Building Numbers 80 & 81

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

2 No. 2 storey brick barrack blocks, of a standard type, located just to the east of the 1841 fortifications and parallel to the flanking road. Each building is 13 bays long with regularly spaced windows and a central door. There is a hipped roof to each end and a parapet where they meet. There is a step down at the junction between the buildings, one roof being approximately 700mm lower.

The main long façade faces west. Windows are nine over nine uPVC casements replacing former sashes. Flat arch over with soft gauged brickwork and a granite cill to each. The central doors have projecting undecorated brick architraves with semicircular heads. No 81 to the south has 5 granite steps. No 80 to the north has 3. Boot scraper beside each door. The fanlight has three vertical divisions with a horizontal light below over the door.

The façade is articulated by a projecting pilaster at the end of each range and four cast iron downpipes. A central brick string course indicates first floor level and a plinth course of blue brick indicates ground floor. At eaves level there is a simple entablature course and no soffit on the 350mm overhang. The undersides of the rafters are exposed and painted. Painted metal vents are regularly disposed at high and low levels there are air bricks in the plinth. Gutters are cast iron. Roof is man made slate with red ridge tiles.

The north gable and the south are matching. There are no openings. The cornice and plinth return around the sides and two pilasters, which match those to the front, are located near each corner. A central wider pilaster projecting further forward may be a truncated chimney flue.

Rear west elevation is similar to the front. Windows are distributed regularly and detailed in the same way. Two returns for latrines aligning with the centre of each block project . There is a rendered hipped roof single storey boiler block at central junction of the two barracks. Te centre of the returns have been rebuilt removing a small rectangular projection found on building 71 (HB01/09/002O)

Around the building is a well preserved kerbstone with open dished gutter edged in a row of cobbles, which adds to the building’s character.

Historical information

Building first indicated on the 1904 Ordnance Survey Map and forms part of the post 1891 expansion eastwards of the barracks. A purpose built barrack block of a standard military type. There are two other buildings (numbers 79: HB02/09/002Oand 104 : HB01/09/002AA ) of the same type on this base. Originally the block would have housed an open dormitory to either side of the entrance section consisting of stair to one side of the hall room to other side and toilets ahead. In later years the dormitory has been converted to individual accommodation. Building still used for its original purpose. A faded painted sign on umber 80 saying shelter position indicates that room under stone stairs was a bomb shelter during WWII. A similar much more faded sign on number 81 suggests a similar use.

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 well-sited and well-proportioned red brick barrack buildings of a standard type, which make a strong contribution to the townscape character of Ebrington Barracks behind the original star fort. Of historic interest for their function, they contribute to the historic and military character of the site. Character of interior staircases and lobbies are of note.