Darcus Cottage

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

Georgian mid-terrace two-bay three-storey with basement red brick townhouse with smooth-rendered painted finish on ground floor, built pre 1832. Rectangular on plan with projecting single storey rear return. Principal elevation faces south west onto London Street, set on the edge of the pavement. Built along with No.16 as a single property (No.14 was the dwelling and No.16 as an outbuilding with rooms over), comparable both in style and character. Slated pitched roof with a single shared square red brick chimney stack with four terracotta clay pots rising from the mid-point between the two properties positioned centrally on ridge.

Principal elevation (SW) is of Flemish brick bond to upper floors with slightly projecting brick cornice at eaves; smooth-rendered painted finish to ground floor level, continuous painted sill course to first floor windows spanning the width of the elevation of both buildings; all windows have square-headed openings set within painted rendered reveals and masonry sills, 6/6 timber sliding sashes ground and first floor, and diminished 6/3 timber sliding sashes to second floor level, two-panel timber shutters to ground floor window. Square-headed opening to entrance doorway with level access from the pavement, painted timber raised-and-fielded six-panel door with plain architrave surround. Out-and-up angle brackets to cast-iron guttering with cast-iron downpipe with hopper.

North west and south east sides are abutted by adjoining properties No. 12 and No. 16 London Street (HB01/19/087C & HB01/19/088B).

North East elevation to the rear is three-storeys of smooth-rendered painted finished, abutted by a single storey smooth-rendered painted finish rear return with door opening leading to narrow rear yard with high painted block boundary wall. The fenestration pattern is irregular with 6/3 and 3/3 timber sliding sash windows to rear elevation and casement windows to single storey rear return.

Pitched slate roof has black clay ridge tiles to main roof and rear return. Rebuilt small square brick chimney stack with four terracotta clay pots rising from the mid-point between the two properties centred on the ridge. Cast-iron guttering and circular downpipe with hopper to front elevation, uPVC rainwater goods to rear return.

Materials:
Roof : Slated
RWG: Cast Iron (S) uPVC (N)
Walling: Brick & Render
Windows: Timber Sliding Sash

Setting:

Located on the north east side of London Street within the Cathedral Quarter of the Historic Walled City, directly overlooking St. Columb's Cathedral and church yard on the south side and City Walls and New Gate on the east side. No.14 and No. 16, Darcus Cottage and Cathedral Cottage built originally as a single property.

Historical information

The houses on London Street, extending from Bishop Street to New Gate, predominantly date from the late-Georgian and Victorian periods but the street itself likely dates from the laying out of the walled city in the early-17th century. Both Nicholas Pynnar’s plan (1618-19) and Thomas Raven’s maps of Londonderry (1622; 1625) depicted a street in the southeast quadrant of the new city, extending off from Queen’s Street (Bishop Street), that occupied the exact current layout of London Street. These early maps were intended as proposals with many of the buildings depicted on them not being constructed until later. The plans did accurately reproduce the current geometric pattern of the city, suggesting that side streets such as Pump Street, Castle Street and London Street were also laid out in the early-17th century. London Street is divided by Pump Street into two sections (a west end and east end). From the 18th to mid-19th centuries the east end was known as Widow’s Lane and then Widow’s Row. The west end (originally unnamed) was known as Cross Lane in 1734, Church Lane in c. 1780 and Post Office Lane in 1799. The west end of the street was renamed London Street in 1811 in honour of the City of London companies who had founded the city as part of the Plantation of Ulster (Calley, p. 247).

Hume states that London Street ‘had originally a residential air similar to neighbouring Pump Street and Ferryquay Street [noting that] three doctors resided in it in 1832 and the buildings were generally substantial. The red brick here … points to a great deal of rebuilding in the nineteenth century.’ Even after the city’s merchant and professional characters began to move out of the walled city towards the new terraced streets in Edenballymore in the mid-19th century, Pump Street retained its residential character (Hume, p. 13).

Although much of the early-17th century geometric street pattern has been maintained within the walls, there are scant remains of any architecture dating from that period (with the sole exceptions of the city walls and St. Columb’s Cathedral). Nos 14-16 London Street are the earliest surviving structures along the street, possibly dating from the mid-18th century. Ownership of the site on which they were constructed can be traced back to at least the early-18th century and to the prominent Darcus family. Archibald Stewart’s plan of Londonderry records that in 1738 the current site was undeveloped but was owned by John Darcus (1680-c. 1730), High Sheriff of the city. The lease for Darcus’ land on Pump Street and London Street was transferred by The Honourable The Irish Society to his son, Henry Darcus (1718-1795), in 1767. Research carried out by the current owners has found that a number of houses had been constructed on London Street by 1767 on the site of the current nos 14-22 and it is possible that the house may date from that period. The sloping walls of the building’s cellar suggests an early construction date. The Darcus family relinquished their hold on the lease in 1823 when Henry Darcus’ grandson sold his property to George Franks, a local solicitor (Ordnance Survey Memoirs; The Saddler’s House website).

Nos 14-16 London Street were originally constructed as a single property. The Townland Valuation map of 1834 depicted the building as a rectangular-shaped structure and later maps (1857; 1873) show that No. 14 London Street was used as a dwelling whilst the adjoining building was utilised as an outbuilding with rooms over and possessing a coach arch at ground floor (that led to a rear yard that was shared with No. 21 Pump Street). The contemporary Townland Valuations (1832) note that George Franks occupied both No. 14 London Street as well as No. 21 Pump Street to its rear. The Ulster Town Directories note that Franks operated his solicitor’s business from premises on London and Pump Street (UTD). The Townland Valuation described No. 14 London Street as class 1b (that is a slated building of medium age that was slightly decayed, but still in good repair) that measured 15 feet in width, 24 feet in depth and 27 feet in height. No. 16 London Street was then utilised as a coach house. The valuer set the total value of both structures at £24 16s. 10d.

