Tower Hall, 8 Bond's Hill, Londonderry, BT47 6DW

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

An early-Victorian symmetrical three-bay former Reformed Presbyterian meeting house built c.1848 (Architect unknown) and constructed in local schist coursed stone with sandstone dressings. Located on the east side at the lower end of Bond's Hill with listed terrace to north stepping up the hill (HB01/09/006B-O). The church is of a simple rectangular form with gabled pitched roof to the front elevation with engaged projecting tower of square form all set behind cast iron railings. The church is entered at ground floor which is raised over the exposed basement and approached by a set of stone steps, (now partly rendered to centre of flight). The sides of the steps are of roughly squared Schist stone with arch abutting the hall (now in-filled).

Natural slate roof with projecting corbelled sandstone eaves supporting uPVC gutters discharging to uPVC rainwater pipes. Raised parapets to gables with sandstone copings and kneelers. Three-stage diagonal buttresses (with tooled facing) to all external corners with sandstone string courses between basement and principal floor and between all stages of the tower. All windows are replacement up set within gothic-arched openings with dressed sandstone cills and chamfered dressed sandstone surrounds with hood moulding with engaged multi-faceted terminals, unless otherwise noted.

Front (west) elevation is symmetrical and has a central slightly projecting tower flanked by a single window to each side at principal entrance level. Square-plan three-stage over basement pinnacled and crenellated tower has a replacement half leaf timber entrance door with single-pane gothic arched overlight set within a chamfered dressed sandstone surround with hood moulding with engaged multi-faceted terminals. The door is surmounted by a sandstone plaque, with no (or deteriorated) inscription. Second stage has an ocular opening dressed in sandstone with hood mould over and containing a timber louvered vent. Third stage has an opening to each face (excluding east face) detailed as per window openings but with cusped framed timber louvered vent insets. Second and third stages have clasping buttresses terminating in octagonal pinnacles to the four corners.

The north side elevation is four-bays wide with single openings to each bay at each floor level. Stone type, coursing and dressings to windows are similar to front. Basement windows are square-headed uPVC casements with square projecting dressings and stone cills. The second opening from right is square-headed with square projecting dressings and modern fire exit door inset. Principal entrance floor windows have been replaced with uPVC units and in filled with a rendered panel to the bottom half. Window openings are set above small square dressed sandstone vents centred on the windows between the cill and the projection of the plinth course below. Gutters are uPVC half round on drive through brackets on a projecting sandstone eaves, discharging to uPVC rainwater pipes.

Rear (east) elevation has three openings to basement level formed by a door to the centre flanked by two square headed windows with casements. Two ground floor windows have been in-filled with rendered panels with the one to the left having a fire exit door accessed from a modern steel bridge.

The south side elevation is four-bays wide with single openings to each bay at each floor level. Stone type, coursing and dressings to windows are similar to front. Basement windows are square-headed casements with square projecting dressings and stone cills. Principal entrance floor windows have been replaced with uPVC units and in filled with a rendered panel to the bottom half. Window openings are set above small square dressed sandstone vents centred on the windows between the cill and the projection of the plinth course below. Gutters are uPVC half round on drive through brackets on a projecting sandstone eaves, discharging to uPVC rainwater pipes.

Setting:
Located on the east side at the lower end of Bond's Hill with listed terrace to north stepping up the hill (HB01/09/006 B-O). The properties along Bond's Hill were constructed over a fifty year period resulting in a terrace which displays the progression of design and detailing through the Victorian period. The hall is surrounded on all sides by bitmac surfacing with a path to side (N) and rear (E) and a small car park to the south. A high schist stone wall encloses the boundary to the rear (E) with a lean to rendered modern boiler house. The front boundary is enclosed with cast iron railings on a low plinth wall formed by sandstone blocks. A pedestrian entrance is centred on the front door with square cement rendered pillars, vehicular gates to car park to the south with concrete block pillars and modern gates. The boundary wall contains a carved stone inscription referred to in the historical information.

