Bendhu and its builders

Author: Andrew Cowser

Bendhu was the remarkable creation of Cornish artist and lecturer, Newton Penprase (1888-1978), who laboured alone on its construction for over 40 years. The curious house stands on the cliffs overlooking Ballintoy harbour, and is constructed of concrete, reinforced with recycled railway lines, and many other materials available to hand.
Andrew Cowser sets out to tell the incredible story of the building of this idiosyncratic, and sometimes controversial house. The Ulster Architectural Heritage society made reference to its “staggering eccentricity and inappropriateness”, however, in 1992 it was listed by the department of the environment as B1, and is now widely accepted as an important, early, example of Modernist architecture in Ulster.