12 College Terrace

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

Victorian mid-terrace two-bay two-storey with attic redbrick townhouse. Built 1889-90. Rectangular on plan with projecting two-storey rear return stepping down to single storey extension with a slated lean-to roof. Principal elevation faces west onto College Terrace overlooking an urban tree-lined green, set at the back of the pavement with natural slate pitched roof. Built as part of a terrace row of thirteen similar houses of this type lining the east side of College Terrace.

West elevation is set in Flemish brick bond with Victorian industrial brickwork dressing in contrasting colour; dentilled brick cornice at eaves with black brick dressings below; single segmental arch-headed window opening on the ground floor and two on the first floor, and a single small semicircular arch-headed window opening to dormer with a decorative metal finial at apex, centred on elevation; semicircular arch-headed entrance door opening, one step up from pavement, painted six-panel timber door, not original, on moulded timber architraves supporting slightly projecting cornice with plain fanlight above. All openings have red and black brick voussoirs; continuous decorative brick stringcourse in contrasting colour on ground and first floors and below dormer window level. Ground and first floor windows are 4/2 timber sliding sashes, and a small 4/2 sliding sash to dormer above. All sills have painted finish.

North and South sides are abutted by adjoining buildings No.11 & 13 College Terrace (HB01/22/026K & HB01/22/026M).

East elevation to the rear was not visible at the time of survey.

Pitched natural slate roof modern timber velux roof light to the rear; terracotta clay ridge tiles to the main roof and rear return. Large two-stage redbrick chimney stack rising from the north side, centred on ridge with clay pots. Cast-iron guttering and circular downpipes to the front elevation.

Setting:
No.12 is one of a terrace of thirteen houses lining the eastern side of College Terrace which is located close to the junction of Rock Road and Strand Road, on the north side of the city centre and on the eastern bank of the River Foyle. The terrace overlooks a low schist wall to the front which lines the western side of the street and forms the boundary with The University of Ulster at Magee College. There is a rear alleyway which runs the length of the terrace, allowing access from rear yards.

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

Historical information

College Terrace, a curving row of 13 two-and-a-half-storey redbrick dwellings located off the Rock Road, was laid out in 1889-90. The Rock Road had first been depicted on maps as early as 1689 but was not named until 1865. Calley states that the Rock Road was named after The Rock, a house and hamlet of smaller buildings that were located off the Strand Road. One of the earliest photographs of Derry (taken in c. 1872) depicted the hamlet as a small number of two-storey buildings located on the current site of Rock Terrace. The buildings are shown close to the banks of the Foyle with Magee College standing alone on the overlooking hill (Calley, p. 337; photograph in Byrne & McMahon, p. 2).

The northern expansion of Londonderry had begun in the mid-19th century with the construction of Georgian-style terraces on Great James Street, Queen Street and Clarendon Street. The expansion of the city was facilitated by a period of economic growth and prosperity that endured from the 1860s until the end of the 19th century. With the development of the Magee College campus from the 1880s, new redbrick dwellings at College Terrace and the three-storey red brick houses of Clarence Avenue (HB01/22/006) were erected to provide accommodation for students and employees of the college (Mullin, p. 119; Rowan, p. 371).

Magee University was opened in 1865 as a seminary for young men who wished to gain a career in the Presbyterian Ministry. The seminary was renamed the Presbyterian Theological College when it became a constituent college of the Royal University of Ireland in 1879. A spate of building activity followed in the three decades between 1881 and 1911. Three red brick professors’ houses were constructed by the university during this period to designs by Young & Mackenzie, W. A. Barker and Robinson & Davidson (see HB01/22/009B for full histories). The contemporary College Terrace was originally built by the Trustees of Magee College to provide accommodation for its employees (Dictionary of Irish Architects; NIEA HB Records).

No. 12 College Terrace was constructed, along with the adjoining nos 1-13, in 1889-90. The Annual Revisions set the total rateable value of the house at £10. College Terrace was originally constructed with the intention of accommodating the staff and students of Magee College but within one decade the majority of houses along the terrace had passed to occupants unassociated with the campus. The first occupant of No. 12 College Terrace was a Mr James Donnell, although by 1901 the house had passed to James Hart Thomspon, a local shipping clerk. The 1911 Census Building Return described No. 12 College Terrace as a 2nd class dwelling that consisted of six rooms. The Thompson family continued to reside at the house until at least the 1970s. The value of their dwelling increased to £20 during the First General Revaluation of Property in Northern Ireland (1936-57) but by the end of the Second Revaluation (1956-72) this had been increased further to £28.

