11 Victoria Park

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

A two storey roughcast rendered house with single storey studio at an angle of 45º from the main block. The main block is practically square and to the rear there is a part two storey and part single storey return. Gables and bays project with gabled hipped and half hipped roofs, doubled at right angles to main roof and covered in red rosemary tiles with tall roughcast chimneys.

Entrance tucked between angle of studio and house with single door with interestingly juxtaposed windows divided into a number of panes, some large, some small, tiled cills, bellcast at bottom of wall neatly swept into well formed gutter channel round the exterior of the house. First floor defined at window head level with double projecting course of red tiles with roughcast forming bellcast over.

Studio has north window with its head terminated as a dormer above the main roof slope and a slender projecting buttress, battered and stiffening wall on lower side and further along where studio meets the inglenook of the lounge a delightful squint window to give a glimpse of the road and river. Hips and ridges in typical rosemary detail with two way pitched rooflight placed over stairway where it leads to the attic. In one gable a roof attic with slit window lighting it and another gable finished in vertically hung tiles.

Rainwater goods are cast iron, half round, with circular downpipes and gullies neatly considered and carefully detailed.

Set close to Victoria Road almost at bottom of slope in a quiet offshoot surrounded by trees and secluded from the river by them. Site elongated and partly cut into the side of the hill.

Historical information

The house was built for McKillip, a Belfast Bank official, and his wife Dai, painter and designed in 1907 by a London architect, Cornelius Wheeler of Babchurch Yard, Cannon Street, London. Built during 1908 and occupied 1909. Previously McKillip resided in 8 Crawford Square L’Derry. It was subsequently occupied by their daughter Betty and her husband Billy Taylor, architect. Bought 15 years ago by present owner (1998) who very carefully restored the house in its former detail as it had become very delapidated.

References:

Present owner (1998)
Wheeler’s architectural plan (in possession of present owner)
Derry & North West Directory 1908-9

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

Not listed

Criteria for listing: historic interest

Not listed

Evaluation

A good example of Arts and Crafts style house as expounded by Voysey and reminiscent of some small buildings by Lutyens. The house has been carefully restored over the last fifteen years and displays the external materials, form and details of the style. Internally has typical plan form including cranked arrangement (studio),inglenooks, tiled fireplaces, exposed timbers, panelling, painted panels and fine staircase.