Building 118

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

BENBOW BLOCK
Two storey brick barrack block with hipped man-made slate roof and two storey colonnade of cast iron columns and beams aligned east west the centre of the rear portion of the Ebrington Barracks. Building is of the same generic design as block 117 (HB01/09/002CC) but has had more alterations over time.

Hipped man-made slate roof extending over two storey cast iron colonnade to the main south-facing façade. Columns Doric in type with larger head plates to ground than first floor. Exposed iron beam at first floor walkway. Connection plate detail above the head of every column. Building 14 columns long with an extra column at ground level at each end supporting the walkway and adjacent to a returning dogleg stair. All ground floor columns are supported (bolted to) a square painted granite upstand with the concrete footpath between edged in a granite kerbstone. The footpath rises by 600mm along the length of the building as ground level drops. At first floor, the walkway is waterproofed by asphalt with upstands to the base of each column. The stairs to each end are not original as on block 117 and are of a slightly cruder design.

There are 6 recessed boot scrapers along the ground floor and 5 blocked up doorways. The single door in use aligns on each floor and is near the centre of the façade. It has a single pane segmental fanlight on each floor (larger at first floor) and is 6 bays (including a blocked door) from the west corner, and 8 bays including 3 blocked doors from the east. At each side of the façade, a return sits out to the rear of the stairs with hipped roof. Single sheeted doors without fanlights abut the main building. A central 3-brick deep stringcourse aligns with the walkway on this return and this travels around to the rear.

The east elevation presents the stair to the front (south), a return 3 metres wide is adjacent with a single window to the same design as the front elevation. 2 metres behind, another return sits out for a width of 1 metre with a narrower window at ground and first floor. The main body of the façade is 1 metre behind this and is blank. As with building 117, two unusual triangular projections sit across this corner at each floor. 1 metre above floor level they are 1.5 metres high with a flat concrete cap and base and 2 ventilators.

To the rear as with block 117, three small returns with flat concrete head at eaves level. Central block twice the width of these at the ends which, in this building, are symmetrical about the centre. Each return has a single narrow window at ground and first floor and two to each side. Windows to the main façade are hard up against the return with a large blank expanse between.

The east gable is similar in all respects to the west with the exception of a black painted panel at first floor with ‘Benbow Block’ written on. Around this building to the rear is a single storey boiler room between two of the returns. An oil tank in a brick bund wall and a flat roofed painted incinerator store.

Historical information

Purpose built accommodation for married soldiers and their families based on a standard plan used at the time in barracks constructed by the Ordnance Board. Located as far from normal barracks as possible with a school between (No 115: HB01/09/002BB). Separate self contained flats were accessed from the external walkway at ground and first floors. Accommodation consisted of two bedrooms, a living room and kitchen and toilet facilities in the return. Storage for bins etc was in the return at each gable. Building’s overall external appearance is little altered from the time of construction (chimneys have been removed, doors blocked up, external stairs replaced). The internal plan because of its loadbearing construction has been little altered though an off centre corridor has been opened up to allow remaining rooms to become single bedrooms.

The name 'Benbow' is a legacy of the use of the barracks as a Joint Air and Naval anti submarine training base following WWII and relates as with other named buildings on the site to either senior Naval or RAF personnel.

References-
Primary sources

Ordnance Survey Maps 1831, 1854, 1873, 1904, 1933, 1955
O’Hagan’s Map of Londonderry 1847
Derry Journal 6th April 1841 ‘Notice to Builders’

Secondary sources
History of Ebrington Barracks (Anonymous, circa 1970’s) EHS files
Site officer 2003.

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

Not listed

Criteria for listing: historic interest

Not listed

Evaluation

Two storey brick barrack block with hipped man-made slate roof and two storey colonnade of cast iron columns and beams aligned east west the centre of the rear portion of the Ebrington Barracks.

Of unusual construction for this area, it is of historical interest in the development of barracks to accommodate married quarters.
Elegantly designed, but less well situated than its similar neighbour within the surrounding barracks and missing more original detail it is not considered to meet the legislative test of 'special interest'.