5-6 Crawford Square

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

Three storey four bay rendered Italianate style late-Victorian terraced house, built in 1871 to designs by Robert Collins. Rectangular plan form with principal elevation facing northeast and a three storey rendered return built off half landing level and original two storey outbuilding accessed from Academy Road at the rear (southwest). Originally constructed as two separate townhouses; in 1947 no's 5 & 6 Crawford Square were combined into a single dwelling. No's 5 & 6 are part of a terrace of sixteen paired and symmetrical buildings on a sloping site to the southwest side of the tree-lined Crawford Square.

Pitched natural slate roof has black clay ridge tiles and a large rendered chimney stack, shared with adjoining properties (No.4 & 7 HB01/22/003D-G) rising from each gable end with a mix of buff and terracotta clay pots. Timber fascia boards and panelled soffit with paired block modillions; half round cast iron guttering discharging to a circular cast iron downpipe.

The front elevation is four bays wide and largely symmetrical with a two storey canted bay with parapet to either side having recessed panels between the first and second storey and moulded sills and string-course. Window openings have segmental arched heads and 1/1 double hung timber sliding sashes with moulded horns. The two bays in the centre, assumed to originally have paired arched doorways, now has a single recessed entrance door on the right and a segmental arched window to the left side, with first floor windows aligned having moulded architraves with stop blocks all on a moulded sill spanning the width of both bays. A further segmental arched window is centred above each of the four bays at second floor level. The recessed arched door case has a moulded soffit, tiled step, original letter slot to a four panel timber door and a semi-circular fanlight over with radial glazing bars and stained leaded glass. Set higher that the external ground, the internal step is clad with alternating red and black terracotta tiles in a diamond pattern. On the main elevation, the arch has a hood mould with a diamond-faced keystone and decorative console brackets that support a moulded string course returned within the recess.

The rear elevation is also four bays wide and largely symmetrical, of rendered painted finish with square-headed window openings having 1/1 timber sliding sash windows (where seen) and a hipped roof return projecting from middle two bays. Natural slate roof, blue-black hip and ridge tiles and uPVC rainwater goods to rear elevation and return, supported on painted timber eaves board. Return is of rendered painted finish with square-headed window openings having a 6/6 and a 1/1 double hung sliding sash (where seen). Single storey gabled addition to the return, narrower in plan, with duo-pitched slated roof.

A stone outbuilding with smooth rendered walling (unpainted) and a duo-pitched natural slate roof enclosed the yard at the rear. This building forms part of the stepped row of outbuildings associated with the houses on Crawford Square which front onto Academy Road. Flush timber door, painted, to its right side and uPVC gutter and downpipe, supported on painted timber eaves board.

Roof Natural Slate
RWGs Cast Iron (NE) uPVC (SW)
Walling Painted Render
Windows Timber Sliding Sash (where seen)

Setting:
Located off the Northland Road to the southwest side of Crawford Square on an elevated site within the Clarendon Street Conservation Area. Situated within a terrace row of generously scaled similar townhouses, the principal entrance is approached by a path and a short flight of concrete steps with painted metal railings to either side. An original metal boot scraper remains to the far left and right of the top step.

Historical information

Crawford Square, a mid-Victorian square located off the Northland Road on a hill overlooking the River Foyle, was originally laid out in 1861. The Dublin Builder records that the square was named after Samuel Law Crawford, a local solicitor who owned the land. Crawford Square was laid out by Fitzgibbon Louch (1826-1911), a civil engineer and architect, during his early career. Louch established an independent practice in Londonderry in 1859, was active in the city until the late-1860s and was responsible for the design of the Magazine Gate entrance to the city walls (Dublin Builder, p. 505; DIA).

Following the establishment of the Georgian-style terraces along Great James Street, Queen Street and Clarendon Street in the 1830s-1860s, the city continued its northern expansion with the construction of a number of additional terraces designed for Londonderry’s professional classes. According to Mullin, the Northland Road was still a country road leading from the city to Donegal when the first tenders for the erection of new dwellings on Crawford Square were invited in the 1860s (Mullin, p. 119).

Calley states that Crawford Square, ‘along with Templemore and Victoria Parks, can be seen as the city’s delayed response to Dublin’s garden squares [which] created, near to the city centre, a green oasis for its wealthy residents. It has an enclosed central garden bounded on three sides by the square.’ Nos 1-2 Crawford Square were the first houses to be constructed along the southwest side (see HB01/22/003A-B). The pair were erected in 1865 for Samuel Knox, a building contractor, whilst the majority of the adjoining terrace were built for John McAdoo, a local seed merchant and landowner (UTD; Calley, p. 128; 420). No.22-23 Crawford Square, offset to the northwest of the formal garden and very similar to No.1&2, were built in 1862, although the name of the architect who designed this earlier terrace is unknown.

