News
UAHS LAUNCHES NEW PUBLICATION - BENDHU AND ITS BUILDERS
Bendhu and its builders explores the fascinating history of an idiosyncratic private house that has become a legend on Ulster's north Antrim coast. Standing sentinel over Ballintoy harbour the unique, some say eccentric, Bendhu is hard to miss. Andrew Cowser's lively text tells the story of the building and provides an insight into the life and artistic output of its remarkable creator, Cornish artist Newton Penprase (1888-1978).
Karen Latimer, of the UAHS Publications Committee comments:
"This book underlines UAHS interest in architecture of all periods. Modern listed buildings such as Bendhu are of particular interest as they are often at risk of alteration. We're delighted to have Shane O'Toole, Architect and Critic launch our new publication."
Penprase, a hugely popular and highly regarded Belfast Art College lecturer, regularly caught the Friday night bus to Ballycastle, carrying materials; a bag of cement or other requirements for the weekend's construction work, to the astonishment and, probable discomfort of his fellow passengers! Sadly, he was never to see the finished house.
Bendhu was completed and extended by two subsequent owners. Today completely refurbished in sympathy with Penprase's original design, it is painted a brilliant white. This gives it a closer affinity to modern houses of the mid-1930s, the era when construction began. However, as Cowser explains, despite influences from Art Deco houses of the era - Bendhu is a one off.
Andrew Cowser is a graduate of the University of Edinburgh, and practised architecture in London for fifteen years. He returned to Belfast in 1993 to take up a lectureship in architecture at Queen's University. Since 2004 he has been involved in research and writing, and is a regular contributor to architectural publications in the north of Ireland.
The paperback costs £18.00 and can be purchased through our bookshop.