24-25 The Diamond

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

An asymmetrical, three-storey-with-attic-over-basement four-bay rendered house with a front entrance porch and a three-storey double-pitched return to the rear. Built in 1832, extensively remodelled in 1892; rectangular on plan and located on the north-east corner of the historic Diamond of Kilrea. Originally a hotel, now functioning as a residence with a public bar on the ground floor.

Pitched slate roof with angled blue/grey ridge tiles; two rendered chimney stacks on main roof with clay pots, two to return. Cast iron ogee rainwater goods with rounded downpipes to overhanging eaves; generally uPVC to rear. Walling is ruled and lined rendered having moulded eaves course and projecting plinth; roughcast render to rear. Square-headed window openings with rendered sills; generally timber 1/1 sash windows, some timber casements to rear.

Principal elevation faces east onto the Diamond and comprises four bays with eight evenly spaced windows to upper floors; wallhead dormer having round-head window to attic over offset to left bay. Three bipartite sash windows with timber mullions to ground floor; plain pub-front to far right comprising timber door with plain glass transom, adjoining window. Advancing square plan porch offset to left of centre with timber double leaf panelled entrance door and radial fanlight. Plainly detailed with tall slender blind recesses flanking door, plain impost banding and parapet raised over door. Left and rights cheeks lighted by narrow round-headed timber sashes.

North elevation abutted by adjoining building and view of exposed elevation largely obscured. Two windows located at attic level.

West elevation (rear) is lit by a central window to attic level and windows to upper floors on the right-side, otherwise largely abutted by a slightly lower M-profile return with irregular fenestration, including some original 6/6 sashes, those to the north and south cheeks breaking eaves and set into gables. Various abutments, some crudely constructed at ground floor, of little interest.

South elevation is detail as north.

Roof: Natural slate
Walling: Roughcast render
Windows: Timber sash
RWG: Cast iron, uPVC

Setting
Located in an urban
setting the main elevation fronts directly onto the central Diamond of Kilrea; modern buildings abut to the north and south gables. The expansive yard to the rear is bounded by a partially roughcast, rubble wall to the north and east; and by buildings along Bridge Street to the south, including HB03/001/008. A large outbuilding of stone rubble, brick and slate construction divides the concrete yard, running north to south. Timber sheeted and braced gate provides access to alleyway and leads to south to Bridge Street. Three square ashlar sandstone piers with copings support a timber sheeted and metal gate from Bridge Street.

Historical information

Erected c.1835, the hotel is first shown on the second edition OS map (1853), with the town’s market house abutting to the north and having a range of outbuildings located to the rear. The original building comprised three bays but a further bay was added to the south during the mid-late 19th century.

In Plantation times, during the colonisation of Ulster, the Worshipful Company of Mercers’ (a principal Livery Company of the City of London), directly controlled a proportion of land within County Londonderry. Their estate, which amounted to 33.5 sq miles was located around the district of Kilrea and Movanagher. By the mid 17th century the Mercers’ estate was let to nominated individual/s, many of whom were absentee landlords, and subsequently the estate fell into severe decline. With the death of the final tenant, Alexander Stewart, in 1831, the Mercers’ took repossession of and direct control over the estate. Kilrea was now the capital of the proportion and in the ensuing decades the Company instigated an ambitious scheme of improvements intended to raise productivity, general welfare and the overall appearance of the estate with particular focus placed on Kilrea town. An architect to the Mercer’s Company was appointed (George Smith and William Barnes) and a cohesive design plan for the development of Kilrea was generated which carefully regulated the style and proportion of all new buildings. The Company continued to manage the estate until it was sold to the tenants under the Wyndham Land Purchase Act of 1903 (Curl).

Under the ownership of the Mercers’ Company, the hotel and offices are first listed in Griffith’s Valuation (1856) at £37, with William Adcock noted as the proprietor. During this time the associated outbuildings to the rear included three stables, two newly extended out-offices, a coach-house and a turf-house. Newly built additions housed ‘comfortable bedrooms’ and the valuer noted this was the “Only hotel in the town – it is clean and comfortable and I have no doubt does a fair share of business.”

The hotel replaced an earlier building, shown on the first edition OS map (1830), which had functioned as the residence of the former agent to the Mercers’ Company and used in 1798 as a temporary soldiers’ barrack. A new residence, the Manor House (HB03/01/007) was constructed in 1835 on Bridge Street, for the newly appointed agent, Mr Henry Holmes (OS Memoirs). As the individual accounts contained within the OS Memoirs (1830-39) vary, it is unclear without further investigation, whether the previous building on site was fully demolished or simply converted for the use of a hotel. However, the Topographical Dictionary of Ireland (1837) states that a “spacious and commodious hotel” had been “recently erected by the Mercers’ Company of London.”

