17 Foyle Street

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

Victorian mid-terrace four-bay three-storey red brick commercial building with painted sandstone dressings and graphic display board to shop front on ground floor level. Built c.1882. Rectangular on plan with a low solid parapet wall to slated pitched roof and a large rear extension spanning the length of the site facing onto the Historic City Walls. Principal elevation faces NE onto Foyle Street, overlooking the River Foyle to the NE side. Similar in style to that of No's 3, 19 and 21 Foyle Street and comparable to No's 1-5 Shipquay Place.

Slate pitched roof set behind a low solid parapet rendered wall with a continuous capping stone. No chimney stacks.

Principal elevation (NE) is of red brick laid in 'Flemish brick bond' on upper floors with painted sandstone dressings to window surrounds, exterior red brick wall has been partially rebuilt to the left side; large graphic display board, imitation of earlier shop fronts on ground floor level masking stone work behind, similar to that of No.3 Foyle Street (HB01/19/44A); painted stone cornice above with decorative carved acanthus leaf and palmette detail; semicircular arched headed windows on first floor with moulded painted stone architrave surround and angle roll detail to chamfered window reveals; continuous stone sill-course, painted stone string-course with vertical line carvings to the spring of the arch at window heads on first and second floor; continuous moulded stone sill-course with vertical lined carvings to second floor windows, segmental arch headed openings to second floor with moulded painted stone architrave surrounds and keystones with leaf carvings, v-jointed chamfered corner quoin stones to either end of elevation, all windows are replacement 1/1 timber sliding sashes with horns; large-scale projecting stone cornice above second floor window bays has a crown moulding above a modillion band and a foot moulding below with vertical lined carved markings; low solid rendered painted parapet wall topped by a continuous capping stone.

NW and SE sides are adjoined to neighbouring properties No. 15 & 19-21 Foyle Street (HB01/19/044B & HB01/19/044D).

SW elevation to the rear is of three-storeys abutted by a cement-rendered unpainted finish three-storey extension overlooking the Historic City Walls, all windows are square-headed, second floor windows are concealed with plywood sheeting, entrance doorway has been blocked up leading to a metal external fire staircase; crenallation to un-rendered parapet above topped with a continuous capping stone; roofing felt finish to flat roof. Full access to rear was not possible.

Pitched slate roof has black clay ridge tiles, no chimney stacks. uPVC rear guttering is missing to half round brackets on timber fascia board to rear elevation.

Materials:
Roof Slate (artificial slate to rear slope, unable to see front)
RWG uPVC (S)
Walling Brick with stone dressings
Windows Timber Sliding Sash (N)

Setting:
Located on the south-west side of Foyle Street directly overlooking the River Foyle to the NE and Guildhall to the NW. Situated within a terrace row of generously scaled red brick and stone commercial buildings, overlooking the City Walls on the SW side set within the Historic City Conservation Area.

Historical information

No. 17 Foyle Street, a three-storey four-bay redbrick Victorian building located between the Commercial Buildings (HB01/19/044B) and the almost identical No 19-21 Foyle Street (HB01/19/044D) was constructed in 1883. Foyle Street was laid out in the 18th century on land that was reclaimed from the River Foyle (originally the north-eastern section of the city walls extended to the river banks). The 18th century maps of Londonderry show that the newly created street was divided into two sections, the western side was known as Brewery Lane whilst the eastern section was called East Walk; the street had gained its current name by at least 1831. Calley states that Foyle Street ‘developed into a commercial street throughout the 19th century with a few residential houses … the build-up of these businesses created a canyon of commerce and added greatly to the city’s atmosphere of industrial acumen’ (Calley, p. 203).

