Former the Good Shepherd Convent

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

Detached two-storey four-bay rendered Italianate-style former house, built c.1870, architect unknown. Rectangular plan form, principal elevation faces north east with a double pile hipped slate roof and a two-storey projecting bay to the south east side. Set within a modern residential area on a sloping site to the south west side of the Dungiven Road on the east bank of the River Foyle.

Hipped natural slate double pile roof has lead rolled ridge detailing and two large two-stage rendered chimneys with terracotta clay pots on north east side, centred on ridge and a single large two-stage chimney stack to the south west side and one to the outshot to the south east side, centred on ridge. Timber fascia boards and soffit with paired block modillions to each elevation above a continuous moulded string-course; half round moulded cast aluminium guttering discharging to square aluminium downpipes throughout. At the time of survey all window openings were boarded up with timber sheeting.

The front elevation (NE) has a single storey three-sided canted bay with hipped roof to the extreme right of the facade. To the left of the bay is the front door opening. Two window openings are located to the left side of the front door. The four window openings to the first floor are aligned with the windows / door / bay window below. Render to ground floor level is deeply ruled and lined. Continuous painted sill band to window bays and running string-course to window heads; continuous moulded cornice between ground and first floor levels; smooth rendered painted finish to upper floor level with stepped corner quoins and continuous sill band to window bays. Window openings are square headed on ground floor level and segmental arched headed with moulded architrave and stop blocks on first floor level. Entrance doorway has a plain timber architrave surround, door opening is concealed with galvanised sheeting. Entrance is approached by a wide step of concrete paving slabs with a balustraded low wall with coping stone and a rendered pillar to either side. The right hand pillar has an orb on top of the coping stone.

South East side elevation is abutted by a projecting two-storey bay; walling is of smooth painted render with stepped corner quoins to either end of main elevation on first floor level only; segmental arched headed window bay on first floor level to the right side of main elevation has a painted sill-course; painted continuous band course between ground and first floor levels; left side of main elevation has a square headed window bay on ground floor and a segmental arched headed window on first floor level on a painted masonry sill; projecting bay has a large segmental arch headed window at half-landing level, to the left of this there is a small segmental arched headed window, both concealed with painted plywood sheeting.

The rear elevation to the South West side is three-bays wide. Three-sided canted bay window to the left side of elevation with a window centred above and two further window bays on the right; continuous painted sill band to ground and first floor windows; running string-course to window heads; continuous moulded cornice between ground and first floors; Deeply ruled and lined render to ground floor level. Smooth rendered painted finish to upper floor level with stepped corner quoins. All windows are concealed with painted plywood, square-headed openings on ground floor and segmental arched headed on first floor level with moulded architrave surrounds on stop blocks.

North West side is four bays wide, deeply ruled and lined render to ground floor level and smooth painted render to upper floor level; continuous sill-band to windows on both levels; square headed bays on ground floor and segmental arched headed bays on first floor level; continuous moulded cornice between floor levels; string-course to window heads on ground floor level.

Materials:
Roof Natural Slate
RWGs Cast Aluminium
Walling Painted Render
Windows Concealed/Not seen

Setting:
Located off the Dungiven Road on the east bank of the River Foyle within a modern residential development on an elevated site. Principal elevation faces NE and is approached by a wide step of concrete paving slabs with a balustraded low wall with coping stone and a rendered pillar with pyramidal coping stone to either side. Tarmacadam carpark area and access road leads to modern housing to the rear of the building.

Historical information

In the Ordnance Survey Memoir of Clondermot parish (1835), ‘Bellevue’ was noted as the seat of the Rev. John Dickson Maughan: ‘The house is good, but the planting is as yet young.’ By the time of Griffith’s Valuation (1858) the property was in the possession of William Tilly (Tillie), the shirt manufacturer. At this time the buildings comprised a house, gate-house and outbuildings which were given the valuation of £45.

The house, set within its own grounds, is shown on the Ordnance Survey maps of 1830 and 1853. On the latter, its plan is akin to that of a Latin cross aligned south-west to north-east. On the 1907 map the house has a very different footprint with a main block and an east wing, suggesting a rebuilding of the structure in the second half of the nineteenth century.

The Valuation Revision Books provide evidence for the construction of a new house in the early 1870s. By 1872 the property was in the possession of Robert William Newton and in 1873 the valuation of the buildings was doubled to £90. (The gate-house was listed separately at this time and given a valuation of £3). In 1880 the valuation was increased by £10 to £100 due to the addition of a conservatory. On 18 July 1888 Newton’s son, Andrew Courtenay Newton, died at ‘Bellview’. Newton himself died on 2 November 1894.

The house then fell vacant and seems to have remained as such for some time before being acquired by W. S. McDermott by 1914. In 1921 the occupier of the house was changed to the Rev. Mother of the Good Shepherd Convent. Two years before this, with the approval of the Bishop of Derry, three sisters (Sister Ita, Sister Sacred Heart and Sister Agnes) from the Good Shepherd Convent in Cork had established the first Good Shepherd Convent in Derry.

The Ordnance Survey map published in 1933 shows the house on the same plan as the 1907 map, but by the time of the 1954 Ordnance Survey map an extensive range of convent buildings had been erected. In 1946 Simon Aloysius Leonard (Dublin architect) prepared drawings for a chapel on the site, though the structure that was erected was by Corr and McCormick.

Belle Vue ceased to be used as a convent in the mid 1990s and in 1996 the site was owned by a firm of property developers. The additional convent buildings were demolished, while plans were drawn up to convert the house into apartments.

References

Primary sources
1. PRONI, Ordnance Survey map, 1830, OS/6/5/20/1
2. PRONI, Ordnance Survey map, 1853, OS/6/5/20/2
3. PRONI, Ordnance Survey map, 1933, OS/6/5/14/4
4. PRONI, Ordnance Survey map, 1954, OS/6/5/14/5
5. PRONI, Ordnance Survey map, 1964, OS/6/5/14/6
6. PRONI, Valuation map, c. 1908–c.1918, VAL/12/D/5/14D (based on Ordnance Survey map published in 1907)
7. PRONI, Valuation index map, [c.1873]-1910, VAL/12/E/157/2
8. PRONI, Valuation Revision Books, 1860-1930, VAL/12/B/32/14A-K
9. PRONI, Valuation Revision Books, 1898-1930, VAL/12/B/33/4A-E
10. NIEA, HB Records

Secondary sources
1. W. S. Ferguson, A. J. Rowan and J. J. Tracey, List of historic buildings, groups of buildings, areas of architectural importance in and near the City of Derry (Belfast: Ulster Architectural Heritage Society, 1970)
2. Daniel Calley, City of Derry: An Historical Gazeteer to the Buildings of Londonderry (Belfast: Ulster Architectural Heritage Society, 2013)

Online sources
1. Dictionary of Irish Architects: www.dia.ie
2. Derry Diocese website: www.derrydiocese.org

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

A. Style
B. Proportion
C. Ornamentation
H-. Alterations detracting from building

Criteria for listing: historic interest

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

Evaluation

Detached two-storey rendered Italianate-style former dwelling, built c.1870 which became The Good Shepherd Convent in 1921. Located on the south-west side of the Dungiven Road on an elevated site on the east bank of the River Foyle, the former convent building has a modern housing development constructed immediately adjacent, within its grounds. The double-pile villa retains original character, style and detailing externally such as canted bay windows and modillion blocks to the eaves. Despite the loss of some of its historic setting due to the construction of the adjacent housing, this is a good example of a large villa of its time located on the outskirts of Londonderry with local interest due to its history as a convent.