 today.

By 1884, the Causeway Hotel and its strategic importance had, not surprisingly, come to the notice of the entrepreneurial Traills of BALLYLOUGH HOUSE.

Sir Francis Workman-Macnaghten, 3rd Baronet, had a meeting with William Atcheson Traill and his brother, Anthony, the result being that the Giant's Causeway Tramway took over the Causeway Hotel.

William Winter was employed to manage it.

This was a mutually beneficial arrangement: Sir Francis acquired a good tenant (with an option to purchase the hotel) to pay off the old debt; whereas the Traills' tramway company got vertical integration in their business.

Their passengers would be directed to their hotel to avail of the conveniences (!) etc.

Advertisements proclaimed that “the Causeway Hotel is now worked in connection with the Tramway."

In 1910, the Kane family purchased the Causeway Hotel; and in 1963 it was sold to Frank Fleming.

A more recent image of the hotel

The last private proprietors of the hotel were the Armstrong family, who sold it to The National Trust in 2001.

If there are any inaccuracies in this article, please let me know.

First published in May, 2014.

Bushmills Miscellany

The Diamond, Bushmills, pre-1921

Bushmills in County Antrim is one of my favourite villages in Northern Ireland.

It stands on the River Bush, about two miles south of the Giant's Causeway, eight miles north-east of Coleraine, and almost sixty miles north by west of Belfast.

The Macnaghten Baronets, who lived at their seat, DUNDARAVE, were the landlords of Bushmills, and did much to improve the village.

It contains a commodious hotel, viz. the Bushmills Inn; and a large and well-known distillery.

The village used to have a court-house (the building remains); a small factory for spades and shovels, paper and flour mills.

The principal residences are Dundarave House, in its extensive demesne; BENVARDEN; BEARDIVILLE; and SEAPORT LODGE, in Portballintrae.

The following photographs were taken in 2014.

Former premises of Causeway Books

My first port-of-call was the former second-hand and antiquarian bookshop, which, alas, closed down in the autumn of 2013.

I always enjoyed a good browse here and looked forward to my visits.

The erstwhile proprietor had been good enough to suggest two other sources in the vicinity, one of which is in Society Street, Coleraine (almost opposite the parish church on the main street).

The owner's son, James, now owns the Coleraine shop.

The Old Courthouse in 2014

The former courthouse in Main Street, with its distinctive portico, was built in 1834 by the Macnaghten family, of Dundarave, to serve as a petty sessions court and as a symbol of authority in the area.

The building contained a courtroom and cells, with apartments above for the police.

It served as a petty session court well into the first half of the 20th century, when it became a private residence.

*****

The former National School, of 1842, has lain derelict for many years.

Bushmills National School in 2014

This fine old building is yearning for a sympathetic new owner to restore its fabric and historic character.

In March, 2014, the Northern Ireland Department of the Environment (DoE) served an Urgent Works Notice on the agent for the owner.

The old school is a listed building, built as part of a nationwide initiative launched in 1830 by Edwin Stanley, Chief Secretary for Ireland and later Prime Minister of the United Kingdom.

It's  a dignified and well proportioned building of two storeys.

The front elevation has a central projection which is carried up to a pediment and has a distinctive use of a double chimney as a terminating feature.

Built in random rubble with the quoins, hood mouldings, cornice, chimneys and ornamental details all in dressed stone, the building has a pleasing civic quality and could make a valuable contribution to the town if brought back into use.

First published in June, 2014.

The Causeway Hotel

The Causeway Hotel, at the Giant's Causeway, County Antrim, was established in 1836.

It was known as Kane's Causeway Hotel.

The hotel has been owned by The National Trust since 2001; and, indeed, since 2014, the Trust has taken over the day-to-day management of it.

Unfortunately I have been unable to trace the history of the hotel, so far; though I intend to undertake some research.