Nos 5-6 Crawford Square, a three-storey four-bay Italianate house, was originally constructed as two separate dwellings in 1871 (along with the adjoining nos 3-10 – HB01/22/003C-J) but converted into a single property in 1947. The Irish Builder records that nos 3-10 Crawford Square were designed by Robert Collins, Londonderry’s Consulting Engineer from 1866 to 1874, and constructed by the building firm of G. & R. Ferguson (Irish Builder, p. 85; p. 238; DIA). Upon their completion, the total rateable value of nos 5 and 6 Crawford Square was set at £36 each by the Annual Revisions. The majority of the occupants of the square were of the city’s professional and merchant classes. In the 1870s No. 5 Crawford Square was occupied by John McAdoo, the lessor of the adjoining terrace. By 1911 the house had passed to Samuel Donnell, a prominent local estate agent and stock broker whilst the adjoining No. 6 Crawford Square was occupied by the Towers family at the same time. In 1911 the census building return described nos 5-6 Crawford Square as a pair of 1st class dwellings, each of which consisted of 12 rooms and possessed a stable and coach house as their sole outbuildings. The First Revaluation of Property in Northern Ireland (1936-57) records that nos 5 and 6 Crawford Square were combined into a single dwelling for a Mr. John Towers in 1947 (the original entrance door to No. 5 was removed at that time). In 1962 nos 5-6 were acquired by Magee University which converted the building into a hostel, the value of which stood at £130 by the end of the Second Revaluation (1956-72).

In 1970 the UAHS guide for Londonderry described nos 1-19 Crawford Square as ‘a fine terrace of three-storey rendered buildings on a sloping surface overlooking a tree-lined grassy square. The houses are well modelled, with two-storey height bay windows’ (UAHS guide, p. 50). In 1978 Crawford Square was included in the Clarendon Street Conservation Area ‘being an area of special architectural or historic interest, the character of which it is desirable to preserve or enhance’ (Londonderry Clarendon Street Conservation Area Booklet). Nos 1 23 Crawford Square were subsequently listed in 1979. The NIEA HB Records note that nos 5-6 Crawford Square was occupied by the Methodist Mission by the 1980s. In 1982 the chimney between the buildings was rebuilt and in 2002 a renovation of the pair included the removal of its two staircases, the installaton of a lift and new staircase and the demolition of the original outbuilding to make way for a new office suite that was erected for the Cityside Mental Health Team. Nos 5-6 Crawford Square returned to domestic use in 2005 when the building was converted into a number of self-contained flats (NIEA HB Records).

References

Primary Sources
1. PRONI OS/6/5/20/2 – Second Edition Ordnance Survey Map (1853)
2. PRONI VAL/12/E/157/1/7 – Annual Revisions Town Plan c. 1873
3. PRONI VAL/12/B/32/11A-ZD – Annual Revisions (1860-1897)
4. PRONI VAL/12/B/33/2A-2F – Annual Revisions (1898-1931)
5. PRONI VAL/3/C/6/10 – First General Revaluation of Property in Northern Ireland (1926-57)
6. PRONI VAL/4/B/5/13 – Second General Revaluation of Property in Northern Ireland (1956-72)
7. Dublin Builder (1 May 1861)
8. Irish Builder (1 Apr; 15 Sept 1871)
9. Census of Ireland (1901; 1911)
10. Ulster Town Directories (1843-1918)
11. First Survey Record – HB01/22/003 (1970)
12. First Survey Image – HB01/22/003 (No Date)
13. NIEA HB Records – HB01/22/003E-F

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. Mullin, T. H., Ulster’s Historic City: Derry – Londonderry’ Coleraine: Coleriane Bookshop, 1986.
4. ‘Londonderry Clarendon Street Conservation Area Booklet’ Department of the Environment, 1978.
5. ‘Design Guide for Clarendon Street Conservation Area’ Department of the Environment, 2012.

Online Resources
1. Dictionary of Irish Architects - http://www.dia.ie/

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

A. Style
B. Proportion
C. Ornamentation
H-. Alterations detracting from building
I. Quality and survival of Interior
J. Setting
K. Group value

Criteria for listing: historic interest

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

Evaluation

Three storey four bay rendered Italianate style late-Victorian terraced house, built in 1871 to designs by Robert Collins and located to the northwest of the city in Crawford Square, a formal garden square set out at an angle to Northland Road by civil engineer and architect, Fitzgibbon Louch. Rectangular plan form facing northeast with hipped roof return built off half landing level and two-storey outbuilding accessed from Academy Road at the rear. Originally constructed as two separate townhouses, combined into a single dwelling in 1947 and now a number of self-contained flats.
The exterior has retained its original character and style, however the removal of the principal entrance doorway to No. 5 adversely affects its quality and internal alterations have resulted in partial loss of the original plan form. Two cast iron boot scrapers survive, one to each side of the shared entrance steps, adding further interest. No's 5 & 6 have group value and are within a stepped row of similar three-storey houses with canted bays and well-ordered fenestration overlooking the tree-lined Crawford Square, (HB01.22.003D & F-S inclusive) to form a unique and distinctive setting within the Clarendon Street Conservation Area.