1-3 Guildhall Street

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

Mid-terrace seven-bay three-storey Victorian commercial building with sandstone to ground floor level and brick to upper floors. Built c.1892. Rectangular on plan with a low stone parapet wall to a hipped slate roof with a platform centre section. Principal elevation faces South East onto Guildhall Street adjacent to the Guildhall on the South East side and overlooking Harbour Square with the River Foyle directly on the North side. The building occupies a prime location, designed by E.J. Toye with locally-quarried sandstone arches and carved keystones to the ground floor and red brick with sandstone dressings to the upper floors.

Slate hipped roof with platform centre section set behind a low solid stone parapet wall topped by a deep projecting stone cornice.

Symmetrical principal elevation (SE) is of red brick laid in 'Flemish bond' divided by narrow Barony Glen sandstone pilasters with Corinthian capitals and sandstone dressings to window surrounds with a stone pedimented central bay on first floor level, flanked by three semicircular arched windows to either side; square headed windows on second floor level with a moulded sill-course spanning the full width of the elevation; timber casement windows to bays on upper floors. Ground floor has a stone segmental pediment and carved entablature above a central round-headed carriage arch with carved head keystone, archway is flanked by sandstone pilasters with Corinthian capitals on stone pedestals; square headed openings to window bays with rounded corners and carved head keystones to either side of central carriage arch; round-headed arched door openings with carved head keystones to either end of ground floor level, flanked by rusticated stone pilasters on stone pedestals; continuous stone entablature over arched openings topped by a deep projecting stone cornice spanning the width of the elevation on ground floor level.

South West side is of red brick to upper floors with a small square headed window at second floor landing height; SW elevation is adjoined to neighbouring Bank building (HB01/19/039A) to the front SW/SE corner.

North East side is adjoined to neighbouring red brick property No.5 Custom House Street (HB01/19/041).

North West elevation to the rear abuts No's.4-6 Custom House Street (HB01/19/040A) with which it was built in tandem with, although is now separate.

Materials:
Roof Slate
RWG Cast-iron (NW)
Walling Barony Glen Sandstone (GF) Brick with stone dressings (FF/SF)
Windows Timber casements

Setting:
Located on the North West side of Guildhall Street, directly overlooking the Guildhall to the South East and Harbour Square to the North with the River Foyle beyond. Situated within a terrace row of generously scaled commercial buildings, overlooking the City Walls on the South West side, set within the Historic City Conservation Area.

Historical information

With the reclamation of land along the quay, a number of new buildings were constructed along Derry’s former ship quay. The Northern Bank was built in 1865-67, followed by the construction of the Harbour Commissioners Office in 1882. Following the erection of the Guildhall in 1887-90 the gap between the Bank and Harbour Office was filled in with two new buildings designed by the same architect.

Nos 1-3 Guildhall Street, a three-storey seven-bay classical-style building, was constructed in 1892 along with the adjoining nos 4-6 Custom House Street (HB01/19/040A). Both buildings were designed as a single composition by Edward J. Toye (1857-1932). A local architect, Toye was a partner in the firm of Croom & Toye from 1885 until he established an independent practice in the 1890s. The Dictionary of Irish Architects notes that his practice was ‘a busy one in which work for the Catholic Church predominated.’ Toye was responsible for the extension of St. Eugene’s Convent School and the design of the spire at St. Eugene’s Cathedral and the new wings at St. Columb’s College (HB01/16/003). The pair of buildings constructed between Custom House Street and Guildhall Street were one of Toye’s earliest independent contracts (DIA).

