Warehouse

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

A semi-detached double-height open-plan former press and paper room of the Northern Constitution and Coleraine Chronicle newspapers, built around the late 19th century and expanded c1920. The structure comprises an earlier gable-ended rubblestone and red-brick structure to the west, abutted by an expansive double-height extension to the east, having rubblestone and rendered walls and a curved roof supported on a system of Belfast trusses. The building is currently vacant and unused.

Pitched slate roof to the northern building; blue/black angled ridge-tiles with reconstituted stone to gable-heads; barrelled roof to rear extension; covering not identified. Half-round uPVC rainwater goods fixed to projecting brick eaves course (plain timber fascia to rear extension); single plain brick chimney to west gable; central projecting pulley arm with timber canopy above eaves of north building. Walling is a combination of squared roughly-coursed grey rubblestone throughout ground floor with Flemish bonded brick to upper storey of north building; rear extension has rendered upper floor. Flat-arched openings with timber casement windows; brick surrounds to north elevation; rendered projecting sills; timber sheeted and braced doors.

North-west elevation comprises single door to left and a double-leaf sliding door to the right; five unequally spaced windows to upper floor; previous central opening having been infilled.

Right gable has window right-of-centre and ground floor abutted by neighbouring single storey flat-roofed structure.

Rear elevation (south) is obstructed by neighbouring buildings and is abutted by the large double-height barrel-roof return. The eastern wall is of random rubble construction on the ground floor (part of original return) with roughcast rendered brick to the upper level. Regular pattern of fenestration with eight vertical windows above fifteen smaller horizontal windows; all having metal grilles. The west elevation of extension abuts to the neighbouring building and the left cheek (west) is obstructed by nearby buildings.

Left gable is blank, former central window to each floor is infilled.

Setting
Located in an urban/residential
setting on Mill Street, to the rear of terraced shops, offices and houses along Railway Road and Long Commons. Facing north-west, directly onto the narrow street while the east elevation fronts onto a gravel alleyway, which separates the building from the associated offices of the Northern Constitution building (HB03/18/011A&B). A cast-iron gate and post stand at the east gable wall; the corner of which is chamfered and rendered at ground floor level.

Roof Slate/Belfast truss roof
RWG uPVC
Walling Red brick/roughcast render/ grey rubblestone
Windows Timber casement/ metal

Historical information

The outline of the current building is first shown on the first edition OS map (1967-8; 25-inch Irish Grid), however elements of the structure date from around the turn of the 20th century. This early building, which is first shown on the third edition OS map (1904) was listed at a value of 10 shillings in the General Revisions (1900-12). Described as a shed, the structure was aligned along Mill Street, with a long and narrow return extending south from the north-east corner.

The town plan map (1882) shows the structure replaced part of a terrace of houses, which had extended north, but according to the General Revisions (1900-12), these were removed in 1900. The offices and printing works of the Northern Constitution (formerly the Coleraine Constitution HB03/18/011A&B) were erected c.1900, a short distance to the north-east and this shed was utilised by the Constitution. Under the ownership of a Mr. Stewart, followed by a Florence Kiddles and then W.Church (General Revisions 1900-12) the valuation did not significantly change.

In the First General Revaluation (1935) the building was valued in conjunction with the Northern Constitution buildings and by 1968 the rear return had been substantially expanded to the west (first edition OS map 1967-8; 25-inch Irish Grid). This double-height open-plan extension comprised a roof structure of bowstring & lattice timber trusses known as ‘Belfast Trusses’. Field evidence shows that the rear wall of the building along Mill Street was partially knocked through and the eastern wall of the return was constructed on top of that of the previous return.

The Belfast Roof Truss comprises a timber girder with diagonal lattice-bracings supporting the segmental upper bow. In pure form, the diagonal bracings should meet at right-angles along the regularly spaced purlins of the bow. Providing a means of spanning moderate distances, quickly and cheaply this barrel roof-form was used widely for industrial means during the late 19th century and early twentieth century. There was a decline in use following 1918 due to the increased availability of steel, from which larger spans could be achieved. The Belfast Truss continued to be utilised, but decreasingly so, for moderate spans, until the 1960s when modern alternatives were favoured. For a detailed history of Belfast Roof Trusses, see HB18/08/139.

Prior to 1972 it was a paper store (large printing press reels). It was then converted to house a new off-set printing press and remained a printing press until 2010. The old press room attached to the main building bacame a paper store.

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/30/9M - General Revisions (1900-12)
14 PRONI VAL/3/B/6/3 – First General Revaluations (1935)

Secondary Sources

1. Gould, M.H. ‘A Historical Perspective on the Belfast Truss Roof’ The Journal of Construction History Volume 17, (2001)

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

Not listed

Criteria for listing: historic interest

Not listed

Evaluation

A double height, multi bay gabled structure of red-brick and rubblestone construction, dating from the late 19th century, which has been substantially modified and a large extension added during the early to mid 20th century. This extension comprises a curved timber sheeted roof supported by Belfast Roof trusses with the eastern wall having been constructed on top of the rubblestone walls of a previous return. The extension represents a relatively late example of the Belfast Roof truss system. The Befast Roof trussed section is a relatively rare example of this roof type and the overall building has associations with the listed Northern Constitution offices in Railway Street (HB03.18.011Aand B)

General comments

Listing criteria R - Age; S - Authenticity; T - Historic Importance also apply to this building

This building has been numbered as part of a group (HB03/18/011A-C).