16 Bishop Street

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

Georgian mid-terrace four-bay three-storey red brick building with painted smooth plaster dressings to upper floors, modern shop front to ground floor level and a large cement-rendered return to the rear with a slate pitched roof. Built in the early-19th Century and heavily modified into its current appearance in c.1893. Rectangular on plan with a slate pitched roof.

Principal elevation (facing north-west) is of red brick laid in 'Flemish brick bond' to upper floors with rendered dressings to window surrounds; modern shop-front on ground floor level contains large signage to painted timber fascia above; round-headed entrance opening leading to upper floors, to the left side of elevation, containing a original panelled painted timber door with decorative stained glass fanlight over; doorcase consists of plain bottom rising up to large reeded corbel brackets with diamond-panels followed by a rolled frieze and a dentilled cornice and broken swan neck pediment with flying keystone in the centre; square headed windows to first floor containing 1/1 timber sliding sash windows with wide plain architraves and have dentilled cornice and moulded pediments; square headed windows to second floor of diminished scale containing 6/1 timber sliding sash windows with stepped "arts and crafts" style keystones, continuous shoulder course and painted sills on brackets. Projecting cornice above supported by evenly spaced corbel brackets on a lower cornice intersperced with small roundels centred above the bays. Quoin stones to each side of diamond-faced quoins alternating with red-brick. Three modern velux rooflights to roof centred on elevation. At first floor level there is a circular "blue plaque" reading " Kathleen Coyle1883-1952 Novelist Lived in a house on this site".

North East and South West sides are adjoined to neighbouring properties No's 14 & 18 Bishop Street.

South East elevation to the rear is of four storeys with projecting stairwell built at half landing level with small three-storey lean-to extension, all smooth cement-rendered unpainted finish to upper floors; red brick to ground floor, window reveals and brick banding to floor levels to main rear and boundary wall enclosing small yard; all with natural slate roof, hipped to main roof, replacement uPVC rain water goods. Replacement timber painted door with square-headed fanlight above to ground floor level with blocked up doorcase to first floor level with external staircase intact. The fenestration pattern is regular with square-headed openings to rear elevation, with 3/3 timber sliding sash windows with red brick quoins to main elevation, 6/6 and 1/1 timber sliding sash windows to rear returns with small replacement timber casement window to third floor level.

Internal courtyard containing rear return and extension with metal spiral fire escape staircase. Walls are all smooth unpainted render finish. Fenestration pattern is irregular with square-headed and segmental-headed windows containing 1/1, 4/4, 6/6 timber sliding sash windows and replacement timber casement windows to rear of front building. Replacement timber door with sqaure fanlight above to ground floor level.

Pitched natural slate roof has black clay ridge tiles.

Materials:
Roof Natural Slate
RWG Cast-iron/uPVC
Walling Brick with plaster dressings/ Render with brick dressings
Windows Timber Sliding Sash (NW& SE) Timber casements (SE)

Setting:
Located at the south eastern Civic Quarter of the Walled City, occupying the corner site of Bishop Street and London Street with principal elevation facing west onto Bishop Street, within the Historic City Conservation Area.

Historical information

No. 16 Bishop Street, a three-storey four-bay red brick building possessing an elaborate moulded doorway, pedimented windows to its first floor and windows possessing flying keystones to its second floor, was originally constructed in the early-19th century but was heavily modified into its current appearance in c. 1893.

The Townland Valuations Map (1834) depicted No. 16 Bishop Street as a terraced building possessing a large rear return. The contemporary Townland Valuations (1832) described the building as a 1d- class dwelling (that is a slated building that was old and dilapidated and scarcely habitable) that measured 19.6ft in width, 27.3ft in depth and 34.6ft in height. The early-19th century structure possessed a large rear return and several out offices that brought the total value of the site to £43 and 13 shillings. In the 1830s the site was occupied by Thomas Mulholland. In 1849 the Londonderry Standard included No. 16 Bishop Street along with a number of other recently raised buildings that had improved the general appearance of Bishop Street: ‘In Bishop Street we have to notice the Deanery House, the Imperial Hotel built by Samuel Smyth Esq., the houses of Messers. Ashton and Mulholland and the large house in progress of completion by Alexander Lindsay Esq., the present mayor.’

The general layout of No. 16 Bishop Street remained unchanged on the 1848-49 Ordnance Survey Town Plan, the Londonderry Corporation map (1857) and the c. 1873-1910 Annual Revisions Town Plan of Londonderry suggesting that the current structure is the same building that was recorded in the Townland Valuation of the 1830s. An illustration of Bishop Street (dated c. 1850) shows that the three-storey four-bay building was originally Georgian in appearance and possessed a shopfront on its group floor in the mid-19th century. The contemporary Griffith’s Valuation (1856) records that the building was leased by a Mr. William Robert Patton to William Sawers who operated a china and glass warehouse at No. 16 Bishop Street. The valuer noted that the value of the property was increased to £54. Sawers occupied the warehouse on Bishop Street from at least 1852 until 1868 when Whyte & Co. took over the site and continued to operate a china, delf and glass warehouse from the building (UTD).

