NI Water to refurbish iconic Silent Valley house as Mourne Heritage Trust hail development

Constructed by the Belfast City & District Water Commissioners at the turn of the 20th century, the two-storey granite structure was built to house the superintendent during the construction of the Silent Valley reservoir. In more recent years, the building has been used by Mourne Heritage Trust as offices, storage and welfare space.

Speaking about the planned restoration work being carried out by NI Water, Senior Project Manager for the company, Michael Donnelly said: “The work at the Water Superintendent’s House is being undertaken as part of our Historic Estate Project – a rolling programme of work to survey, protect and care for listed assets within NI Water’s ownership. “Working closely with DfC’s Historic Environment Division, NI Water and our project team from RPS and GEDA Construction have developed a considerate programme of restoration works to breathe new life into the Superintendent’s House and in doing so, prolong its use for many more years to come.”

Welcoming the refurbishment project, Mourne Heritage Trust Chief Executive, Martin Carey said: “Mourne Heritage Trust is delighted at the plans for the restoration of the Superintendent’s House. We have been grateful to NI Water for use of the building for over two decades and the restoration will allow us to derive even greater benefit from this valued asset as we continue in our efforts in Caring for Mourne”.

The Water Superintendent’s House is one of 40 listed assets in NI Water’s care. Speaking about NI Water’s commitment to looking after these assets and the ‘Protocol for the Care of the Government Historic Estates’, Mr Donnelly added: “Over the last seven years, as part of the protocol, NI Water has been striving to restore and protect century-old heritage to ensure that the listed assets within its care can operate as required and be appreciated for many years to come.

“Most of the 40 listed assets that we survey and care for are located in the Mournes area and include the 100-year-old Mourne Wall. Last year NI Water completed phase two of the Mourne Wall Restoration Project, which brought the total number of repairs carried out on the 22-mile-long structure to over 900 since work began in 2017."