From accounts contained within the OS Memoirs (1830-39) the Mercers’ Hotel cost £800 to construct and was entirely funded by the Mercers’ Company. Initially the building comprised a traveller’s room, parlour, kitchen, pantry and scullery on the ground floor while the floor above contained “ample accommodation for seven gentlemen” with a combination of sitting-and-bedrooms (OS Memoirs 1830-39). During this period the structure was one of only three in the town which were higher than two-storeys. Also contained within the building were rooms utilised by the Mercers’ Company; an office of the agent of the magistrates, another for the bailiff located above and a room used by the agent of the Company, as a temporary dispensary until the new building on Church Street was completed (HB03/01/002). Additionally the building accommodated an office of the Presbyterian Church and there was a library above, which was run by the minister (OS Memoirs).

The Annual Revisions (1864-1929) confirm that the building continued to function as a hotel/inn under a number of proprietors until 1880 when it was listed as a house, then falling vacant in 1892. Re-established in 1894, the value significantly increased to £50 as the building and outbuildings had been enlarged and extensively altered in 1893; the contract of £1,168 9s 6d was undertaken by A. Higgins and overseen by the architectural partnership of W. & M. Given (DIA). The extensions and development of the outbuildings are illustrated on the third edition OS map (1905) and Curl (1986) comments that the appearance of the main building had at that time remained almost unchanged since this work was carried out, field evidence shows this still remains true.

Listed at a value of £75 in the First General Revaluation (1935) the proprietor was James McLaughlin and ownership of the now licensed hotel had transferred to the ‘Trustees of the Diocese of Derry’. A number of the associated outbuildings were leased to tenants and operated as a combination of shops and dwellings. The hotel suffered damage during 1970s and was subsequently restored in the following years, although the abutting market house to the north was demolished (Curl).

References

Primary Sources

1. PRONI OS/6/5/27/1 – First Edition Ordnance Survey map (1830)
2. PRONI OS/6/5/27/2 – Second Edition Ordnance Survey map (1853)
3. PRONI OS/6/5/27/3 – Third Edition Ordnance Survey map (1905)
4. PRONI OS/6/5/27/4 – Fourth Edition Ordnance Survey map (1925-33)
5. PRONI OS/10/5/27/5/1 – First Edition Ordnance Survey County map (1905)
6. PRONI OS/10/5/27/5/1 – First Edition Ordnance Survey County map (1905)
7. PRONI VAL/2/B/5/40A – Griffith’s Valuation (1857)
8. PRONI VAL/2/D/5/5 – Griffith’s Valuation Map (1859)
9. PRONI VAL/12/B/29/3A – Annual Revisions (1864)
10. PRONI VAL/12/B/29/3B – Annual Revisions (1865-78)
11. PRONI VAL/12/B/29/2C – Annual Revisions (1879-85)
12. PRONI VAL/12/B/29/3D – Annual Revisions (1886-94)
13. PRONI VAL/12/B/29/3E – Annual Revisions (1895-1910)
14. PRONI VAL/12/B/29/3F – Annual Revisions (1911-29)
15. PRONI VAL/3/B/6/2 – First General Revaluations (1935)
16. PRONI VAL/4/B/5/5 – Second General Revaluations (1956-72)

17. Census of Ireland (1901-1911)

Secondary Sources

1. Lewis, Samuel ‘A Topographical Dictionary of Ireland’ S. Lewis & Co, London (1837)
2. ‘Ordnance Survey Memoirs; The Parishes of Co. Londonderry, VIII [Vol. 27] - Desertoghill, Errigal, Killelagh and Kilrea, 1830-39’ Institute of Irish Studies, Queen’s University, Belfast (1994)
3. Curl, James.S. ‘The Londonderry Plantation 1609-1914’ Phillimore & Co, Chichester (1986)
4. Kernohan, J.W. ‘The Parishes of Kilrea and Tamlaght O'Crilly ?A sketch of their history, ?with an account of the ?Boveedy Congregation’ Coleraine, (1912)
5. Sampson, Rev. George, Vaughan ‘A Memoir; Explanatory of the Survey of the Survey of the County of Londonderry’ G&W Nicol, London (1814)
6. Dictionary of Irish Architects (http://dia.ie/)

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

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

Criteria for listing: historic interest

X. Local Interest
Y. Social, Cultural or Economic Importance
Z. Rarity
V. Authorship
R. Age
S. Authenticity
T. Historic Importance
U. Historic Associations

Evaluation

An asymmetrical three-storey with attic over basement four bay rendered, former hotel, constructed as the ‘Mercers’ Hotel’ c.1835 with extensive remodelling and enlargement carried out during the late 19th century. Located in an historic urban setting on the north-east corner of the central Diamond in Kilrea, the external appearance has been little altered since 1892. Much also remains of the original layout and interior detailing is largely intact. The building is the dominating feature within the Diamond and represents the aspirational architectural development envisioned for Kilrea, by the Mercers’ Company during the mid 19th century. Number 24-25 was designed by an important architect and makes a significant contribution to the historic character of the area and is of considerable social importance and interest to the local community.

General comments

Additional listing criteria apply -R- Age, S - Authenticity, T- Historic Importance, U - Historic Associations.