Building 49

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

Three-storey nine- window bay rendered building in the Georgian style facing south onto the parade ground of Ebrington Barracks. Man-made slate roof with chimneys on ridge at each gable. Central projecting porch with plain cornice around parapet. Segmental pane fanlight over double two panelled raised and fielded doors facing south. Three granite steps to door. PVC windows six over six pane. Group of 3 aligning with entrance door spaced slightly closer together than on end bays. Blank recessed windows at first and second floor symmetrical about the central 3 windows. Extra windows inserted at ground and first floor to the two end bays to the east of the elevation. Soil vent pipe suggests toilets behind. At ground level two lean-to extensions are symmetrical about the elevation. Their sandstone parapets return to the building as a half pediment. To the east the wall continues with a pigs back coping, one opening to the rear yard is unadorned and appears recent. A second door to building number 53 has a projecting stone architrave and sheeted door and is likely the original door to the yard behind. Beyond a six pane timber sash into building 53 is likely a later edition for it does not align with the door. The wall returns to the original 1841 fort boundary wall to the north.

Beyond the building to the west is a gatepost entry with sandstone coping, the opposite matching post is connected to building 46.

In front of the building a concrete forecourt into a modern brick lined exposed drain echoing the original arrangement.

West gable is blank and rendered. The sandstone parapet at the gable returns as a kneeler as on other buildings within the fort. A similar detail is to rear of the ground level lean to which has a metal roof. The walls of the lean to inside the gate are not rendered but the whinstone construction has been painted.

The rear north elevation has equally spaced windows on the same rhythm as the front. A central return sits out the depth of the footpath and has a lean to roof which is below eaves level. A metal fire escape sits out from the western bay. At first floor the last window to the east is double sized.

Behind the building is a yard enclosed by a bastion of the original fort. Regular rectangular gun loops have been blocked up. The wall steps up to the east. On the north bastion it rises saw tooth fashion reflecting the roofs of the now gone buildings on the other side. There is a short stretch of hogs back coping before stepping up again and then again as the wall moves south.

Previous buildings in the courtyard have been removed. No 53 is a timber-clad building with Belfast roof trusses. No 54 is a small block. An oil tank with bund wall is also located in the yard.

Historical information

Building is described as ‘hospital’ on the 1854 Ordnance Survey Map. Another building to the rear at the centre of the bastion and now gone is labelled ‘magazine’. As photographed in the late 19th century a downpipe flanked the central group of 3 windows. The ground floor windows below the two blank windows was also blank and has now been opened up. The windows to the east were symmetrical with those on the west before the showers were inserted. There were a further two chimneys on the ridge flanking the central staircase. Inside the masonry structural walls mean that the original plan has largely survived apart from alterations for toilets. Temporary hospital was built in WWII to the north of Browning Drive outside the current barracks complex. It is likely that the hospital function cased earlier in the century and it became extra barrack accommodation.

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.
Coldstream Guards final parade pamphlet. Army 8th Brigade 2003

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

Three-storey nine- window bay rendered building in the Georgian style facing south onto the parade ground of Ebrington Barracks.

One of the largest buildings of the original 1841 barracks and a key building of this composition. It forms the major part of the north side of the parade square and is designed to be seen from the city across the river. It is well proportioned and robustly detailed. The removal of its sash windows has reduced its historic character. It is well integrated into its surroundings by the surviving adjacent walls and the bastion behind and its interest is enhanced by its architectural relationship with other buildings around the square. Its function is of local historic interest.