Building 10/10A

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

Two storey, 6 bay white rendered building in the georgian style with gable facing parade ground. Central chimney and one on each gable.

Entrance elevation faces east and is protected at ground floor by a cast iron colonnade supporting a felted lean-to roof. Two granite steps to paved walkway under colonnade with concrete rampart southern end. Concrete draining channel in front of the steps. Two doors aligning with 6 over 6 pvc windows, one near south gable – panelled with 3 pane rectangular fan light, one 3rd bay from north – modern, sheeted with a single pane fanlight.

North gable to parade ground – projecting stone parapet returning at eaves. Single window off centre protected by corrugated pvc lean-to. Six over six pvc windows adjacent – no openings above. Likely a later extension is parallel with gable and has flat roof sloping back to gutter. Below single window enclosed in a pvc lean to shell – (for loading). Flush door beside. Wall continues on to next building at ground level. The presence of a stone pier suggests that this was an opening now blocked. Cabling disfigures appearance.

To rear, central return extending further in a block to south. High level. small windows with arched head. Beyond to south, further extension and hipped roof.

South gable – similar detail to north. Concrete block flat roof shed abutting to rear. The extension to this side sits back 300mm and appears to be filling in space between new and older structure 4m behind. This has small, high level windows with an arched head at high level (similar can be seen behind return on other side). Windows are blocked at low level but cills remain. Beyond this, the building steps in again with hipped roof. At ground level, a flat roofed concrete brick extension projects south of modern construction.

Historical information

Originally two buildings on the 1854 map. To the east the main building with gables facing the parade ground and to the west a smaller parallel building. This is the structure with high level, small windows noted in the description. The buildings are labelled ‘guard house’ on this map and were located adjacent to the main entrance into the Barracks. The smaller building was probably a small jail block while the larger organised security for the entrance and site. The larger scale 1874 map shows a gate into a small courtyard around the ‘jail block’ through the piers noted on the parade ground (north) elevation. This courtyard was formed by this wall, a bastion formed in the boundary wall of the fort, the main guardhouse to the east and a parallel wall to the west. By 1904 a return to the west was added to the ‘jail’ and its courtyard had been reduced to one flush with its east façade. The colonnade had been added to the main building and the adjacent entrance gates demolished. Between 1933 and 1955 the extension linking the two buildings was carried out. At the time of survey both buildings are closed from the site behind a metal palisade fence. The remains of the bastion wall forms a concrete rendered plinth for this along part of its length.

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 at time of survey.

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

A. Style
C. Ornamentation
H-. Alterations detracting from building
J. Setting
K. Group value

Criteria for listing: historic interest

X. Local Interest

Evaluation

Two storey, 6 bay white rendered building in the georgian style with gable facing parade ground. Part of the original group of buildings designed to surround the parade ground at Ebrington Barracks. Though much altered, they continue to contribute to the historic character and appearance of the site and are an important consistent part of its story. The colonnade at the entrance adds great character.