Materials:
Roof: Natural Slate
RWG: uPVC
Walling: Schist & Sandstone
Windows: uPVC & timber casements

Historical information

Latterly known as Tower Hall, this edifice was built as a Reformed Presbyterian meeting house in the mid-nineteenth century. Though a number of sources state that this church was built in 1857-8 to designs by the Liverpool architect William Raffles Brown, this seems to be incorrect. Brown was involved in building a Reformed Presbyterian church in Derry in the late 1850s, but this was the meeting house in Clarendon Street. The meeting house in Bond’s Hill was already in existence by this time. A drawing of it is featured on O’Hagan’s map of Derry of 1847. It is represented on the Ordnance Survey town plan of 1848-9 as an oblong building with a square projection - the tower - at west end.

A stone, now badly worn, in the boundary wall reads:

Reformed Presbyterian Church
This church is indebted
To the liberality of
The Honble the Irish Society
For the erection of this (building)
18(5)0

The year is not entirely clear, but if 1850, it possibly refers to the year in which the building was opened.

The congregation came into existence following a split within the Reformed Presbyterian Church over the issue of the powers of the civil magistrate. A section of this denomination separated and formed what became known as the Eastern Reformed Presbyterian Church. This denomination had a separate existence for just over sixty years. In the early twentieth century the congregation in Derry ceased to exist following an amalgamation with Waterside Presbyterian Church (HB01/09/004). Approval for this on the part of Waterside Presbyterian Church was given by the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church on 5 June 1905.

Following the amalgamation, the building became the property of Waterside Presbyterian Church. Since then it has been used for a variety of purposes. In the 1970s it was occupied by Waterside Youth Council. In the mid 1990s repairs to the windows and roof were carried out. In 2003 the historic windows were replaced by Upvc. In 2006 a plan to convert the structure to offices, with the addition of an extra floor within the building, was put forward. The building is currently in use as a gymnasium.

References

Primary sources
1. PRONI, Valuation map, c. 1908–c.1918, VAL/12/D/5/14D (based on Ordnance Survey map published in 1907)
2. PRONI, Ordnance Survey map, 1933, OS/6/5/14/4
3. PRONI, Ordnance Survey map, 1954, OS/6/5/14/5
4. PRONI, Ordnance Survey map, 1964, OS/6/5/14/6
5. NIEA, HB Records

Secondary sources
1. Robert M. Henderson, Waterside Presbyterian Church, 1866-1966 (1966)
2. 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)
3. Alistair J. Rowan, The Buildings of Ireland: North West Ulster (Harmondsworth, 1979)
4. John Hume, Derry Beyond the Walls: Social and Economic Aspects of the Growth of Derry, 1825-1850 (2002)
5. Avril Thomas (ed.), Irish Historic Towns Atlas, no. 15, Derry~Londonderry (Dublin, 2005)
6. Dan Calley, City of Derry: An Historical Gazetteer to the Buildings of Londonderry (Belfast: Ulster Architectural Heritage Society, 2013)

Online sources
1. Dictionary of Irish Architects (www.dia.ie)

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

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

Evaluation

An early-Victorian symmetrical three-bay former Reformed Presbyterian meeting house built c.1848 (Architect unknown) and constructed in local schist coursed stone with sandstone dressings. The church is of simple gabled form with buttresses and square tower projecting from its principal facade. Although many exterior elements have been replaced with inappropriate materials, the building retains much of its original character and is one of the most architecturally striking buildings on Bond’s Hill. The plan form survives largely intact, as does the impressive roof structure; however it is currently in use as a gymnasium and a good amount of historic detailing appears to be lost inside. Main entrance elevated above street level and accessed via a broad flight of stone steps, all set behind cast iron railings on stone walling that significantly enhance the character of its setting. Important to the local community from a social perspective and of historic interest as it was built for a denomination that separated from the main Reformed Presbyterian Church.

General comments

Please note this record has been renumbered and was previously recorded as HB01/09/006A.