Nos 1-13 College Terrace were listed in 1980. Since Magee’s incorporation into the University of Ulster in 1969, the majority of the houses along College Terrace have been converted from privately occupied houses to multiple occupancy accommodation for students attending the university. The Magee Conservation Area Design Guide records that ‘this change has come about as a response to the negative impact of the Strand Road bars and night clubs on the quality of residential life.’ The NIEA HB Records note that No. 12 College Terrace underwent a renovation in 1984 that included the repointing of its exterior brickwork and chimney stack and the installation of a new entrance door (NIEA HB Records).

College Terrace was incorporated into the Magee Conservation Area in 2006. The terrace, along with the Rock Road and part of Northland Road, was identified as a zone of distinct character within the Conservation Area. The ‘gentle bend’ of the terrace represents a departure from the earlier rectangular squares at Crawford Square (HB01/22/003; 004) and De Burgh Terrace (HB01/22/025). The guide states that ‘its overall composition and the pattern of the stepped eaves, attic dormers and chimneys combined with the overall high architectural quality of the terrace means that this street adds enormously to the quality and variety within the wider Magee Conservation Area.’ Calley offers further praise noting that College Terrace ‘competes with Palace Street for the accolade of most charming street in the city … the delight here is that the north side, which contains no buildings and borders the Magee campus, has a low schist wall topped with plain iron rails, behind which is a collection of mature trees, giving what is a small space the feeling of an oasis’ (Magee Conservation Area guide; Calley, p. 126; NIEA HB Records).

References

Primary Sources
1. PRONI VAL/12/B/32/11T-11ZD – Annual Revisions (1885-1897)
2. PRONI VAL/12/B/33/2A-F – Annual Revisions (1898-1931)
3. PRONI VAL/3/C/6/10 – First General Revaluation of Property in Northern Ireland (1936-57)
4. PRONI VAL/4/B/5/13 – Second General Revaluation of Property in Northern Ireland (1956-72)
5. Census of Ireland (1901; 1911)
6. Ulster Town Directories (1880-1918)
7. First Survey Record – HB01/22/026 (No Date)
8. First Survey Image – HB01/22/026 (No Date)
9. NIEA HB Records – HB01/22/026L

Secondary Sources
1. Byrne, A; McMahon, S., ‘Derry in old photographs’ Dublin: Gill & Macmillan Ltd., 2003.
2. Calley, D., ‘City of Derry: An historical gazetteer to the buildings of Londonderry’ Belfast: Ulster Architectural Heritage Society, 2013.
3. 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.
4. Mullin, T. H., Ulster’s Historic City: Derry – Londonderry’ Coleraine: Coleriane Bookshop, 1986.
5. Rowan, A. J., ‘The Buildings of Ireland: North West Ulster’ London: Yale University Press, 2003.
6. ‘Design Guide for Magee Conservation Area’ Department of the Environment, 2010.

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

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

A. Style
B. Proportion
C. Ornamentation
J. Setting
K. Group value

Criteria for listing: historic interest

R. Age
S. Authenticity
X. Local Interest

Evaluation

A two-storey-with-attic mid-terrace redbrick townhouse, built 1889-90, one of a terrace of thirteen houses lining the eastern side of College Terrace which is located close to the junction of Rock Road and Strand Road, on the north side of the city centre and on the eastern bank of the River Foyle. The terrace faces west onto the boundary of The University of Ulster at Magee College. No.12 is abutted by No.11 College Terrace (HB01/22/026K) to the north, and No.13 College Terrace (HB01/22/026M) to the south. The front elevation is ornately finished with Victorian industrial brick dressings in contrasting colour, dentilled cornices at eaves level and stringcourses. The rhythm of fenestration and detailing continues along the terrace. Nos. 1-13 College Terrace (HB01/22/026 A-M) has group value and is a significant feature of the Magee Conservation Area.

General comments

Additional listing criteria apply - R-Age & S-Authenticity