Griffith’s Valuation (1856) greatly decreased the value of No. 14 London Street to £13 and noted that it continued to be owned by George Franks but was leased out to other tenants (Franks resided at No. 21 Pump Street at that time). The contemporary Irish Society Map (1857) depicted No. 14 London Street as a rectangular-shaped structure and noted that the adjoining No. 16 continued to be utilised as an outbuilding. In 1862 the value of No. 14 London Street was increased to £15 whilst the Annual Revisions valued the rooms above the coach arch at £5 in 1868 (No. 16 London Street was converted into a dwelling by at least 1899). The occupants of the building changed often during the late-19th century but by the turn of the 20th century the building was partially occupied as office premises by the Unionist Registration Office. In 1901 the census building return described No. 14 London Street as a 1st class dwelling that consisted of seven rooms and was occupied as a dwelling by the agent of the registration office (Derry Almanac).

The Derry Almanac notes that No. 14 London Street continued to be utilised as offices in the early-20th century and was occupied by the Orange & Protestant Friendly Society between 1918 and 1927. Ownership of both houses passed to Sir. Frederick J. Simmons (Mayor of Londonderry during the Second World War) in 1923. The value of No. 14 was lowered to £13 10s. under the First General Revaluation of Property in Northern Ireland (1936-57) but was subsequently increased to £16 under the Second Revaluation (1956-72). No. 14 London Street was occupied by the Porter family between 1942 and 1972.

London Street had fallen into a state of poor repair and dilapidation by the 1970s. Calley states that ‘it was from here that moves towards historic preservation within the city was partially inspired and launched’ (Calley, p. 247). London Street was featured in the European Architectural Heritage Year celebrations in 1975 and was included in the Historic City Conservation Area in 1977. Nos 14-16 London Street were subsequently repaired and acquired by the Inner City Trust. The current owners acquired the buildings in 1998 and converted the Georgian dwellings into two Bed & Breakfast hotels. No. 14 London Street was named ‘Darcus Cottage’ in deference to the family associated with its early history (Foyle Civic Trust: The Saddler’s House website).

References

Primary Sources
1. Pynnar’s plan of the Walled City (1618-19)
2. Thomas Raven’s plans of Londonderry (1622; 1625)
3. Stewart’s map of Londonderry (1738)
4. PRONI OS/6/5/20/1 – First Edition Ordnance Survey Map (1830)
5. PRONI OS/6/5/20/2 – Second Edition Ordnance Survey Map (1853)
6. PRONI VAL/12/E/157/1/14 – Annual Revisions Town Plan (c. 1873-1910)
7. PRONI VAL/1/B/547E – Townland Valuations (1832)
8. PRONI VAL/1/D/5/9B- Townland Valuation Map (1834)
9. PRONI VAL/2/B/5/16D – Griffith’s Valuation (1856)
10. PRONI VAL/12/B/32/11A-11ZD – Annual Revisions (1860-1897)
11. PRONI VAL/12/B/33/1A-1B – Annual Revisions (1898-1929)
12. PRONI VAL/3/C/6/10 – First General Revaluation of Property in Northern Ireland (1936-57)
13. PRONI VAL/4/B/5/14 – Second General Revaluation of Property in Northern Ireland (1956-72)
14. Ulster Town Directories (1852-1918)
15. Derry Almanac (1890-1927)
16. Census of Ireland (1901; 1911)
17. Foyle Civic Trust – Living City Project (London Street) – including 1857 Irish Society Mand and 1899 Valuation Map of Londonderry)

Secondary Sources
1. Calley, D., ‘City of Derry: An historical gazetteer to the buildings of Londonderry’ Belfast: Ulster Architectural Heritage Society, 2013.
2. Hume, J., ‘Derry beyond the walls: Social and economic aspects of the growth of Derry 1825-1850’ Belfast: Ulster Historical Foundation, 2002.
3. Ó Baoill, R., ‘Island city: The archaeology of Derry – Londonderry’ Belfast: Northern Ireland Environment Agency, 2013.
4. Rowan, A. J., ‘The Buildings of Ireland: North West Ulster’ London: Yale University Press, 2003.
5. ‘Londonderry Historic City Conservation Area Booklet’ Department of the Environment, 1977.
6. ‘A Design Guide for the Historic City Conservation Area’ Department of the Environment, 2012.

Online Resources:
1. The Saddler’s House website - http://www.thesaddlershouse.com/Pages/history%20cathedral.html

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

Not listed

Criteria for listing: historic interest

Not listed

Evaluation

Georgian mid-terrace two-bay three-storey red brick townhouse with smooth-rendered painted finish on ground floor, set on the north east side of London Street overlooking St. Columb's Cathedral and Church yard to the south side. Built pre 1832, Nos 14-16 London Street (HB01/19/088A&B) were originally constructed as a single property. No. 14 was used as a dwelling whilst No.16 was utilised as an outbuilding with rooms over and possessing a coach arch at ground floor. While the front facade retains much of its original proportions and style it is not the best example of its type and does not meet the criteria for listing. It has group value with its neighbours on London Street and the adjacent Pump Street, and is located within the Historic Walled City Conservation Area which provides the appropriate level of protection.