30/32 Catherine Street

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

Three storey, five bay rendered and decorated terraced building forming two houses in a group of four facing north west onto Catherine Street. Natural slate roof with large brick chimney to each end of the ridge. Much smaller chimney off centre of composition. Central bay also slightly off centre with a wider space to the group of two windows on the north east than those to the south west. Central windows to top two floors set in an aedicule surround. Segmental pediment to top twelve pane sash with keystone and flanking Doric pilasters. Two modillions under cill. Triangular pediment to fifteen pane sash at first floor. Other windows at 2nd floor have a moulded architrave and double keystone with cill supported by small modillions. The other first floor windows have a moulded architrave, double keystone and no modillions. To the sides of the facade are applied plaster quoins.

The ground floor is separated from the first by a plain entablature which breaks forward in the south west over the entrance door. Thin pilasters flank the windows and doors and appear to support the entablature. The two windows are quite wide (2.5 metres approximately) and bear no relation to those above. (The effect of this is quite odd on such a classically decorated building). The double panelled doors have a cobweb fanlight in PVC which breaks into the zone of the entablature (again breaking the classical rules with no apparent benefit).

To the rear the building is painted and rendered. Some windows are blocked up. The remainder are PVC casements to an irregular pattern. A steel fire escape descends from the second floor. A flat roofed concrete brick extension sits out into the courtyard at the rear. Stable block has been demolished.

Historical information

Building is part of a terrace with 1828 plaque at one end (see HB02/12/023) It is shown on the 1831 Ordnance Survey Map as two buildings each with stables to the rear. At the time of the Griffiths Valuation 1858 number 32 (slightly larger) was occupied by Mary Allen while number 30 was occupied by Rev Nathan McC Brown. The landlord was Frederick McCausland. On 16 September 1918 number 32 opened as the Ulster Bank while number 30 contained the ‘Pro Manager’. The bank bought the premises in 1920. It is likely that the facades were combined and embellished at this time. By the 1970s the ground floor had been renovated. Girvan notes that this was ‘without regard to the rest of the building’. The two buildings had been also converted into one functioning bank. The present appearance is due to a renovation by Smith and McMurty architects in 1995. They have reinstated the classical detail to the ground floor of the bank.

References
Primary Sources:
OS Map 'Newtown Limavady' enlarged from 1st Edition Map (1831) PRONI: Val 2D/5/4 & T2933/4/126
OS Map 'Newtown Limavady' (1848 revision with notes of 1858 valuation) PRONI: 058/120/1/1 & T2933/3/140
OS Map ' Town of Limavady' (1895) PRONI:Val 2D/5/4 & 293/4/261
OS Map ' Town of Limavady' (1907) PRONI:058/120/2/3
Griffiths Valuation 1858

Secondary Sources
D Girvan, 'The Buildings of north Derry' UAHS 1975 p14

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

A. Style
B. Proportion
C. Ornamentation
H-. Alterations detracting from building

Criteria for listing: historic interest

X. Local Interest

Evaluation

An imposing pre 1830 building in the middle of a group which adds great dignity to Catherine Street. The facade with its central emphasis ending in the corner of a ground floor window is not very well ordered but it does contribute to the street. Whilst it has preserved historical detail the main reason for retaining it on the list lies in its group context.