The Natural Stone Database records that Toye employed locally-quarried Barony Glen Sandstone in the masonry of the building with the upper floors mostly formed with red brick. Whereas the elevation on Custom House Street was relatively simple and unadorned, the façade at nos 1-3 Guildhall Street included a large central entrance arch surmounted by a rounded pediment and flanked by pilasters. Additional sandstone dressings were included in the cornice and block parapet that was raised over the central bay of the building. The building makes an interesting comparison to the neighbouring commercial buildings on Foyle Street which had been designed by Toye’s mentor, John Guy Ferguson, in the 1880s. Calley notes that the keystones on the ground floor of nos 1-3 Guildhall Street included carved heads that represented the worlds trading areas. These keystones are similar to those on Mitchell’s Stores on Foyle Street (see HB01/19/044B). Nos 1-3 Guildhall Street’s round-headed windows are also similar to those on Foyle Street further suggesting that Toye emulated the style of his mentor for this early independent contract (UAHS guide, p. 44; Calley, p. 222; NSD).

Although nos 4-6 Custom House Street and nos 1-3 Guildhall Street are now divided into two separate buildings, when first completed, the pair formed a single structure that was valued at £130. The building was first utilised as business premises by Charles O’Neill, a local grocer and publican who also operated a porter and ale bottling store from the site. O’Neill continued to occupy nos 4-6 Custom House Street and nos 1-3 Guildhall Street until 1939 when the site was acquired by Frederick Towers. Under The First General Revaluation of property in Northern Ireland (1936-57) the value of nos 4-6 Custom House Street and nos 1-3 Guildhall Street was increased to £225 but by the Second Revaluation (1956-72) nos 1-3 Guildhall Street was valued separately from the other half of the building on Custom House Street. The valuer noted that nos 1-3 Guildhall Street was utilised as showrooms, offices and a store for The Commercial Paper Co. Ltd. By the end of the revaluation the value of nos 1-3 Guildhall Street stood at £440.

In 1970 the UAHS guide for Londonderry described the building as ‘a three-storey well-handled symmetrical building, and not dwarfed by its neighbour, the Northern Bank. The ground floor is well modelled in sandstone and the upper floors in red brick’ (UAHS guide, p. 43). Nos 1-3 Guildhall Street was included in the Historic City Conservation Area in 1977 and was subsequently listed in 1979. The NIEA HB Records note that nos 1-3 Guildhall Street continued to be utilised as commercial premises in 2012-13 when the building underwent a renovation that converted it from offices to a restaurant and outdoor café (NIEA HB Records).

References

Primary Sources
1. PRONI VAL/12/E/157/1/10 – Annual Revisions Town Plan (c. 1873-1910).
2. PRONI VAL/12/B/32/11X – Annual Revisions (1892-1897)
3. PRONI VAL/12/B/33/2A-2E – Annual Revisions (1898-1931)
4. PRONI VAL/3/C/6/10 – First General Revaluation of Property in Northern Ireland (1936-57)
5. PRONI VAL/4/B/5/13 – Second General Revaluation of Property in Northern Ireland (1956-72)
6. Ulster Town Directories (1901-1943)
7. First Survey Record – HB01/19/040 (1970)
8. First Survey Image – HB01/19/040 (1977)
9. NIEA HB Records – HB01/19/040A

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. Rowan, A. J., ‘The Buildings of Ireland: North West Ulster’ London: Yale University Press, 2003.

Online Resources
1. Dictionary of Irish Architects - http://www.dia.ie
2. Natural Stone Database - http://www.stonedatabase.com//buildings.cfm?bk=1960

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
V. Authorship
X. Local Interest
R. Age
S. Authenticity

Evaluation

Victorian mid-terrace seven-bay three-storey commercial building with sandstone to ground floor level and brick to upper floors. Built c.1892 to designs by E.J. Toye and located on the north-west side of Guildhall Street with Harbour Square to the North overlooking the River Foyle, and Shipquay Place to the south overlooking Magazine Gate and the City Walls. Built in 1892 and designed as a single composition with the adjoining Nos 4-6 Custom House Street (HB01/19/040A) by Edward J. Toye (1857-1932), this pair of buildings was one of his earliest independent contracts. It was not until the mid 20th century that the buildings were valued separately. The front facade retains sandstone dressings and detailing, and of particular note are the five carved heads representing the world trading areas. Despite internal alterations which have resulted in the loss of historic detailing, the building retains much historic character making it an important and significant building in the Historic City Conservation Area. It retains group value with Nos 4-6 Custom House Street.