2 Waterside

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

A three-storey-with-basement Georgian-style terraced red-brick house, two openings wide, rectangular on plan with a canted north-east corner. Shop and restaurant to ground floor and accommodation above. Built c.1850 and located on the western side of Coleraine town, the building forms the corner of a terrace comprising similar buildings.

Partially hipped slate roof with blue-grey angled ridge-tiles; brick chimney having multiple terracotta pots; half-round cast-iron rainwater goods (some uPVC), mounted on plain timber fascia to boxed eaves with projecting course below. Walling is red-brick on upper floors, laid to Flemish-bond; ground floor is smooth rendered and painted with banded rustication. Flat-arched window openings having rendered and painted reveals with painted projecting sills; 6/6 original timber sash windows, unless otherwise stated. Rear elevation entirely abutted by adjoing building (HB03/16/014).

Principal elevation faces north and comprises two windows to the upper floors and single windows to canted bay on left-side. Moulded architrave and entablature to first floor window of canted bay. Large modern glazed opening to shop on ground floor with lead-covered replacement timber fascia above, supported on scrolled timber brackets; entrance door within canted bay. Doorway to accommodation, on right-side containing a four-panelled timber door and original furniture, encased within timber panelled doorcase lit by plain glass side-lights and transom over.

The east elevation comprises two windows to upper floors but those to right are false; similar glazed opening to ground floor shop and window opening to left-side.

Rear (south) elevation is completely abutted by hipped three-storey building (HB03/16/014) which extends south and is abutted by a further, lower extension.

The west elevation is abutted by adjoining terrace (HB03/16/001L).

Setting
Located in an urban/residential
setting on a prominent corner site, the main elevation directly fronts one of the main thoroughfares into Coleraine town centre via the nearby ‘Old Bridge’. Situated on the western banks of the River Bann to the west of the central Diamond the building terminates the west end of a terrace. A similar terrace is situated on the opposite side of the street, to the north (HB03/16/001A-J). The south is abutted by HB03/16/014, the eastern elevation of which is constructed in the same style as the main terrace.

Roof Slate
RWG Cast-iron/uPVC
Walling Brick/ Smooth render & painted
Windows Timber sash & replacement timber casement

Historical information

Constructed as part of a phased terrace c.1846-54, the design of which was overseen by Samuel Angell, the buildings are first shown on the second edition OS map (1849-50). The terrace replaced a previous street, as shown on the first edition OS map (1830), which comprised buildings laid out to a similar pattern.

Under the ownership of the Worshipful Company of Clothworkers, this house, shop and extensive outbuildings to the rear were first occupied by Edward Gribbon and valued at £48 in Griffith’s Valuation (1856). Ownership transferred to Sir Hervey Bruce c.1872 and in 1875 the premises were divided into two; Alexander Tannahill occupied the house (until 1930) and operated a drapery, which were valued at £30, while the warehouse and offices of Edward Gribbon and Sons were valued at £18 (General Revisions 1866-1931). By 1893 the premises to the rear formed part of Strand Road and the value of the Waterside building did not alter significantly. The outline of the building has been little changed since the Town Plan map (1882) but the rear abutment (HB03/16/014) has been largely remodelled and the main house has been reconfigured and subdivided into apartments.

This area of Killowen Parish, now known as Waterside, was originally a suburb of Coleraine town and under the ownership of the Worshipful Company of Clothworkers, one of the London Merchant Companies charged with developing and ‘planting’ the county of Londonderry during the early 17th century. The Company chose to lease out these lands, often to absentee landlords, which resulted in a general decline of the estate and a lack of house construction due to the uncertainty of tenures. The Company regained direct control of their proportion in 1840 when the lease had expired and a subsequent era of improvement followed which included substantial expenditure on buildings, infrastructure and education (Mullin; Rowan).

A new bridge of increased height was built c.1844, to replace a previous timber construction c.1735 and stabilising works were carried out to the western embankment of the river (OS Memoirs). During this time the street-level on the Killowen side was raised to correspond with that of the new bridge, which impacted upon the existing buildings. Reflecting the spirit of the times, it was deemed more appropriate to demolish and rebuild the entire area of Waterside, in order to create a more dignified entry into the Company’s estate from the main part of Coleraine to the east.

The general layout of Waterside was established prior to redevelopment and therefore the terrace did not alter much on plan. However, the design, scale and style of the new buildings adhered to a strict architectural rigour, which had been established by the erection of the neighbouring Clothworkers’ Arms Hotel c.1846 (HB03/16/001A). The hotel marked the first stage of the new development and the demolition of the neighbouring houses commenced in 1847. The site opposite the hotel was of particular concern as a suitable building was much needed to provide a balance to the now isolated hotel and to establish a grand approach into the Clothworkers’ Estate from Coleraine town, via the new bridge. Although designs for the individual buildings of the terrace were largely generated by other architects, this corner building was designed by the architect responsible for the hotel building, Samuel Angell. Surveyor to the Clothworkers’ Company in Ulster, Angell was also responsible for regulating the overall development of the terrace. Completed c.1854, the Clothworkers’ Company claimed to have spent approximately £4,00 on the erection of houses in the Waterside area during this period (Mullin; Curl).

