21 BOND'S HILL

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

A mid-terrace three-bay three-storey with attic, smooth rendered mid-Victorian house, built c.1865 (Architect unknown) fronting onto the pavement of Bond’s Hill, set behind a low rendered boundary wall. Rectangular plan form facing west. Part of a terrace of sixteen buildings of varying styles which line the east side of Bond’s Hill stepping up the hill. (HB01/09/006 B-R).

Pitched natural slate roof with rebuilt brick chimney stack to left (north) on party wall with No.22 (HB01/09/006P) and also rendered stack to right (south) on party wall with No.20 (HB01/09/006N) which has buff clay pots. Slightly projecting rendered eaves supporting half round cast iron gutter on drive through brackets discharging to cast iron down pipe to right of elevation.

Front (west) elevation is painted render finish. Window openings are segmental-arched with fluted stucco architrave detail painted in a contrasting colour along with the stone sills.

The main entrance right of centre has a painted timber four-panelled door, set within a door case with scrolled brackets supporting a projecting entablature below a single-pane segmental-arched overlight with number ‘21’ in gold digits. Front door is flush with tiled path (within curtilage) which is one step up from pavement. Entrance door is flanked to right by a pair of painted panelled timber doors with six-pane transom light set within a square-headed opening (assumed to access the rear of the property). Panelling has been altered to incorporate a small access door with flush steel panel. Entrance door is flanked to right by a single 3/3 margin pane timber sliding sash window with ogee horns.
First floor has three evenly spaced 2/1 timber sliding sash windows (no horns) similar in detailing to the ground floor, although of a narrower proportion (not aligned with ground floor openings). Second floor has three evenly spaced uPVC casement windows aligned over first floor openings but narrower in proportion.
The natural slate roof has three small cast iron roof lights.

The north side is abutted by No.22 Bond’s Hill (HB01/09/006 P).

No access to rear (east) elevation at time of survey - viewed from neighbouring property, the rear elevation is painted render with irregularly placed windows. Three-storey lean-to return to left abutting the rear elevation just below the eaves. Majority of windows are timber sliding sash with casement to first floor.

The south side is abutted by No.20 adjacent (HB01/09/006 N).

Setting:
Part of a terrace of sixteen buildings of varying styles which line the east side of Bond’s Hill stepping up the hill. (HB01/09/006 B-R).

Materials:
Roof: Natural Slate
RWGs : Cast Iron
Walling: Painted Render (W)
Windows: Timber sliding sash (West GF & FF) Casements (West to SF)
Doors: Four panelled painted timber front door

Historical information

Bond’s Hill was laid out in c.1839 in order to provide access to Ebrington Barracks (which had been constructed between 1839 and 1841) and was one of the first streets to be developed on the Waterside District of Londonderry during the 19th century. The current site of Bond’s Hill remained undeveloped in the 1830s with no buildings depicted on the first edition Ordnance Survey map. Hume states that prior to 1841 the Waterside consisted of a single street and possessed 105 houses. The area was slow to develop due to the steepness of its hills and as a result of expensive tolls that were imposed on carts and pedestrians crossing the city’s wooden bridge. Hume states that the construction of the barracks and the setting up of industrial establishments initiated the rapid development of the Waterside and drew people into the city from the rural hinterland east of the Foyle. In 1849 the Londonderry Standard described the change in the area in the following terms: ‘The Waterside, which from being some 20 years since, little more than a small street, has now become a place of considerable importance having a distillery, two large mills for the manufacture of oatmeal and a third about to be erected’ (Hume, pp 32-34).

Calley states that Bond’s Hill was named after the owners of Clooney House, a late-18th century house which stood at the top of the hill (now demolished and replaced with terraced housing). The street was first depicted on the Ordnance Survey Town Plan of 1848-49 which records that a number of houses (including a church on the current site of the Former Reformed Presbyterian (Covenanter’s) Church – see HB01/09/010) had already been constructed along the route by that time. Nos 9-24 Bond’s Hill, a terrace of two and three-storey Victorian houses also known as Melrose Terrace, was constructed in stages between c.1840 and 1891.

