BANK OF IRELAND

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

Mid-terraced three-storey four-bays over basement sandstone former bank building in high palazzo-style. Built c.1869-70. Rectangular on plan with stone parapet wall to slate pitched roof and flat roof to rear extension to the north side. Principal elevation faces east onto Shipquay Street within the City Walls with Shipquay Gate directly to the north. Situated within the northern quadrant of the Historic City Conservation Area.

Pitched slate to main roof with black clay ridge tiles, bitumen finish to flat roof of rear extension; three modern roof lights to west side of main pitched roof; large rendered chimney stacks with stone dressings and three terracotta clay pots on each, centred on ridge, rising from north and south gable-ends.

Principal elevation, facing east, is of Giffnock buff sandstone with sandstone dressings; semicircular arched headed bays with heavily moulded stone surrounds on ground floor level; ground floor entrance, third bay from left has a planar glazed screen, accessed via a flight of stone steps with painted metal railings; entrance door opening to left side bay provides access to upper floor levels containing a pair of raised-and fielded five-panel painted timber doors with glazed fanlight above; plain glazed panes to bays either side of ground floor entrance door; ground floor arches have moulded pilasters between bays with rosette detailing to frieze and a slightly projecting stone cornice and scroll brackets above supporting a string-course with carved stone heads, keystone to centre of each bay with decorative carved leaf detail; segmental aedicule’s to square-headed first floor bays with stone sill-course supported on small stone brackets below; segmental arched headed windows to second floor bays with keystones to moulded lugged surrounds; stone sill-course spans the width of the elevation at second floor level supported on small stone brackets below; scrolled brackets with carved leaf detail to panelled frieze and dentilled deep projecting cornice above with crown moulding.

North and south elevations are blank rising above lower neighbouring buildings, cement rendered unpainted finish, topped by a large rendered chimney stack to each side, centred on ridge with stone cornice and three terracotta clay pots.

West elevation to the rear is of three-storeys, abutted by a three storey flat roof extension, stepping down to a single storey flat roof extension with a large glazed roof light abutted by a metal fire escape staircase leading to shared rear courtyard; cement rendered unpainted finish to rear extensions. The fenestration pattern is irregular with 1/1 timber sliding sash windows on unpainted masonry sills and a door opening accessed from metal staircase to rear extension, abutted by single storey extension with casement windows with mesh grilles.

Pitched slate roof to main roof; bitumen roof finish to rear flat roof extension and roofing felt finish to single storey extension; large rendered chimney stacks with stone cornice rising from the north and south side elevations, centred on ridge, with three terracotta clay pots to each. Cast-iron rainwater goods throughout.

Materials:
Roof Natural Slate
RWG Cast-iron
Walling Stone
Windows Timber Sliding Sash

Setting:
Located on the west side of Shipquay Street set within the Historic City Walls overlooking Shipquay Gate immediately to the north end. No.20 is accessed via a flight of stone steps within a terrace row of late-Georgian and Victorian former merchants’ townhouses and commercial buildings within the northern quadrant of the Historic City Conservation Area.

Historical information

No. 20 Shipquay Street, a three-storey four-bay sandstone building, was constructed in 1869-70. Prior to 1869 this plot on Shipquay Street was occupied by McConnell’s Wholesale Grocers (Ulster Town Directories). The grocer’s store was demolished in 1868 to make way for the current building which was originally utilised as a branch for the Bank of Ireland.

The Bank of Ireland is the oldest bank in operation in Ireland and was established in 1781 following the passing of the Bank of Ireland Act. The bank did not establish itself in Londonderry until 1825. Mitchell states that the ‘failure of the Bank of Ireland to move out of Dublin left the north of Ireland dependent for financial services on private banks, merchants and bill-discounters.’ Local businessmen in the city had established a local banking system in the early-19th century but Hume states, that following the establishment of the first Bank of Ireland on Shipquay Street in 1825 ‘growing satisfaction with the service they provided diminished the desire to establish an independent bank in the north-west’ (Mitchell, p. 64; Hume, p. 138). The first Bank of Ireland branch occupied the site of No. 9 Shipquay Street (HB01/19/026A).

The new Bank of Ireland branch was designed by Sandham Symes (1807-1894, a Dublin-based architect, who submitted plans for the building in 1868. Symes had been appointed architect to the Bank of Ireland in 1854 and ‘in this capacity he designed branch banks all over Ireland’ (DIA). Symes not only designed the bank on Shipquay Street but was also responsible for the design of the bank manager’s house at No. 14 Lower Magazine Street (see HB01/19/037D). The original plans for the bank and the bank manager's house show that both buildings were designed in tandem but were separated from one another by a vehicle yard (accessed by the coach arch at No. 14 Lower Magazine Street). The c. 1873 Valuation Town Plan for Londonderry records that No. 20 Shipquay Street originally possessed a large rear return that extended almost to the rear of the bank manager’s house. The original design plans note that the main block consisted of the cash office and offices for the bank officials whilst the rear return housed a porter’s room, a pantry and kitchen. Construction of the new bank was carried out in 1869-70 by the local building firm of G & R. Ferguson who held business premises on Pump Street. The Natural Stone Database records that the façade of the bank was constructed utilising Scottish Giffnock Sandstone (Foyle Civic Trust; DIA; NSD).

