ADMISSIONS BUILDING TO THE FORMER LONDONDERRY WORKHOUSE

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

Detached stone five-bay two-storey former Admissions building with a flat roof two-storey rendered extension to the rear, North East side flanked by adjoining single-storey gabled projections. Built in 1840 to designs by George Wilkinson. Located on six-acre site to the South West side of the former Londonderry Union Workhouse (HB01/09/008B).

Pitched slate roof has two gabled single-bay projections, with corresponding projections to the rear NE side stepping down to single storey gabled extension, gable-ends have an over-hang with decorative carved timber fascias; three small pitched slate roofs above windows on centre block have terracotta clay ridge tiles, slight over-hang with carved timber fascias; two-stage red brick chimney stack, centred on ridge, has terracotta clay pots one to the NW side and one to the SE of main pitched roof.

Principal (SW) elevation consists of a three-bay central block flanked by gabled single-bay projections, (with corresponding projections to the rear); walling is of roughly-coursed squared local schist with sandstone dressings to window and door surrounds and rough punching with draft margin detail to sandstone stepped corner quoins; continuous stone moulded string-course spans the width of the overall elevation; windows on ground floor of centre block and both floors of projecting bays have horizontal hood moulds; all windows are replacement 2/2 timber sliding sashes with horns, with the exception window on the first floor level of right side projecting bay having a 1/1 timber sliding sash. Entrance door centred on elevation on centre block, aligned with window bay on first floor level above, doorway has a pointed segmental arch stone surround with a pair of vertically sheeted painted modern timber doors.

North West elevation has two square headed windows on ground and first floor levels having red brick dressings, windows are 1/1 timber sliding sashes; walling is of roughly-coursed squared local schist; rough punching with draft margin detail to sandstone stepped corner quoins on SW side; two cast-iron circular downpipes, one is slightly off centre to main elevation and the other is to the NE side of single storey extension. SW corner is abutted by a single storey stone outbuilding with slate pitched roof having red-brick and sandstone dressings; square-headed window and door openings to adjoining outbuilding, there are two door openings on the NE side having vertically sheeted painted timber doors; 1/1 timber sliding sash window on the SE elevation; two narrow 1/1 timber sliding sashes to either side of a tripartite window on the SW elevation; NW gable elevation is blank having stepped red-brick dressings to the left corner and sandstone stepped corner quoins to the right side.

North East elevation to the rear is abutted by a full height rendered extension with unpainted finish, four-bays wide having square headed openings, windows on ground floor are aligned with bays on floor above; floor levels are divided by a rendered band-course spanning the width of the elevation; four 1/1 timber sliding sashes on first floor level having a moulded stepped band course above windows; ground floor windows are 1/1 timber sliding sashes, door opening has a vertically sheeted painted timber door with a plain glazed transom light over; there are three circular downpipes with hoppers to rear rendered extension. Projecting gables to main elevation are blind, abutted on ground floor level by projecting gabled single-storey bays having paired 1/1 timber sliding sashes with red brick dressings; walling is of roughly-coursed squared local schist; pitched slate roofs over-hang having decorative carved timber fascias and terracotta clay ridge tiles; rendered dormer to main roof has a pitched slate roof with timber fascia and a diamond-pane square headed window. Access to the rear is via a short flight of concrete steps.

South East side elevation is has a small projecting stone entrance porch with a slated pitched roof, terracotta clay ridge tiles and carved timber fascia to over-hanging eaves; porch has red-brick solider-course above 1/1 timber sliding sash windows to all three sides, SE side of porch has a four-panel painted timber door, SE elevation is accessed via a flight of steps to the South side on a grass bank having decorative metal handrails to either side of steps; 1/1 timber sliding sash window to either side of entrance porch on main SE elevation, aligned with bays on first floor level, windows have red-brick dressings, right side bay on first floor has a 2/2 timber sliding sash.

Materials:
Roof Natural slate
RWG Cast-iron
Walling Roughly-coursed squared local schist, sandstone and red-brick dressings
Windows Replacement timber sliding sash

Setting:
Located at the entrance and SW to the main Londonderry Workhouse, set behind a rendered and stone wall with stone copings and piers to either side of a pair of painted metal entrance gates, painted metal railings above wall. The walls are terminated by square piers having a pair of painted metal gates; piers are surmounted by pointed capstones.