The northern section of Foyle Street underwent an extensive reconstruction in the late-19th century which resulted in the construction of a number of Victorian commercial buildings. The majority of the surviving buildings along Foyle Street were designed by one man. John Guy Ferguson (c. 1829-1901), a local civil engineer and surveyor, was one of Londonderry’s most prominent architects and was responsible for the design of many of the city’s most important civil, ecclesiastical and commercial buildings in the late-19th century. The Listing File records that Ferguson was responsible for the design of nos 3-29 Foyle Street as well as nos 1-5 Shipquay Place (HB01/19/043A-C), all of which were constructed between 1882 and 1883 and were treated as a single composition. The centrepiece of the project was the Commercial Buildings at nos 5-15 Foyle Street which was constructed for William Mitchell, a local merchant. Ferguson flanked the sandstone and granite Commercial Buildings with three-storey red brick blocks that possessed retail units at their ground floors and office or storage space above. The construction of nos 1-5 Shipquay Place and the erection of a large return to the rear of nos 19-21 Foyle Street created an enclosed space to the rear of the Commercial Buildings which was accessible by a coach arch. The UAHS guide for Londonderry recorded that Joseph Ballantine of the Strand Road was contacted to construct the Commercial Buildings and it is highly likely that he also built the adjoining structures (DIA; UTD).

The Annual Revisions note that No. 17 Foyle Street was completed by 1883. The valuer notes that Joseph McGinley, a local merchant and publican, purchased the lease from The Honourable The Irish Society and that the building was valued at £68. McGinley operated a public house from the premises and continued to operate from No. 17 Foyle Street until his death in 1901. The property had passed to a Ms. Jane Conlan by 1912 and in that year the valuer noted that the building continued to be utilised as a public house with the upper floors occupied as a private dwelling by Conlan’s family. Jane Conlan vacated No. 17 Foyle Street in 1942 when the property was converted into offices. The building was valued at £70 under First General Revaluation of Property in Northern Ireland (1936-57). In 1955 a Mr. Michael Canavan took possession of the site and returned the building to its original function as a public house (between the 1960s and 1970s the upper floors of the building was utilised as a bookmaking office). By the end of the Second Revaluation (1956-72) the total rateable value of No. 17 Foyle Street stood at £340.

No. 17 Foyle Street was incorporated into the Historic City Conservation Area in 1977 and was listed in 1979. The NIEA HB Records note that the building was damaged in a fire in 1978. The First Survey Image (1977) records that No. 17 was completely gutted by the blaze which destroyed its roof and original windows as well as causing similar damage to the adjoining Commercial Buildings. The building was subsequently restored and was occupied by Duffy’s Bar and Pub House in the 1980s. The listed buildings on Foyle Street received light damage to its façade as the result of a bomb that exploded on 15th January 1992 (NIEA HB Records). By the Second Survey No. 17 Foyle Street had fallen into a state of disrepair and lay vacant.

References

Primary Sources
1. Volunteer map of Londonderry (1780)
2. Porter’s plan of Londonderry (1799)
3. PRONI VAL/12/E/157/1/11 – Annual Revisions Town Plan (c. 1873-1910)
4. PRONI VAL/12/B/32/11A-11ZD – Annual Revisions (1860-1897)
5. PRONI VAL/12/B/33/1A-1B – Annual Revisions (1897-1929)
6. PRONI VAL/3/C/6/10 – First General Revaluation of Property in Northern Ireland (1936-57)
7. PRONI VAL/4/B/13 – Second General Revaluation of Property in Northern Ireland (1956-72)
8. Ulster Town Directories (1880-1943)
9. PRONI Wills Catalogue (1 Jan 1901)
10. First Survey Record – HB01/19/044 (1970)
11. First Survey Image – HB01/19/044 (1977)
12. NIEA HB Records – HB01/19/044C

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/
2. Digital Atlas of Derry - http://www.ria.ie/digitalatlasderry

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

Late Victorian mid-terrace four-bay three-storey red brick former public house with painted stone dressings. Built c.1882 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 responsible for the design of nos 3-29 Foyle Street as well as nos 1-5 Shipquay Place (HB01/19/043A-C), all of which were constructed 1882-83 and were treated as a single composition. Located on the south-west side of Foyle Street just outside the Historic City Walls and overlooking the River Foyle to the north-east, No.17 is situated between 5-15 Foyle Street (Commercial Buildings HB01/19/044B) and the almost identical in style and form, Nos. 19-21 Foyle Street (HB01/19/044D). This building retains much original historic detailing externally including decorative carved painted stone details and semicircular arched headed windows with moulded painted stone architraves. No.17 has group value with this range of commercial buildings and the Historic City Conservation Area is enhanced by its presence and juxtaposition with the City Walls.