In 1888 No. 16 Bishop Street was occupied by John Coyle & Co., a wholesale jeweller, watchmaker and furnisher who also occupied the adjoining nos 12-14 Bishop Street. The Annual Revisions record that No. 16 Bishop Street was severely damaged by a fire in 1893. Following the fire the façade and interior of the gutted property was redesigned. The first plan submitted for the reconstruction of No. 16 Bishop Street was conservative and replicated the Georgian-style façade of the original building. This plan was rejected in favour of the current eclectic façade which was constructed in 1893-94. Calley described the current façade as ‘red brick … with elaborate decorative applied plasterwork. The second storey windows have very bold stepped flying keystones of an almost Art Deco design. The first floor windows have wide plain architraves and are pedimented. To the left [of the shopfront] is a doorway of great exuberance and scale’ (Calley, pp 37-38).
John Coyle & Co. Continued to operate from No. 16 Bishop Street until 1909 when it was acquired by Stuart C. Ross, a local solicitor, who converted the building into offices increasing its value to £58. The building passed to John McColgan, a local china and glass merchant, in 1913. No. 16 Bishop Street (as well as the adjoining nos 18-20) continued to be occupied by John McColgan Ltd. Until the 1970s whilst the upper floors were leased out as office space. Under the First General Revaluation of Property in Northern Ireland (1936-57) the value of No. 16 Bishop Street was adjusted to £40. By the end of the Second Revaluation (1956-72) No. 16 Bishop Street was valued along with the adjoining nos 18-20 at £435.
No. 16 Bishop Street was included in the Historic City Conservation Area in 1977. On 27th October 1995 an Ulster History Circle Blue Plaque was added to the façade of No. 16 Bishop Street to commemorate Kathleen Coyle. Born in Londonderry, Kathleen Coyle (1883-1952) was an Irish novelist who lived at No. 16 Bishop Street as a child. Following the burning of their house Kathleen and her mother left Londonderry and moved to Liverpool. Coyle became active in the labour and suffragist movements and later moved to Paris where she befriended James Joyce and Nora Barnacle. As a writer Kathleen Coyle had 19 works published including 13 novels and two autobiographies. She died on 25th March 1952 and was buried in New Jersey, U.S.A. (Ulster History Circle; Dictionary of Ulster Biography). During the Second Survey No. 16 Bishop Street was utilised as office premises by the Peace and Reconciliation Group. Calley states that the building is ‘overall a bit of a mishmash of style and motifs but it remains in totality one of the best and most joyous buildings on the street’ (Calley, pp 37-38).

References
Primary Sources
1. PRONI OS/6/5/20/1 – First Edition Ordnance Survey Map (1830)
2. PRONI OS/6/5/20/2 – Second Edition Ordnance Survey Map (1853)
3. PRONI VAL/12/E/157/1/14-15 – Annual Revisions Map (c. 1873-1910)
4. PRONI VAL/1/B/547A-F – Townland Valuations (1831)
5. PRONI VAL/1/D/5/9B – Townland Valuation Town Plan (1834)
6. PRONI VAL/2/B/5/16C – Griffith’s Valuation (1856)
7. PRONI VAL/12/B/32/11A-11ZD – Annual Revisions (1860-1897)
8. PRONI VAL/12/B/33/1A-1B – Annual Revisions (1897-1929)
9. PRONI VAL/3/B/6/10 – First General Revaluation of Property in Northern Ireland (1935)
10. PRONI VAL/4/B/5/13 – Second General Revaluation of Property in Northern Ireland (1956-72)
11. Londonderry Standard (5 July 1849)
12. Ulster Town Directories (1852-1943)
13. The Foyle Civic Trust: Living City Project (Bishop Street)
Secondary Sources
1. Calley, D., ‘City of Derry: An historical gazetteer to the buildings of Londonderry’ Belfast: Ulster Architectural Heritage Society, 2013 – including Londonderry Corporation Map (1857).
2. Hume, J., ‘Derry beyond the walls: Social and economic aspects of the growth of Derry 1825-1850’ Belfast: Ulster Historical Foundation, 2002.
3. ‘A design guide for the Historic City Conservation Area Londonderry’ Belfast: Department of the Environment, 2012.
Online Resources
1. Derry City Digital Atlas (including 1848-49 Ordnance Survey Town Plan) –
http://www.ria.ie/digitalatlasderry
2. Ulster History Circle website - http://www.ulsterhistory.co.uk/berkeley.html
3. Dictionary of Ulster Biography –
http://www.newulsterbiography.co.uk/index.php/home/viewPerson/307

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

Not listed

Criteria for listing: historic interest

Not listed

Evaluation

Mid-terraced four-bay three-storey red brick and rendered former townhouse, located on the south east side of Bishop Street within the Historic Walled City. Originally built in the early-19th Century, it was heavily modified into its current appearance in 1893 following a fire. Much of the interior has been modernised with little interior historic detailing remaining apart from the staircase. The decorative front facade and doorcase is more appropriately protected by the Historic City Conservation Area.