18-20 Bishop Street

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

End-of-terrace three-storey eight-bay smooth rendered painted double-pile house, originally subdivided into two properties of three bays and five bays, located at the south eastern quarter within the Historic City Walls occupying the corner site of Bishop Street and London Street. Rectangular on plan with principal elevation facing north west onto Bishop Street. Slate to double-pile pitched roof with a large rendered painted chimney stack rising from each end gable to London Street and a single brick rendered unpainted chimney stack rising from the north gable.

Principal elevation (NW) is of smooth rendered painted finish, (originally of Flemish brick bond), with two timber shop fronts on ground floor level, left side spans the width of three bays, and right side spanning five bays, each with deep projecting cornice supported on decorative scrolled console brackets either side of frieze with shop signage which reads 'Cafe Artisan', roller shutters below signboards with stall risers and painted masonry sills. 2/2 timber sliding sash windows with moulded architrave plaster surrounds painted in contrasting colour, sill-course to second floor windows, small decorative corbel brackets to timber eaves board supporting a slightly projecting cornice above.

North East elevation is of brick rendered unpainted finish, gable projects above neighbouring property with a half-round blind window to the right of a brick rendered unpainted chimney stack, gable wall is topped with stone coping and kneeler stone to eaves.

South East elevation to the rear with rendered unpainted gable-end to right side with two casement windows. Two storey rear return to left side.

South elevation gable end with double-pile roof topped each by a large rendered painted chimney stack with one circular buff clay pot, faces onto London Street, smooth rendered painted, three-storeys with a single square-headed entrance doorway to the left side, with a wall mounted lantern fitting on decorative metal bracket above, timber shop front as part of return to the right on ground floor with decorative corbel brackets on moulded pilasters supporting roller shutter box and blank signage board above, below four two over two timber sliding sash windows to first floor of return; single square-headed windows with a 2/2 timber sliding sash on first and second floors to rear gable.

Slate finish to double-pile pitched roof, two roof lights to front west side, three large chimneys, two on south gable and one on the north side. Cast-iron guttering and circular downpipe to the front elevation, circular cast-iron downpipe to south elevation topped by a cast-iron hopper.

Materials:
Roof Natural Slate
RWG Cast Iron
Walling Render
Windows Timber Sliding Sash

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 north west onto Bishop Street. The house was originally constructed as two separate dwellings, to the left, three bays wide and five bays to the right upper building.

Historical information

Nos 18-20 Bishop Street, a three-storey eight-bay double-pile building located at the corner with London Street, was constructed prior to 1832.

The building had been erected by the Townland Valuation (1832) which noted that the property on Bishop Street was occupied by Andrew Moore who operated his merchant business from the site. The valuer described the store on London Street as a 1d class structure (that is an old slated building that was dilapidated and scarcely habitable at time) that measured 34.9ft in length by 36ft in depth by 33ft in height and was valued at £64 and 15 shillings. No. 6 London Street (see HB01/19/085A), located to the rear of the building, was originally utilised by Andrew Moore as a store and was valued at £9 7s. 10d.

The general layout of nos 18-20 Bishop Street has remained unchanged since the mid-19th century. The 1848-49 Ordnance Survey Town Plan, a c. 1850 illustration of Bishop Street and the Londonderry Corporation map (1857) depicted the building along its current layout suggesting that no major structural alterations have been made since the early-Victorian period. The contemporary Griffith’s Valuation (1856) records that in the mid-19th century the buildings at the corner of Bishop Street and London Street were valued at £120 and were leased by Margaret Kelso to Samuel Gilliland, a flour miller, grocer and wine and spirit merchant. From 1872 the buildings were occupied by Henry McDonnell & Son who established a furniture store at the site (the store on London Street possessed a shop on its ground floor at that time and was used as a furniture workshop). Henry McDonnell & Son continued to operate from the site until the 1920s. Nos 18-20 were acquired by a Mr. John McColgan in 1922. McColgan, a local merchant, had occupied the adjoining No. 16 Bishop Street since 1913 and subsequently converted his holdings into a single warehouse for his china, earthenware and delf business. The First and Second General Revaluation of Property in Northern Ireland (1936-57; 1956-72) recorded that John McColgan Ltd. continued to occupy nos 16-20 Bishop Street until at least the 1970s. Under the First Revaluation McColgan’s buildings on Bishop Street and London Street were jointly valued at £175 but by the end of the Second Revaluation the combined value of the buildings had been increased to £435.

Nos 18-20 Bishop Street were included in the Historic City Conservation Area in 1977. The property has continued to be utilised for commercial purposes since the mid-19th century and was, until recently, occupied by Bookworm, a local bookshop.

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. Ulster Town Directories (1852-1943)
12. Derry Almanac (1870-1953)
13. The Foyle Civic Trust: Living City Project (Bishop Street and London 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. Digital Atlas of Derry (including 1848-49 Ordnance Survey Town Plan) –
http://www.ria.ie/digitalatlasderry

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

Not listed

Criteria for listing: historic interest

Not listed

Evaluation

End-of-terrace three-storey eight-bay rendered and painted terrace, set on the east side of Bishop Street Within, occupying the corner site of Bishop Street and London Street. Rectangular on plan with a double-pile pitched roof and gable ends facing on to London Street. The currently building is now vacant; prior to this both buildings were occupied as a cafe and retail space. The original building had a Flemish Brick bond finish, however this has been rendered and painted over. Together with its neighbours on London Street and townhouses along Pump Street, the building contributes to the Civic Quarter precinct within the Historic Walled City Conservation Area. However, the building itself is not of special architectual and historic interest due to its many alterations which have led to the loss of original historic fabric.