10 Waterside

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

A three-storey-with-basement Georgian-style terraced house, two openings wide, rectangular on plan with a modernised shop on the ground floor and accommodation above. Built c.1850 and located on the western side of Coleraine town, the building forms part of a terrace comprising similar buildings.

Pitched slate roof with blue/grey angled ridge-tiles; brick chimney to right abutting to that of neighbouring terrace, having multiple terracotta pots; half-round cast iron rainwater goods mounted on plain timber fascia to boxed eaves. Walling is painted smooth render; unpainted to rear. Flat-arched window openings with plain reveals and painted projecting sills; 6/6 timber sash windows (unless otherwise stated).

Principal elevation faces north and comprises two windows to the upper floors. Timber replacement shop-front to ground floor with timber fascia supported on scrolled brackets and pilasters with two modern glass openings to centre; replacement timber and glazed door to right; four-panelled replacement timber door to left with plain glass transom over.

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

South (rear) elevation contains enlarged opening second floor with modern timber and glazed door inserted; external timber stair abuts, extending to flat roof of return below (see later); right side of elevation abutted by full-height gabled return having enlarged openings with timber casements to upper floors and small casements to left cheek. Remaining elevation abutted by flat-roofed and parapetted return which has two diminutive casements to right, metal sheeted door to left, with timber stair extends down from roof and adjoining stair to rear yard, which abuts to return of neighbouring western terrace; plain timber door to basement level.

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

Setting
Located in an urban/residential
setting, the principal 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 forms part of a terrace comprising similar buildings. A related terrace is situated on the opposite side of the street, to the north (HB03/16/001A-J).

The yard to the rear is bounded by a rubblestone wall to the east and by the return of the neighbouring terrace to the west. A two-storey gabled brick and partially rendered original outbuilding (former stable) lies to the far south; pitched slate roof, three openings wide with windows boarded up and large segmental headed opening to left-side of north elevation and braced by deep timber lintel; arch extends through to south elevation but has timber sheeted and braced doors. South elevation is roughcast, east is blank and west abuts to neighbouring outbuilding.

Roof Slate
RWG Cast-iron
Walling Painted render
Windows Timber sash/ 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, with extensive outbuildings to the rear.

Under the ownership of the Worshipful Company of Clothworkers, this house and outbuildings were first occupied by Davis McKeag and valued at £20 in Griffith’s Valuation (1856). Ownership transferred to Sir Hervey Bruce c.1872 and the value did not alter until the mid 20th century. In 1898 the proprietor of the neighbouring terrace (HB03/16/001N), Patrick McLaughlin, also occupied this property as a Licensed House until 1924, when it was occupied by a number of persons, culminating with Andrew Fieffi who ran a shop on the ground floor (General Revisions 1866-1931). Field evidence shows that the small rear return has been slightly altered in recent decades but the outbuilding which lines the rear yard still remains.

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. A new suitable terrace was designed by Samuel Angell, the Company’s surveyor in Ulster, to compliment the eminent building and to line the almost processional approach into the Clothworkers’ Estate from Coleraine town, via the new bridge. 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. Two houses were initially erected on the south side, one by the Company and one by Patrick McLaughlin. This building may represent one of these as field evidence shows the façade differs from the other terraces. The designs which followed these two buildings were advised to provided a more uniform elevation. 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 (HB03/16/001O)

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.10 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