19-21 FOYLE ST.

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

Victorian mid-terrace four-bay three-storey red brick commercial building with sandstone dressings to upper floors, modern shop front on ground floor level and a large cement-rendered return to the rear with a slate pitched roof. Built c.1892 to designs by John Guy Ferguson. Rectangular on plan with a low solid parapet wall to a slate pitched roof behind. Principal elevation faces North East onto Foyle Street adjacent to the Guildhall on the North West side and overlooking the River Foyle to the North. Similar in style to that of No. 3 & 17 Foyle Street (HB01/19/044A-C) and comparable to Nos. 1-5 Shipquay Place (HB01/19/043A-C).

Principal elevation (NE) is of red brick laid in 'Flemish brick bond' to upper floors with stone dressings to window surrounds; modern shop-front on ground floor level contains large signage to painted timber fascia above; square headed entrance opening leading to upper floors, to the left side of elevation, containing a modern six-panel painted timber door with a metal grille to transom light over; stone cornice above ground floor has decorative carved acanthus leaf and palmette detail spanning the width of the elevation; semicircular arched headed window bays on first floor have moulded stone architrave surrounds on a continuous stone sill-course; stone shoulder-course with vertical line carvings to the spring of the arch to 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; v-jointed chamfered corner quoin stones to either end of elevation; large-scale projecting stone cornice above second floor windows with crown moulding and a low stone parapet wall above with square stone end blocks to either side.

North West and South East sides are adjoined to neighbouring properties No's 17 & 23 Foyle Street (HB01/19/044C & HB01/19/044E).

South West elevation to the rear is of four-storeys, cement-rendered unpainted finish, directly overlooking the historic city walls. The fenestration pattern is irregular with square headed openings to rear elevation, concealed with hardwood sheeting, right side of rear elevation is abutted by a cement-rendered rear porch with a flat concrete roof containing a door opening onto rear yard and a square headed timber casement window above.

Timber casement windows to the left side of rear return SW elevation with two further concealed windows to the right side; SE elevation of rear return has concealed square headed openings on first and second floor level and a galvanised door set within a deep reveal on ground floor level. Rear yard is enclosed by a high metal fence close to the existing historic city walls; uPVC and cast-iron rainwater goods to rear elevation and rear return.

Pitched slate roof has black clay ridge tiles.

Setting:
Located on the South West side of Foyle Street, directly overlooking the River Foyle to the North and Guildhall to the North West. Situated within a terrace row of commercial buildings of similar scale and style overlooking the historic city walls immediately on the South West side, all set within the Historic City Conservation Area.

Materials:
Roof Natural Slate
RWG Cast-iron/uPVC
Walling Brick with stone dressings
Windows Timber Sliding Sash (NE) Timber casements (SW)

Historical information

Nos 19-21 Foyle Street, a three-storey four-bay redbrick Victorian building located between Nos 23-29 Foyle Street (HB01/19/044E) and the similar No. 17 Foyle Street (HB01/19/044C) was constructed in 1892. 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).

Foyle Street underwent an extensive reconstruction in the late-19th century which resulted in the construction of a row of Victorian commercial buildings. The majority of the surviving buildings along Foyle Street were designed by John Guy Ferguson (c. 1829-1901), a local civil engineer and surveyor, who 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 1894 and were treated as a single composition. The centrepiece of the project was the Commercial Buildings at nos 5-15 Foyle Street (HB01/19/044B) 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 yard behind 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 likely that he also built the adjoining structures (DIA; UTD).

The Annual Revisions note that Nos 19-21 Foyle Street was built in 1892 as store and office premises. The site was originally occupied by a dilapidated storehouse that was leased by The Honourable The Irish Society to Robert Black & Co., a wholesale grocer (who moved to his new premises at No. 28 Shipquay Street in 1883 – see HB01/19/032). The former stores were demolished in 1892 and replaced with the current structure which was valued at £70 by the Annual Revisions. The majority of the stores were occupied by William Austin, a local magistrate and merchant, whilst offices on the upper floors were occupied by William Hastings, Commission Agent at the adjoining Commercial Buildings (UTD). The Annual Revisions note that Austin continued to operate from the address until the 1930s. His family were recorded as owners of the property under the First General Revaluation of Property in Northern Ireland (1936-57) which increased the value of nos 19-21 Foyle Street to £82. In 1943 nos 19-21 Foyle Street was occupied by The Commercial Cable Co. Ltd. but by 1948 the entire building was utilised as stores for William Mitchell Ltd. In 1966 the site was purchased outright by Stanley Lee who converted it into a café (with the upper floors retained as stores). By the end of the Second Revaluation (1956-72) the total rateable value of nos 19-21 Foyle Street stood at £192.

Nos 19-21 Foyle Street was incorporated into the Historic City Conservation Area in 1977 and was listed in 1979. The NIEA HB Records note that the windows and façade of the building received light damage as the result of a bomb that exploded on Foyle Street in 1992. During the Second Survey nos 19-21 Foyle Street continued to be utilised as commercial premises (NIEA HB Records).

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. First Survey Record – HB01/19/044 (1970)
10. First Survey Image – HB01/19/044 (1977)
11. NIEA HB Records – HB01/19/044D

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

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

Evaluation

Late Victorian mid-terrace four-bay three-storey red brick former store and office premises. Built c. 1892 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.19 is situated between the similar facade of No.17 (HB01/19/044C) and Nos.23-29 Foyle (HB01/19/044E). Externally No.19 retains historic detailing to the upper floors of the front facade such as segmental-arched headed windows to the second floor with moulded stone surrounds and keystones with leaf carvings. Despite the loss of interior fabric and detailing and the modern signage to the front elevation, No.19 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.