As Curl (1986) states, the plain, balanced and unembellished style of this terrace represents the conscious decision of the Clothworker’s Company to refrain from the excessive ornamentation, which was embraced by other London Companies during this period of widespread architectural improvement (Curl).

The HB File shows the ground floor has been remodelled and refurbished in recent years and now comprises a takeaway-restaurant with a kitchen in the basement.

References

1. PRONI OS/6/1/11/1 – First Edition Ordnance Survey map (1830)
2. PRONI OS/6/5/7/2 – Second Edition Ordnance Survey map (1849-50)
3. PRONI OS/9/24/1/8 – Town Plan map (1882)
4. PRONI OS/6/1/11/3 – Third Edition Ordnance Survey map (1904)
5. PRONI OS/6/1/11/4 – Fourth Edition Ordnance Survey map (1921)
6. PRONI OS/10/5/7/7/3– Third Edition Ordnance Survey 25-Inch map (1949)
7. PRONI OS/11/13/13/1 – First Edition Ordnance Survey 25-Inch Irish Grid map (1967-8)
8. PRONI VAL/1/B/57 – Townland Valuations (1830s)
9. PRONI VAL/2/B/5/3F – Griffith’s Valuation (1856)
10. PRONI VAL/2/D/5/15 – Griffith’s Valuation Map (1859)
11. PRONI VAL/12/B/30/9A- General Revisions (1859-65)
12. PRONI VAL/12/B/30/9B- General Revisions (1866-74)
13. PRONI VAL/12/B/30/9C- General Revisions (1875-84)
14. PRONI VAL/12/B/30/9E- General Revisions (1885-92)
15. PRONI VAL/12/B/30/9G- General Revisions (1893-99)
16. PRONI VAL/12/B/30/9M- General Revisions (1900-12)
17. PRONI VAL/12/B/30/9P- General Revisions (1913-31)
18. PRONI VAL/3/B/6/3 – First General Revaluations (1935)
19. Census Records (1901 & 1911)

Secondary Sources

1. Lewis, Samuel ‘A Topographical Dictionary of Ireland’ S. Lewis & Co, London (1837)
2. Day, Angélique and McWilliams, Patrick (eds) ‘Ordnance Survey Memoirs; The Parishes of Co. Londonderry (Vol. 33) XII 1829-30, 1832, 1834-6, Coleraine & Mouth of the Bann’ Institute of Irish Studies, Queen’s University, Belfast (1993)
3. Mullin, Rev. T.H. ‘Coleraine in Modern Times’ Century Services Ltd. Belfast (1977)
4. Rowan, Alistair ‘The Buildings of Ireland: North West Ulster’ Yale University Press, London (1979)
5. Curl, James. S. ‘The Londonderry Plantation 1609-1914’ Phillimore & Co, Chichester (1986)
6. Girvan, W.D. ‘List of Historic Buildings, Groups of Buildings & Areas of Architectural Importance in Coleraine & Portstewart’ Ulster Architectural Heritage Society, Belfast, (1973)
7. www.dia.ie

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

A. Style
B. Proportion
C. Ornamentation
H-. Alterations detracting from building
J. Setting
K. Group value

Criteria for listing: historic interest

X. Local Interest
V. Authorship
R. Age
U. Historic Associations

Evaluation

A three-storey building constituting part of a largely homogeneous, Georgian-style terrace. Constructed c1847-1854 to the designs of Samuel Angell as a means of balancing the hotel to the north (also designed by Samuel Angell). The building is representative of the typical urban form of living accommodation over a shop, while the terrace is characterised by common design principles such as restrained detailing, rendered walling and tall narrow frontages having large regular fenestration patterns over shop fronts. The integrity of this character has been largely retained across the upper floors but incremental changes to the ground floor shops over the decades has resulted in the erosion of some historic fabric. This southern terrace remains important to the visual balance of Waterside as a whole, helping to define the character of one of the main approaches into Coleraine and presenting one of the only coherent street facades within the town. This area of Killowen Parish, now known as Waterside, was originally a suburb of Coleraine town and under the ownership of the Worshipful Company of Clothworkers, one of the London Merchant Companies charged with developing and ‘planting’ the county of Londonderry during the early 17th century. Reflecting the spirit of the times, it was deemed more appropriate to demolish and rebuild the entire area of Waterside, in order to create a more dignified entry into the Company’s estate from the main part of Coleraine to the east. No. 2 is an important element within this overall redevelopment of Waterside and has group value with the other listed buildings in this terrace.

General comments

South elevation is entirely abutted by adjoining building HB03/16/014.
Listing Criteria R - Age and U - Historic Associations also apply.
Previously recorded as HB03/16/001