Historical information

Following the passing of the Poor Law Act in 1838, a network of 130 Poor Law Unions was created across Ireland, each of which was to have a workhouse. The system was designed to provide relief to the destitute and each Poor Law Union was governed by a Board of Guardians. Initially it had been thought that the staff at the Board of Public Works would be able to design and construct the new workhouses. When it was found that this would not be possible, a number of architects were invited to submit plans. The designs provided by George Wilkinson of Oxford were judged to be the most satisfactory and in January 1839 he was appointed Architect to the Poor Law Commissioners on an annual salary of £500. Prior to moving to Ireland, he had been responsible for the design of many workhouses in England and Wales. Wilkinson would remain in post in Ireland until 1855.

The workhouse design created by Wilkinson consisted of three main parts: a front building (the Admissions Building), main building, and infirmary. The front building contained the board room for the Guardians to meet in, the clerk’s office and porter’s room, probationary and vagrants’ wards, outhouses (such as privies, washing rooms, punishment cells), and a small gatekeeper’s annex. The main building could have been two, three or four storeys high with three-story wings at each end. This building contained the dormitories for inmates, workrooms, schoolrooms, accommodation for the master and matron, etc. The infirmary was built to cater for the ‘normal sick’ of the workhouse.

The Londonderry Poor Law Union was created in January 1839 with its Board of Guardians meeting for the first time on 6 March following. Most workhouses were built on the outskirts of the principal town or city in each Poor Law Union. The site chosen for the workhouse of the Londonderry Poor Law Union was in the Waterside and the 1830 Ordnance Survey map shows that this was a greenfield site. The Londonderry workhouse was built to accommodate 800 inmates. The building costs amounted to £6,780 with a further £1,157 for fittings. It opened on 10 November 1840. In the period 1899-1908 Matthew Alexander Robinson was responsible for a number of additions and alterations to the infirmary, and external iron fire escape stairs.

In 1948 the workhouse became Waterside General Hospital. This is reflected in the Annual Revision Lists of the First General Revaluation (1936-57) where the word workhouse is changed to hospital and the term Board of Guardians is changed to Northern Ireland Hospitals Authority. Ordnance Survey maps also show the name of the complex changed from Union Workhouse to Waterside Hospital. The former workhouse continued as a hospital until 1991. At that time local campaigning led to the preservation of this, the original front building (Admissions Building) and main building (HB01/09/008B) which were given listed status.

Particular concern had been expressed that the Admissions Building was going to be demolished as part of a road widening scheme, though alterations to this scheme resulted in its preservation. Subsequently the main building (HB01/09/008B) was renovated as a museum and library, while this, the front building was refurbished as the Waterside Centre and used for offices.

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, Griffith’s Valuation, 1858
8 PRONI, Annual Revisions List of the First General Revaluation, 1936-57, VAL/3/C/6/13
9. NIEA, HB Records

Secondary sources
1. Alistair J. Rowan, The Buildings of Ireland: North West Ulster (Harmondsworth, 1979)
2. Michael H. Gould, The Workhouses of Ulster (UAHS, 1983)
3. Avril Thomas (ed.), Irish Historic Towns Atlas, no. 15, Derry~Londonderry (Dublin, 2005)
4. Daniel Calley, City of Derry: An Historical Gazetteer to the Buildings of Londonderry (Belfast: Ulster Architectural Heritage Society, 2013)
5. ‘Sketch History of the Workhouse’, leaflet by the Waterside Community History Group (c. 1989)

Online sources
www.workhouses.org.uk/Ireland

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

S. Authenticity
V. Authorship
T. Historic Importance
R. Age
X. Local Interest
Y. Social, Cultural or Economic Importance
Z. Rarity

Evaluation

Detached stone five-bay two-storey former Admissions building to the former Londonderry Union Workhouse (HB01/09/008B) located in the Waterside area of the city of Londonderry on an elevated side on the north east side of Glendermott Road. The Admissions building is located to front of the site with the former Workhouse building situated within the same grounds and immediately to the rear. It was built in 1840 to designs by George Wilkinson of Oxford, Architect to the Poor Law Commissioners. Despite a flat roofed extension to the rear, the front elevation retains historic detailing such as the stone hood moulds over the front door and windows. Together the buildings have value as a group and they complement each other in architectural style and materials. Only a small number of former Admission and Workhouse buildings remain in N Ireland and therefore this building is considered special for its rarity and for its associated history with the Poor Law Union.