The Bank of Ireland was opened on 3rd January 1870. The Irish Builder described the new building in the following terms: ‘the façade presents a pleasing elevation. The style of architecture is Italian, freely treated. The first storey has a bold and effective dentil cornice, supported by elaborately-carved trusses and pilasters. Over the cornice there are five finely-executed heads. The windows in this storey have circular heads, bold archivolt mouldings, and sunken and moulded spandrels … On the upper floors are apartments for the agent’ (Irish Builder). The new Bank of Ireland was valued at £180 at which it remained until the 1930s. Under the First General Revaluation of Property in Northern Ireland (1936-57) the value of the bank was increased to £250. The value was further raised to £280 by the end of the Second Revaluation (1956-72).

In 1970 the UAHS Guide for Derry described the Bank of Ireland as ‘a three-storey building, restrained in design, to fit the street pattern. The round head ground floor windows are typical of the time, while the first floor windows are finished with segmental pediments with thin pilasters and scrolls’ (UAHS Guide, pp 22-23). No. 20 Shipquay Street was included in the Historic City Conservation Area in 1977 and was listed in 1979. The NIEA HB Records note that the Bank of Ireland vacated the site by the 1990s. In 2001 the former bank had been converted into a retail shop. A renovation carried out in 2008-2009 involved the restoration of the building’s facade and stonework as well as the installation of new windows, roof tiles, rainwater goods and railings. The former Bank of Ireland and bank manager’s house on Lower Magazine Street no longer form a single composition. The two buildings were separated in the early-1990s with the establishment of the Craft Village which was opened by Irish President Mary Robinson in 1992.

References

Primary Sources
1. PRONI OS/6/5/20/2 – Second Edition Ordnance Survey Map (1853)
2. PRONI VAL/12/B/157/1/11-15 – Annual Revisions Town Plan (c. 1873)
3. PRONI VAL/12/B/32/11A-ZD – Annual Revisions (1860-1898)
4. PRONI VAL/12/B/33/2D-E – Annual Revisions (1898-1929)
5. PRONI VAL/3/B/6/10 – First General Revaluation of Property in Northern Ireland (1935)
6. PRONI VAL/4/B/5/14 – Second General Revaluation of Property in Northern Ireland (1956-72)
7. Irish Builder (15 Jan 1870)
8. Ulster Town Directories (1852-1918)
9. First Survey Record – HB01/19/030 (1970)
10. First Survey Image – HB01/19/030 (No Date)
11. NIEA HB Records – HB01/19/030
12. Foyle Civic Trust Living City Project – Shipquay Street
13. Foyle Civic Trust Living City Project – Lower Magazine Street

Secondary Sources
1. Calley, D., ‘City of Derry: An historical gazetteer to the buildings of Londonderry’ Belfast: Ulster Architectural Heritage Society, 2013.
2. Ferguson, W. S; Rowan, A. J; Tracey, J. J., ‘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. Hume, J., ‘Derry beyond the walls: Social and economic aspects of the growth of Derry 1825-1850’ Belfast: Ulster Historical Foundation, 2002.
4. Mitchell, B., ‘The making of Derry: An economic history’ Derry: Inner City Trust, 1992.
5. Rowan, A. J., ‘The Buildings of Ireland: North West Ulster’ London: Yale University Press, 2003.
6. ‘A design guide for the Historic City Conservation Area Londonderry’ Belfast: Department of the Environment, 2012.

Online Resources
1. Dictionary of Irish Architects - http://www.dia.ie/
2. Natural Stone Database - http://www.stonedatabase.com/

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

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

Criteria for listing: historic interest

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

Evaluation

A three-storey with basement sandstone former Bank of Ireland set within a terraced row of former merchants' townhouses and commercial buildings on Shipquay Street, a steep hill which links The Diamond and Shipquay Gate within the historic walls of Londonderry. Built c.1869-70 to designs by Sandham Symes, the architect responsible for the design of many branch banks all over Ireland. He designed the bank manager’s house at No. 14 Lower Magazine Street (HB01/19/037D) located behind the former bank and built in tandem with it, however now separated by the modern Craft Village. Built in Victorian high palazzo-style, the front elevation retains much historic stone detailing such as a string-course with carved stone heads located above the ground floor windows. Despite the loss of internal historic fabric and detailing, the Historic Walled City is enhanced by its history as a former bank and by its ornamental front facade.

General comments

The front elevation faces south-east, for ease of description this is referred to as east and the naming of all other façades follows this convention.