6 Waterside

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

A three-storey-with-basement painted brick Georgian-style former terraced house, two openings wide with a replacement glazed and timber shop front to the ground floor and separate living accommodation above. Built c.1850 and located on the western side of Coleraine town, the building forms part of a terrace comprising similar buildings. Rectangular on plan with a substantial modern extension to rear.

Pitched slate roof with blue/grey angled ridge-tiles and coping to left-side gable with rendered and capped kneeler; brick chimney having clay pots; half-round cast iron rainwater goods (uPVC downpipe) mounted on plain timber fascia to boxed eaves; plain projecting eaves course below. Walling is painted brick; unpainted render to rear. Flat-arched window openings with plain reveals and painted projecting sills; replacement 2/2 timber sash windows, uPVC to rear.

Principal elevation faces north and comprises two windows to the upper floors over a replacement shop front comprising a timber fascia supported on console brackets and pilasters, with two expansive windows to centre and modern tiles below; recessed modern timber and glazed door to right having historic decorative black and white tiles to step. Original recessed twin-panelled entrance door (to accommodation) on left-side with iron door furniture, plain glass transom over, tiled step and timber panels to recess; two lower door panels have been sheeted over.

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

South (rear) elevation contains two uPVC windows to the upper floors; majority of ground floor and basement abutted by a series of substantial modern extensions (of no interest, except for basement). Southern wall to alleyway is parapetted and roughcast having a double-leaf sliding metal door.

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

Setting
Located in an urban/residential
setting, the main elevation directly fronts one of the principal thoroughfares into Coleraine town centre via the nearby ‘Old Bridge’. Situated on the western banks of the River Bann to the west of Coleraine’s central Diamond the building forms part of a terrace comprising similar buildings (HB03/16/001K-T). A similar terrace is situated on the opposite side of the street, to the north (HB03/16/001A-J). The two-storey gabled extension to the south abuts to the (similar extensions of) neighbouring properties and a steel-frame double height extension adjoins to the south. The south elevation addresses the road connecting the Strand to Killowen Street but is set back and separated by a brick wall lining a shared alleyway.

Roof Slate
RWG Cast-iron/ uPVC
Walling Stuccoed/ rendered
Windows Timber sash/ uPVC

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, with extensive outbuildings to the rear.

Under the ownership of the Worshipful Company of Clothworkers, this house and outbuildings were first occupied by a grocer, Thomas Henry and valued at £20 in Griffith’s Valuation (1856). Ownership transferred to Sir Hervey Bruce c.1872, followed by Thomas Henry c.1913 but the valuation did not significantly alter until the mid 20th century. In 1905 the premises were split with Thomas Henry residing in the upper house, while the shop, basement and out buildings were occupied by Robert Cochrane. The HB File, combined with field evidence shows an extension has been abutted to the rear ground floor with some remodelling of the basement. The stables which previously lined the rear yard have been demolished in recent decades and a modern shed structure covers the whole area.

The 1901 Census Records show that Thomas Henry was a grocer and by 1875 William and George Gilmore were operating a grocer’s shop from the ground floor (General Revisions 1866-84). Census Records (1901 & 1911) show George Gilmore and eight family members were living in the house above and the outbuildings to the rear included a stable, shed and store. The ground floor continued to be utilised as a shop, occupied by a Miss Hughes in 1916, followed by a James White in 1927. Contemporary OS maps (1882-1968) show the building foot-print remained unchanged since construction, except for the removal of the outbuildings to the north coupled with the addition of an extension to the rear, prior to 1904, which has been remodelled and extended in recent years.

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 (Mullin).

The general layout of Waterside had already been 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. According to Curl (1986) the houses on the southern terrace were erected first as a means of providing visual balance to the now isolated hotel opposite. Samuel Angell, who designed the hotel and the scheme of redevelopment, provided the designs for the corner house (HB03/16/001K). Following this, three other houses were built with the contract undertaken by a builder named Dornan, at a cost of £924. It is likely that No 4 & No 6 were among those erected at this time, abutting Angell’s corner building. Although designs for the individual buildings were largely generated by other architects, each was strictly regulated by Angell and surveyor Stewart Gordon, to conform to the overall scheme as the terrace would line the approach into the Clothworkers’ Estate from Coleraine town, via the new bridge. The terrace was 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).

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)
20. HB File (HB03/16/001M)

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 designs overseen by Samuel Angell and Stewart Gordon. 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. 6 is an important element within this overall redevelopment of Waterside and has group value with the other listed buildings in this terrace.

General comments

Listing Criteria R - Age and U - Historic Associations also apply.
Previously recorded as HB03/16/001