5 SHIPQUAY PLACE

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

Victorian end-terrace three-storey red brick public house with painted sandstone dressings to upper floors and public bar shop-front on ground floor level; occupies a corner site with three-bays to Shipquay Place and two-bays wide to Foyle Street. Built c.1882 to designs by John Guy Ferguson. Rectangular on plan with a low parapet wall with decorative ironwork detailing to a hipped slate roof behind. Principal elevation faces North West onto Shipquay Place adjacent to the Guildhall on the North side and overlooking the River Foyle beyond. Similar in style to that of No.1 Shipquay Place (HB01/19/043A) and comparable to No's 3 and 19-21 Foyle Street (HB01/19/044A & HB01/19/044D).

Principal elevation (NW) is of red brick laid in 'Flemish brick bond' to upper floors with painted stone dressings to window surrounds; ground floor level has two shouldered arched openings, flanked by pilasters to either side having large stone capitals with carved heads within foliage of fruit and fauna; larger openings contain a metal roller shutter (closed at time of survey), decorative moulding detail to stall riser with a painted stone sill above and decorative iron railings attached to either side of window opening; 'Gainsborough Bar' lettering signage to a deep painted fascia above with a stone cornice over having decorative carved acanthus leaf and palmette detail spanning the width of each elevation; semicircular arched headed window bays on first floor have moulded stone architrave surrounds and angle roll detail to chamfered window reveals, all on a continuous stone sill-course; stone shoulder-course with vertical line carvings to the spring of the arch at window heads on first and second floor levels; segmental-arched headed windows have moulded stone surrounds and keystones with leaf carvings, all on a continuous moulded stone sill-course with vertical lined carvings to second floor bays; all windows are replacement 1/1 timber sliding sashes with horns; painted v-jointed chamfered corner quoin stones to either end of elevation; large-scale projecting stone cornice above second floor windows has a crown moulding above a modillion band and a foot moulding below with vertical lined carved markings; low stone parapet wall above with square stone end blocks to either side of decorative 'guilloche' open ironwork railings.

Chamfered red brick corner to the left hand side of NW elevation has recessed brick panels on first and second floor levels with v-jointed corner quoins to either side, decorative moulding detail to ground floor painted panel with lettering spelling 'EST. 1729' to fascia above.

South West and South East sides are abutted by adjoining properties No. 2 Shipquay Place (HB01/19/043B) and No.3 Foyle Street (HB01/19/044A).

Materials:
Roof Natural Slate
RWG None
Walling Brick with stone dressings
Windows Timber Sliding Sash/Timber casements

Setting:
Located on a corner site on the South East side of Shipquay Place and Foyle Street, directly overlooking the River Foyle to the North and Guildhall to the North West side. Situated within a terrace row of five generously scaled red brick commercial buildings of similar type and style overlooking the historic city walls immediately on the west side, set within the Historic City Conservation Area.

Historical information

No. 5 Shipquay Place, a three-storey three-bay red-brick commercial building located at the corner of Foyle Street, was constructed in 1882 along with the adjoining nos 2-4 and No. 1 Shipquay Place (see HB01/19/043A-B). Calley described nos 1-5 Shipquay Place as ‘one of the liveliest commercial buildings in the city and [one that] is treated as a single composition’ (Calley, p. 360).

Late-19th century photographs record that the current site of nos 1-5 Shipquay Place was originally occupied by a terrace of three and four-storey commercial buildings. A large four-storey warehouse, which was utilised as a ships chandlers and bonded stores, dominated the row. The terrace was demolished c. 1880 to make way for the current buildings which were designed by John Guy Ferguson. One of Londonderry’s most prominent citizens, Ferguson (c. 1829-1901) was an architect, civil engineer and surveyor who was also local architect to the Church of Ireland and was responsible for the design of many of Londonderry’s most important civil, ecclesiastical and commercial buildings in the late-19th century. Ferguson was responsible for the design of the original Guildhall (which was rebuilt in 1908-12 following a fire) and designed nos 1-5 Shipquay Place towards the end of his career (DIA). Following the construction of the first Guildhall in 1887 Shipquay Place became a public square. Due to its proximity to the commercial centre of the city at Shipquay Street, the civic centre at the Guildhall, and its nearness to the quayside, Shipquay Place became one of Londonderry’s main hubs (photographs dating from the late-19th century show that the square was always filled with coachmen).

