3-4 Bank Place

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

Victorian four-storey eight-bay red brick building located behind the city walls off Shipquay Street; painted rustication on ground floor level with diamond-faced quoins and a former carriage archway, centred on elevation. Built c.1896. Rectangular on plan with a balustraded parapet concealing flat roof behind spanning the length of the site. Principal elevation faces north-east onto Bank Place, directly overlooking the city walls, with the River Foyle beyond to the north side.

Roofing felt to flat roof set behind a low balustraded parapet wall with a projecting salient cornice. Two small exterior chimney stacks arising on the outside walls on the east and west elevations with a single clay pot on each.

Principal elevation (north-east) is of red brick, laid in 'English garden wall bond' on upper floors (mostly rebuilt); eight bays wide, three bays to either side of paired central window bays divided by brick pilasters with a continuous painted string-course to windows heads on first and second floors with a slightly projecting brick cornice immediately below; large projecting cornice below balustraded parapet with a thin brick string-course below; group of three bays to left side has a larger central window containing a 2/2 timber sliding sash on all floor levels with a semicircular arch headed window on third floor level; all remaining windows on upper floors are 1/1 timber sliding sashes; painted rustication on ground floor has projecting painted cornice with small decorative painted iron railings spanning the width of the elevation, ground floor is six bays wide, two window bays have roller shutters, four entrance openings, flanked by diamond-faced quoins; three bays on right side and central bay on the left side have segmental arch headed openings with diamond-faced keystones, left side two bays on either side of central bay have triangular pseudo-arched heads.

South-east side is abutted by neighbouring property No.5 Bank Place on ground and first floor level; stepped rendered chimney stack to the outside of the wall rises above the roof line of No.3-4 Bank Place.

South-west elevation to the rear abuts the side elevation to that of No.31-33 Shipquay Street.

North-west elevation is of four-storeys adjoined to neighbouring property No.2 Bank Place (HB01/19/036B) to the north end and abutted by No.35-37 Shipquay Street on the south end, smooth-rendered painted finish with square-headed window openings overlooking shared courtyard; cement rendered chimney stack at mid point on elevation rises above the roof the line of No.3-4 Bank Place.

Roofing felt to flat roof concealed by a balustraded parapet wall with a rendered chimney stack to east and west elevation. Cast-iron rainwater goods to front elevation.

Materials:
Roof Roofing felt
RWG Cast-iron (N-E)
Walling Brick
Windows Timber Sliding Sash (N-E)

Setting:
Located on the south side of Bank Place overlooking the City Walls immediately to the north, situated within the Historic Walled City, within an area of former local savings banks and commercial buildings within the northern quadrant of the Historic City Conservation Area.

Historical information

Nos 3-4 Bank Place, a four-storey eight-bay red brick building located behind the city walls off Shipquay Street, was constructed in 1896. Prior to this date the site was occupied by two warehouses that were leased by Captain R. J. Montgomery and occupied by the firm of J. & R. Watson, provision wholesalers (a house was located to the rear of the warehouses and was accessed by a central coach arch). The Irish Builder records that the current building was erected for J. & R. Watson in 1896 at a cost of £1,735. The 1899 Valuation map of Londonderry depicted the new building along its current rectangular plan (possessing stables to rear that were accessed by the retained central coach arch) and described it as a provision warehouse. The Annual Revisions set the total rateable value of the four-storey warehouse at £88 (Irish Builder, p. 68).

The Derry Almanac records that R. & J. Watson continued to occupy the warehouse on Bank Place until c. 1909 when Hyndman & Smith, wholesale grocers, took possession of the site. The First General Revaluation of Property in Northern Ireland (1936-57) notes that Hyndman & Smith continued to operate from the warehouse until 1937 when the building was acquired by Wallace Edmiston & Co. (hardware merchants with premises at nos 35-37 Shipquay Street) and decreased in value to £36. By the Second Revaluation (1956-72) the warehouse on Bank Place was jointly valued with nos 35-37 Shipquay Street at £1,040 and was used AS its rear entrance. Nos 3-4 Bank Place continued to be utilised as stores until at least the 1970s.

Nos 3-4 Bank Place was included in the Historic City Conservation Area in 1977 and was subsequently listed in 1981. The NIEA HB Records note that by the 1980s No. 3 Bank Place had been converted into a public house (with No. 4 continuing to be utilised as a store) but in 1985 the entire building became the Metro Bar, Nightclub and snooker hall. In 1986 the building underwent an extensive renovation that included the repair of its roof, the restoration of its parapet balustrades, the repointing of its brickwork and the replacing of its rain water goods. During the Second Survey nos 3-4 Bank Place continues to be utilised as a bar and nightclub.

References

Primary Sources
1. PRONI VAL/12/E/157/1/11 – Annual Revisions Valuation Map (c. 1873-1910)
2. PRONI VAL/12/B/33/1A-1B – Annual Revisions (1897-1929)
3. PRONI VAL/3/C/6/10 – First General Revaluation of Property in Northern Ireland (1936-57)
4. PRONI VAL/4/B/5/13 – Second General Revaluation of Property in Northern Ireland (1956-72)
5. Ulster Town Directories (1852-1943)
6. Irish Builder (15 Mar 1896)
7. Derry Almanac (1889-1953)
8. First Survey Record – HB01/19/035B (No Date)
9. NIEA HB Records – HB01/19/035B
10. Foyle Civic Trust: Living City Project (Bank Place; Shipquay Street) – including 1899 Valuation Map

Secondary Sources
1. Calley, D., ‘City of Derry: An historical gazetteer to the buildings of Londonderry’ Belfast: Ulster Architectural Heritage Society, 2013 – including Londonderry Corporation Map (1857).
2. ‘A design guide for the Historic City Conservation Area Londonderry’ Belfast: Department of the Environment, 2012.

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

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

Criteria for listing: historic interest

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

Evaluation

Late Victorian four-storey eight-bay red brick former provision warehouse with rustication on ground floor level. Built c.1896 and located on the south side of Bank Place within the Historic Walled City overlooking the city walls in the vicinity of Shipquay Gate. Despite the loss of much internal historic fabric and detailing, externally there is sufficient historic detailing remaining such as the robust rustication to ground floor level and the stone parapet balustrade to the top. The Historic City Conservation Area is enhanced by its strong architectural presence.

General comments

Previously HB01/19/035