14 LOWER MAGAZINE ST.

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

Victorian mid-terrace four-bay three-storey large sandstone townhouse, set back from the pavement, recessed back from the other houses along the terrace row, set behind cast-iron railings on a low stone boundary wall stepping up the hill. Built c.1870, rectangular on plan with projecting rear annex. Principal elevation faces north-west onto Lower Magazine Street, directly overlooking the City walls set within the Historic City Conservation Area. Natural slate pitched roof with chimney stack rising from the south-west side.

Principal elevation (NW) is of smooth-rendered painted finish to upper storeys, rusticated cut stone on ground floor with a stone sill course to first floor windows; all windows are square-headed openings, two 1/1 timber sliding sashes on ground floor, off-centred, four 1/1 timber sliding sashes to first floor and four 2/2 timber sliding sashes to second floor above; ground floor windows are flanked by an entrance doorway to each side, left side doorway has an segmental-headed arched opening with a dentilled cornice and frieze above a raised-and-fielded six-panel painted timber door flanked by a two-panel timber screen to each side with glazed top panel, large Adam-style fanlight and a decorative keystone with carved leaf detail above; right side doorway is square-headed with a deep projecting Sandstone surround and projecting cornice above supported by scrolled console brackets with carved leaf detail either side of a raised-and-fielded six-panel painted timber with plain architrave surround and decorative stained glass fanlight above. Wall mounted bronze letterplate to left of doorway, wall mounted lantern-style light fitting on decorative metal bracket above on first floor level.

North-east and South-west sides are connected to neighbouring properties No.13 Magazine Street (HB01/19/083D) and No.15 Magazine Street.

South-east elevation to the rear is abutted by a cement rendered extension, access was not possible to rear yard.

Pitched natural slate roof with black clay ridge tiles. Large brick chimney stack rising from south-west side at centre of the ridge with two circular buff clay pots. Cast-iron guttering and circular downpipes to front elevation.

Materials:
Roof Natural Slate
RWG Cast Iron (NW)
Walling Smooth-Render and Stone
Windows Timber sliding sash

Setting:
Located on the east side of Lower Magazine Street, directly overlooking the City Walls, situated along a terrace row and situated within one of the few areas of medieval significance within the Historic City Conservation Areas, standing on the site of the former 16th century Gaelic Tower House, the 'Magazine', which gave the street the name.

Historical information

No. 14 lower Magazine Street, a three-storey four-bay Victorian building, was constructed in 1869-70. The building was constructed as a dwelling for the sub-agent of the Bank of Ireland at No. 20 Shipquay Street (HB01/19/030).

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 on Shipquay Street and the bank sub-agent’s house on Lower Magazine Street occupied the same plot of land. The pair were designed by Sandham Symes (1807-1894, a Dublin-based architect), who submitted plans for the buildings 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). The original plans for the bank and the bank sub-agent’s house show that both buildings were designed in tandem but were separated from one another by a vehicle yard (accessed by a coach arch at No. 14 Lower Magazine Street – now an entrance door). The architect’s plan for the bank sub-agent’s house records that the dwelling possessed a parlour, a kitchen and a small stable block to its ground floor. The same plan shows that the bank manager resided in apartments above No. 20 Shipquay Street whilst the property on Lower Magazine Street was occupied by the sub-agent of the bank. Photographs dating from the early-20th century show that the upper two floors of the sub-agent’s house were originally red brick (now rendered). Construction of the bank and the sub-agent’s house was carried out in 1869-70 by the local building firm of G & R. Ferguson who held business premises on Pump Street (Foyle Civic Trust; DIA).

The Bank of Ireland was opened in 3rd January 1870 with the sub-agent’s house having been completed by this date. In describing the layout of the new branch bank on Shipquay Street the Irish Builder noted that, in addition to the outbuildings at the rear of the bank ‘a residence for the sub-agent has been provided on the portion of the site facing Magazine Street. Upon its completion the dwelling was valued at £40 under the Annual Revisions which noted that the governors of the Bank of Ireland owned the building outright. The property continued to be utilised as the sub-agent’s house until the 1950s. In 1901 the census noted that a Mr. John J. Grayson occupied the site. In that year the census building return described No. 14 Lower Magazine Street as a 1st class dwelling that consisted of ten rooms and possessed a stable, coal house and store as its rear out offices. Under the First General Revaluation of Property in Northern Ireland (1936-57) the value of the bank sub-agent’s house remained at £40. In 1958 the Bank of Ireland vacated the house on Lower Magazine Street which was acquired by Magazine House Ltd and converted into offices for a number of local businesses. The value of the building was increased to £149 10s. By the end of the Second Revaluation (1956-72).

No. 14 Lower Magazine Street was included in the Historic City Conservation Area in 1977 and was listed in 1979. The NIEA HB Records note that the building has continued to be utilised as office premises. The former Bank of Ireland and bank sub-agent’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 between them (opened by Irish President Mary Robinson in 1992). In 2011-12 nos 14-15 Lower Magazine Street underwent an extensive restoration aimed at providing additional office space and opening a new pedestrian entrance to the Craft Village. The renovation included the replacement of No. 14 Lower Magazine Street’s defective roof timbers and the restoration of its roof, the installation of new cast iron rainwater goods, the restoration or replacement of its original sliding sash window frames and the installation of new exterior railings (the originals had been lost). The restoration was completed in 2012 and was partially supported by the Heritage Lottery Fund.

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. 1873-1910)
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 – HB01/19/037 (1970)
10. First Survey Image – HB01/19/037 (No Date)
11. NIEA HB Records – HB01/19/037D
12. Foyle Civic Trust: Living City Project (Shipquay Street)
13. Foyle Civic Trust: Living City Project (Lower Magazine 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.
2. Hume, J., ‘Derry beyond the walls: Social and economic aspects of the growth of Derry 1825-1850’ Belfast: Ulster Historical Foundation, 2002.
3. Mitchell, B., ‘The making of Derry: An economic history’ Derry: Inner City Trust, 1992.
4. Rowan, A. J., ‘The Buildings of Ireland: North West Ulster’ London: Yale University Press, 2003.
5. ‘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/

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

A. Style
B. Proportion
C. Ornamentation
H-. Alterations detracting from building
I. Quality and survival of Interior
J. Setting

Criteria for listing: historic interest

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

Evaluation

A four-bay three-storey mid-terrace townhouse located on the east side of Lower Magazine Street, directly overlooking the City walls and close to Castle Gate. It sits behind cast-iron railings on a low stone boundary wall. Built 1869-70 to designs by Sandham Symes, the architect responsible for the design of many branch banks all over Ireland, this building was constructed as a dwelling for the sub-agent of the Bank of Ireland at 20 Shipquay Street (HB01/19/030) located in the street behind and built in tandem with it, however now separated by the modern Craft Village. Despite the loss of the original floor plan and some internal historic detailing, there is sufficient historic detailing remaining to the front facade on ground floor level such as the decorative carved sandstone console brackets to the front door. The Historic Walled City is enhanced by its history with the former bank.