Nos 21-24 Bond’s Hill, a terrace of four three-storey three-bay houses, were built in c.1865. The Annual Revisions note that in 1864 the current site of the buildings was utilised as a building yard for the Londonderry Gas Works (located on the opposite side of the road). The terrace were first recorded in the valuation entry for 1865.

No. 21 Bond’s Hill was built on land leased by James Murray, a local borough magistrate, and was initially valued at £16. The first recorded occupant of the house was a Mr. Denis Doherty who resided at the house until c. 1876. In the 1880s the property was acquired by William Drysdale, a local shipping clerk and musician who had the adjoining nos 18-20 Bond’s Hill constructed in 1890-91. The 1901 census building return described No. 21 Bond’s Hill as a 1st class dwelling that consisted of 10 rooms and possessed a shed as its sole outbuilding. The contemporary Ordnance Survey Town Plan (1904-05) depicted the building along its current layout and notes that the coach arch and rear return are original features. Drysdale had vacated No. 21 Bond’s Hill by 1911 when Samuel Bryson, a local commission agent resided at the address. Under the First General Revaluation of Property in Northern Ireland (1936-57) a Mr. Samuel Forbes, a building contractor, was recorded as owner and occupant of the house, which had been increased in valued to £22. Forbes’ family continued to reside at the site until at least the end of the Second General Revaluation (1956-72) at which time the value of No. 21 Bond’s Hill stood at £36. Nos 9-24 Bond’s Hill were listed in 1979. Field inspection of the site, carried out as part of the Second Survey, has found that No. 21 Bond’s Hill continues to be utilised as a private dwelling.

References

Primary Sources
1. PRONI OS/6/5/20/1 – First Edition Ordnance Survey Map (1830)
2. PRONI OS/6/5/20/2 – Second Edition Ordnance Survey Map (1853)
3. PRONI VAL/12/E/157/1 – Annual Revisions Town Plan (c. 1873-1910)
4. PRONI VAL/12/B/32/14A-14G – Annual Revisions (1860-1897)
5. PRONI VAL/12/B/33/4C-4D – Annual Revisions (1898-1930)
6. PRONI VAL/3/C/6/13 – First General Revaluation of Property in Northern Ireland (1936-57))
7. PRONI VAL/4/B/5/18 – Second General Revaluation of Property in Northern Ireland (1956-72)
8. Londonderry Standard (5 Jul 1849)
9. Ulster Town Directories (1843-1918)
10. Census of Ireland (1901; 1911)
11. First Survey Record – HB01/09/006B (No Date)
12. NIEA HB Records – HB01/09/006O

Secondary Sources
1. Calley, D., ‘City of Derry: An historical gazetteer to the buildings of Londonderry’ Belfast: Ulster Architectural Heritage Society, 2013.
2. Hume, J., ‘Derry beyond the walls: Social and economic aspects of the growth of Derry 1825-1850’ Belfast: Ulster Historical Foundation, 2002.
3. Thomas, A., ‘Irish Historic Town Atlas, No. 15: Derry – Londonderry’ Dublin: Royal Irish Academy, 2005 - includes Ordnance Survey Town Plan (1904-05).

Online Resources
1. Digital Atlas of Derry - http://www.ria.ie/digitalatlasderry - including Ordnance Survey Town Plan (1848-49)

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

R. Age
S. Authenticity
T. Historic Importance
X. Local Interest

Evaluation

A mid-terrace three-bay three-storey with attic, smooth rendered mid-Victorian house, built c.1865 (Architect unknown) fronting onto Bond’s Hill, set behind a low rendered boundary wall. Part of a terrace of sixteen buildings of varying styles, it has group value with Nos 9-20 Bond’s Hill (HB01/09/006B-N). Despite having replacement uPVC casement windows to the second floor, a large amount good external historic detailing remains. It is a good example of a well proportioned finely detailed mid-Victorian house. It is also integral to the group value and interest of the terrace that, as a whole, is a good example of the type.