Building Number 17

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

Two storey over basement rendered house in the Georgian style with gable facing parade ground and main frontage looking west to city. Basement exposed on west elevation which is open to a garden in the south west bastion of the original fort. A five bay house as seen from garden it is rendered and painted with a central projecting porch at ground floor dropping to the basement. Two bay extension to the south gable which is lower and covering only basement and ground floors. Balustrade bridge across façade at ground level to entrance porch now enclosed in pvc conservatory.Grainite steps with similar style balustrade desend to garden from end of bridge. Two chimneys on ridge.

Steep drop in rubblestone fort boundary wall across garden. Blocked up musket loops at river’s edge and also at return in front of extension. Timber door with sandstone surround in wall at this point of later construction than fort. Exit contemporatry with fort in wall against south west corner of building.

To rear, no return. Five bays to rear abutting former fort wall.

To south gable of main block fort wall aligns. A the two bay extension at basement and ground floors sits out past this and a small wall at basement level returns. Behind there is a small lean to extension at ground floor facing onto a small courtyard. The lean to is supported by a cast iron column. A nice set of steps descends from this to basement level behind the courtyard wall.

Gable to parade ground blank at first floor with central entrance door double-panelled and retaining fanlight with canopy over flanked by single window.

To rear on parade ground wall and stone gateposts between building and No 11. Steps to rear basement protected from yard by railings. Small bridge to central door with protruding moulding. Steps granite. Railings cast iron painted black. Copings sandstone.

Historical information

Building erected in 1841 as part of the original design of Ebrington Barracks. Marked as ‘Barrack Master’s House’ on the 1854 Ordnance Map, it fulfilled this function until 1947. Then it became the Admiral’s House of HMS Sea Eagle. It was extended to the south by a bay crossing the boundary wall in the 1870’s. Sash windows were removed in the 1990’s.

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
Current site officer.

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

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

Criteria for listing: historic interest

X. Local Interest

Evaluation

Two storey over basement rendered house in the Georgian style with gable facing parade ground and main frontage looking west to city. A dramatically sited and well-proportioned house, which forms a key part of the original composition of Ebrington Barracks. Of historic interest as the Barrack Master’s House and later when a Naval Base as the Admiral’s House.