Northern Constitution

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

An asymmetrical, attached two-storey-with-attic late Victorian red-brick office building, with gabled north and east elevations. Located on a corner site between Railway Road and Mill Street, to the east of The Diamond, Coleraine. Narrow rectangular block aligned north-east to south-west, completely abutted by substantial two-storey gabled blocks, also linking to adjoining terrace (HB03/18/011B).

Pitched slate roof with terracotta angled ridge-tiles and finials to gables; a pair of brick chimneystacks having terracotta pots, on the ridge-line of the northern-most return. Plain timber bargeboard to sheeted overhanging eaves to the north gable only. Cast-iron ogee rainwater goods with moulded brick eaves course; square downpipes having decorative cast-iron dragons to hoppers. Walling is red-brick English garden wall bonded with sandstone dressings (some rendered). Heavily moulded mid-level cornice with egg-and-dart-motif wrapped around principal elevations. Generally square-headed window openings to first floor (except where otherwise stated) having projecting sills and stone lintels; expansive round-headed openings to ground floor with rebated gauged brick reveals, hood moulding, projecting keystone and flush stone sills. Windows are generally transomed and mullioned, or multi-light timber casements, unless otherwise stated.

Principal elevation faces east and contains a slightly projecting shouldered gable to centre, breaking through eaves and having terracotta moulding with decorative stone kneelers to each side and offsets above ground floor windows. Enriched by a series of brick moulded string courses above ground floor; basketweave of decorative brick, alternating with elaborately moulded terracotta panels above eaves-level. Two expansive round-arched windows to ground floor having multipaned timber casement windows; surmounted by two segmental headed window openings on first floor, both having projecting keystone breaking through string course and stepped apron panels. Left-side has window to first floor above deeply rebated round-arched doorway with decorative wrought-iron gates; with label mould over stops, enriched by moulded decorative inserts of floral motifs. Right side has elaborate wrought-iron and timber signage projecting from first floor corner which is corbelled out over obliquely angled doorway comprising multi-panelled double-leaf timber door.

South elevation abutted by adjoining terrace (HB03/18/011B).

West elevation abutted by adjoining two-storey brick returns, which extend south-west, also abutting to rear of adjoining terrace (HB03/18/011B). Main elevation is skewed, comprising two gables of differing heights, and functional in appearance having plainly detailed brick walling, multi-light metal casements and timber door; left gable dominated by large sliding steel door. Right-cheek is obscured by wall to south alley but has a single-storey lean to extension spanning length of the return and a small two-storey flat roofed extension projecting from right-of-centre. Left cheek is more formalised, and forms part of the north elevation (see below).

North elevation contains multi-pane timber casement to first floor with 1/1 casement to attic; round-arched window to ground floor (subservient detailing to east). Extended by lower return to right having four segmental-headed multi-paned timber casement windows to ground floor; flat-arched 3/3 timber casements above (on both floors those to left side are narrower); additional 1/1 casement to left.

Setting
Located in an urban
setting within Coleraine town centre on a corner site at the junction between Railway Road and Mill Street. The north, east and west elevations front directly onto their respective streets; the terrace (HB03/18/011B) abutting to the south is interlinked to the main building and to the rear blocks. A narrow yard extends the length of the south elevation of the rear return, accessed via door from an alleyway off Mill Street; the yard is bounded to the south by the flat-roofed return of the neighbouring property. An associated but detached former pressroom and paper store (HB03/18/11C) is situated to south-west on Mill Street.

Roof Slate
RWG Cast-iron
Walling Red brick/roughcast render
Windows Timber casement/ metal

Historical information

Constructed as offices and printing works for the Northern Constitution newspaper (formerly the Coleraine Constitution), on a site which remained relatively undeveloped until the 1890’s, the building is first shown on the third edition OS map (1904). A house and forge under the occupation of Abraham Simpson were previously situated on or near to the current site, with a number of mills located a short distance to the north. The General Revisions (1900-12), show the previous house and forge were ‘removed in 1900’ and replaced with the ‘printing office and yard’ of the Coleraine Constitution Company, in 1901. Listed under the ownership of a William Church the building was first valued at £40 and this included a slightly truncated return to the rear, with an adjoining return to the south-west. These returns were utilised as the main production and storage space of the printing works and are therefore much more industrial in character and open-plan, compared to the formalised offices to the east.

The two adjoining terraces (HB03/18/011B) which abut to the south-west of the main building, are also first shown on the third edition OS map (1904) and contained shops on the ground floor with living accommodation, followed by offices on the floors above (General Revisions 1913-31). The associated, detached building (HB03/18/011C) to the south-west on Mill Street was valued separately at 10 shillings and was utilised by the Coleraine Constitution as a shed.

A local newspaper, the Coleraine Constitution was first published in 1875 and became known as the Northern Constitution in 1908.

The second edition OS map (1922; 25-inch) shows that during the early 20th century, the rear returns were extended to the south-west and to the west, in alignment with the street-line of Mill Street. The building value increased to a total of £46 (General Revisions 1913-31) and there were no significant valuation changes until the mid-20th century.

The building, along with the adjoining terraces, is currently used as the offices of both the Coleraine Chronicle and the Northern Constitution newspapers. Part of the northern return has been modernised with new office accommodation on the ground floor. Following the cessation of on site printing and production in recent years, the rear returns are now largely disused.

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/9/24/1/9 – Town Plan map (1882)
4. PRONI OS/6/1/11/3 – Third Edition Ordnance Survey map (1904)
5. PRONI OS/10/5/7/7/2 – Second Edition Ordnance Survey 25-Inch map (1922)
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/12/E/156/1/9 – Valuation map (1882-1907)
9. PRONI VAL/12/B/30/9E- General Revisions (1885-92)
10. PRONI VAL/12/B/30/9F- General Revisions (1885-92)
11. PRONI VAL/12/B/30/9J- General Revisions (1893-99)
12. PRONI VAL/12/B/30/9K- General Revisions (1900-12)
13. PRONI VAL/12/B/30/9N - General Revisions (1913-31)
14 PRONI VAL/3/B/6/3 – First General Revaluations (1935)

Secondary Sources

1. http://www.billmacafee.com

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

A. Style
B. Proportion
C. Ornamentation
D. Plan Form
I. Quality and survival of Interior
K. Group value

Criteria for listing: historic interest

X. Local Interest
Y. Social, Cultural or Economic Importance
R. Age
S. Authenticity
T. Historic Importance

Evaluation

A two-storey-with-attic late Victorian eclectic-style red-brick building with large double-gabled return to the rear, which incorporates the adjoining terrace to the south. Located in an urban setting within Coleraine town centre and occupying a corner site on Railway Road. Due to the mixed nature of use the building has different building styles. The offices to the east, the public face of the newspaper, are contained behind the more formal Victorian corner frontage, which has retained much of the original character and highly decorative detailing. The industrial, largely open-plan premises to the rear are united by a similar yet simplified façade to the north, while elevations to the west and south are much less formalised. The building represents a richly detailed and important corner building characterised by large gables, enriched decorative façade and the expansive, segmental-headed windows which pierce the two primary elevations. It is a significant local building, has group value with the adjoining newspaper offices (HB03.18.011B) and is historically interesting as the location of Coleraine's newspaper offices since 1875.

General comments

Listing criteria R - Age; S - Authenticity and T - Historic Importance also apply

This record has now been renumbered as part of a group HB03/18/011A, HB03/18/011B and HB03/18/011C.