26-28 Bishop Street

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

End-of-terraced four-storey with basement four-bay rendered Georgian building with a four-storey return with 'cat-slide' roof to the rear abutted by a shallow two-storey extension to the left hand side (SW) and a lean-to single storey extension to the right hand side (NE). Built c.1830. Rectangular on plan with modern timber shop-fronts to either side of a square-headed arched carriageway entry from Bishop Street on ground floor level leading to rear courtyard. Principal elevation faces North West onto Bishop Street, set within the Historic City Walls with Bishop's Gate directly to the South West. Situated within the southern quadrant of the Historic City Conservation Area.

Natural slate finish to main pitched roof, slate finish to cat-slide extension and fibre cement roof tiles to single storey lean-to extension; black clay ridge tiles to main roof; large rendered chimney stack with cornice and five circular buff clay pots, centred on ridge rising from the north-east and south-west side elevation.

Principal elevation is of smooth-rendered painted finish with rendered dressings and stepped corner quoins on right side of elevation on upper floors; rustication on ground floor level with a moulded cornice between ground and first floor levels; modern finishes to timber-framed shop fronts on ground floor level with large glazed openings, glazed entrance doors and modern signage to fascia above; square-headed carriage entrance, offset to the right of elevation has decorative iron gates leading to courtyard at rear of property; square-headed bays on upper floors are grouped in twos with a wide space between with flying keystones and painted masonry sills; timber sliding sash windows are 6/6 on first floor level, 6/3 on second floor and 3/3 on third floor level. Slightly projecting stepped cornice at eaves; half-round cast iron guttering terminates to a circular cast-iron downpipe.

North East side is adjoined to neighbouring property the former Northern Counties Club (HB01/19/008);

South West gable-end elevation is of cement rendered unpainted finish, topped by a large rendered chimney stack with cornice, centred on ridge with five circular buff clay pots; side elevation is abutted on ground floor level by a large rendered archway leading to rear yard of neighbouring property, The Deanery (HB01/19/004); rusticated render on ground floor level and stepped quoin on upper floors of front elevation return the corner to the side elevation, rusticated render terminates at The Deanery archway with remaining elevation cement rendered unpainted finish; paired square-headed timber casement windows on first and second floors on unpainted masonry sills; side elevation is topped by a large rendered chimney stack.

South East elevation to the rear is of four storeys, cement rendered unpainted finish to upper floors and painted on ground floor level with cat-slide slate roof abutted by a two-storey shallow lean-to extension to the left (SW) and a single storey extension on the right (NE). The fenestration pattern is irregular with a mix of 6/6 and 3/3 timber sliding sashes and replacement 3/3 timber casement windows on first, second and third floor levels. Ground floor has two segmental arched headed openings, left side has a large multi-pane timber casement window, right side carriage archway opening leads through to Bishop Street; rendered date plaque of 'IC 1819' positioned directly above and centre between arched openings. Smooth-rendered painted finish to single storey rear extension aligned perpendicular with main building has a square headed doorway on the SE elevation, facing out onto rear yard and a large and a small multi-pane timber casement window to the SW elevation; two modern roof lights to single storey lean-to fibre cement roof. Cast-iron rainwater goods to rear elevation and extensions.

Materials:
Roof Natural Slate (main roof)
RWG Cast-iron
Walling Rendered
Windows Timber Sliding Sashes (NW, SE) Timber casements (SE)

Setting:
Located within the south eastern Civic Quarter of the Walled City, occupying the site adjacent to the Deanery situated within Bishop Street with principal elevation facing North West onto Bishop Street. The building had been converted into offices before falling vacant.

Historical information

Nos 26-28 Bishop Street, a four-storey four-bay Georgian-style building located between the Deanery (HB01/19/004) and the former Northern Counties Club (HB01/19/008), was constructed pre-1830. The building predates the adjoining Deanery, Court House (HB01/19/002) and the former Imperial Hotel opposite (HB01/19/009) which Hume states were constructed as part of a series of town improvements undertaken in the early-to-mid-19th century within the city walls: ‘It would appear therefore that the condition of the street in 1832 … reflected the general depression that lay over the city in the early-1830s. But by 1849 the upsurge that had taken place in the intervening twenty years in the commercial life of the city had substantially altered the picture’ (Hume, p. 10).