Nos 1-5 Shipquay Place were constructed in 1882 on land leased by The Honourable The Irish Society. The buildings were constructed along with the neighbouring nos 3-17 Foyle Street and formed a single composition with a commercial yard to the rear. Nos 1-5 Shipquay Place was recorded on the c. 1873-1910 Annual Revisions plan of Londonderry which depicted the building along its current layout. Photographs of nos 1-5 Shipquay Place (c. 1910) records that few changes have been made to the buildings since the turn of the 20th century aside from the installation of modern shopfronts. The Annual Revisions note that No. 5 Shipquay Place has been utilised as a public house since its construction with the upper floors originally occupied as a private dwelling. In 1882 the valuer set the value of the building at £55. The public house was originally operated by William McCool with the upper floors of the building occupied by Thomas Murdock, a local hairdresser, between the 1880s and 1911. In the latter year the census building return described No. 5 Shipquay Place as a 1st class dwelling that consisted of seven rooms and the ground floor pub. By the First General Revaluation of Property in Northern Ireland (1936-57) the public house and upper dwelling had been occupied by Joseph McCool and increased in value to £63. McCool continued to occupy the site until at least the 1970s when the Second Revaluation (1956-72) increased the value of the public house and dwelling to £167.

The UAHS guide for Londonderry described nos 1-5 Shipquay Place as ‘a good block, magnificently handled; the designer made the most of the functional elements he had to express. The centre piece is well done and the character of the former photographic studio is well expressed’ (UAHS guide, p. 43). Nos 1-5 Shipquay Place were included in the Historic City Conservation Area in 1977 and were listed in 1978. The NIEA HB Records note that nos 1-5 Shipquay Place was severely damaged in 1976 when a bomb exploded outside the building destroying all its original glazing and causing heavy damage to its facade. A renovation of the building was carried out in 1977 which restored the Victorian facade to its original appearance. A further restoration was carried out to No. 5 Shipquay Place in 1994 that included the repointing of its brickwork and the refurbishment of the piers and ironwork to its parapet (NIEA HB Records). During the Second Survey No. 5 Shipquay Place continued to be utilised as a public house.

References

Primary Sources
1. PRONI VAL/12/E/157/1/11 – Annual Revisions Town Plan (c. 1873-1910)
2. PRONI VAL/12/B/32/11A-11ZD – Annual Revisions (1860-1897)
3. PRONI VAL/12/B/33/1A-1B – Annual Revisions (1897-1929)
4. PRONI VAL/3/C/6/10 – First General Revaluation of Property in Northern Ireland (1936-57)
5. PRONI VAL/4/B/14 – Second General Revaluation of Property in Northern Ireland (1956-72)
6. Ulster Town Directories (1880-1943)
7. Census of Ireland (1901; 1911)
8. First Survey Record – HB01/19/043B (No Date)
9. First Survey Image – HB01/19/043B (No Date)
10. NIEA HB Records – HB01/19/043C

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.
4. ‘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
J. Setting
K. Group value

Criteria for listing: historic interest

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

Evaluation

Victorian end-of-terrace three-storey red brick public house with painted stone dressings, located on the south east side of Shipquay Place, to the immediate south of the Guildhall, and immediately outside the city walls. No.5 occupies a corner site with the Shipquay Place elevation three-bays wide and Foyle Street elevation two-bays wide. Built c.1882 together with No's 1-4 Shipquay Place (HB01/19/043A&B) to designs by John Guy Ferguson (1829-1901), one of Londonderry’s most prominent architects who was responsible for the design of many of the city’s most important civil, ecclesiastical and commercial buildings in the late-19th century. Ferguson was also responsible for the design of No’s 3-29 Foyle Street (HB01/19/044A-E) (built 1882-83) with which No’s 1-5 Shipquay Place were treated as a single composition. Despite the loss of historic detailing to the interior, the exterior retains much historic detailing such as large stone capitals with carved foliage. Together with No's 1-4 Shipquay Place, No.5 acts as a book-end to the distinctive and elaborately decorated terrace of Shipquay Place and as a terrace is highly unique with its direct juxtaposition onto the Historic City Walls. It has group value with this range of commercial buildings and the Historic City Conservation Area is enhanced by its presence.