Nos 26-28 Bishop Street was first recorded on the Townland Valuations Plan of Londonderry in 1834 which depicted it as a single structure with a large outbuilding to rear (now demolished). The accompanying Townland Valuations (1831) described the building as a 1B class structure (that is a building of medium age that was slightly decayed, but still in good repair) that measured 36.6ft in width by 38.9ft in height and included a stables and leather store amongst its outbuildings. The valuer set the total rateable value of nos 26-28 Bishop Street at £90 and 4 shillings and recorded that it was occupied by Robert Campbell, a saddler and harness maker (New Directory of Londonderry).

Griffith’s Valuation (1856) recorded that nos 26-28 Bishop Street was leased to the Campbell family (who only occupied one side of the property) by a Mr. Robert J. Alexander and also noted that the total rateable value of the building had been reduced to £66 since the 1830s. The building was depicted along its current layout on the contemporary Londonderry Corporation Map of 1857. This map recorded that the building was divided into two addresses and possessed the central coach arch which grants entry to its yard from Bishop Street. An illustration of Bishop Street (c. 1850) shows that the building possessed a ground floor shopfront and that few changes have been made to the façade of the nos 26-28 Bishop Street since the mid-19th century. The Annual Revisions note that the original outbuildings were demolished in 1872 as they were in a ‘ruinous state.’ The building continued to be utilised as two private dwellings until 1879 when Londonderry Corporation occupied No. 28 Bishop Street and converted it into Corporation Offices and an office for the City Surveyor (Derry Almanac). Londonderry Corporation vacated their offices at the site by the turn of the century but No. 26 Bishop Street remained in use as a private dwelling until at least the 1970s.

The Census of Ireland records that No. 26 Bishop Street was occupied by a Ms. Francis Campbell in 1901 whilst the adjoining No. 28 was utilised as a boarding house known as the ‘Girl’s Friendly Lodge.’ The census building return described nos 26-28 Bishop Street as a 1st class building that consisted of 22 rooms in total. The Campbell family were recorded as owners of No. 26 Bishop Street under the First General Revaluation of Property in Northern Ireland (1936-57) whilst the adjoining No. 28 was leased by a Ms. Esther Mooney. The valuer increased the total value of the site to £55 and noted that No. 26 Bishop Street was occupied by a Mr. Thomas Murphy whilst No. 28 was utilised as business premises by William Adair, a local Funeral Director (outbuildings to the rear of the building were utilised by Adair as stables). Adair continued to operate from No. 28 Bishop Street until the end of the Second Revaluation (1956-72) which increased the total value of the building to £153 and noted that No. 26 was occupied by a Ms. Mary Kirkpatrick. Nos 26-28 Bishop Street was included in the Walled City Conservation Area in 1977.

The building was altered in the early 1990s, the alterations included the construction of a single storey extension to the right side of the rear elevation in the location of a former outbuilding, the removal of the staircase in the right hand side section of the building (when viewed from Bishop Street), and other alterations to the original floor plan. Since the 1990s several more changes have been made including the installation of a lift to the rear of the ground floor, the installation of an inverted bay window to the right side of the front facade and installation of kitchens and bathrooms for office use.

Field inspection of the site carried out as part of the Second Survey has found that the building has been converted into office premises (Calley, pp 41-42; Foyle Civic Trust).

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 – 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/6/11 – 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. New Directory of the City of Londonderry (1839)
12. Ulster Town Directories (1843-1943)
13. Derry Almanac (1871-1918)
14. Census of Ireland (1901; 1911)
15. The Foyle Civic Trust: Living City Project (Bishop Street – includes c. 1850 illustration of 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. 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.

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

Not listed

Criteria for listing: historic interest

Not listed

Evaluation

End-of-terrace four storey with basement four-bay rendered Georgian-style building dating from c.1830, located on the south east side of Bishop Street Within adjacent to The Deanery (HB01.19.004). It is worthy of record but modern alterations internally and externally detract from the historic character and as such it does not meet the test as a building of special architectural or historic interest.