Warehouse

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

Relatively large single storey brick-built fuel depot / shops with Belfast Truss roof, possibly built c.1910. The building is set within a large yard off the S side of Union Street, to the N of Coleraine town centre.

The building is rectangular in plan measuring roughly 22m x 12. The façade is partly in brick and partly rendered. The long E elevation has two very large vehicle doorways, with roller shutters, to left and centre. To far left is a relatively large window, with another to right of the second vehicle entrance. To the far right hand side of the elevation there is a large area (presumably a shop front) covered by a roller shutter. To immediate right of this is a smaller shop doorway, also covered by a roller shutter. The far left hand end of the elevation is in painted render, the rest is in brick. There are large signboards interspersed along the length of the elevation.

To the S end the building abuts a larger structure. The N (gabled) elevation backs on to the yards of some terrace houses and could not be seen. The long W elevation backs on to a smaller building and is only partly exposed. The exposed section is in brick (now largely painted) and has some high level window openings (now boarded up).

The curved roof is covered in felt.

To the S side of the yard there is a very long building (now converted to apartments), with a curved roof that could denote the presence of Belfast Trusses. The writers could not gain access to the interior in order to confirm this, however. On the E side of the yard there is a slightly shorter warehouse building also with a curved roof, again this could denote the presence of Belfast Trusses but as the building does not appear to be used this could not be confirmed.

Historical information

This building may date from c.1910.

The Belfast truss was developed in the mid-nineteenth century to meet the demand for efficient, lightweight and long span roofs brought about by the industrial revolution. A detailed description of the historical development of the Belfast truss is included in the record for HB18/08/139. In brief, the first known reference to a curved wooden felted roof structure supported by bowstring girders is in an advertisement in the Dublin Builder for 1866 by the Belfast firm of felt-makers, McTear & Co. McTear’s continued making trusses until they went out of business in 1908.

A second Belfast felt supplier, Anderson & Co., began to produce trusses, to a slightly different design, in 1886. In 1896, Anderson’s launched their Mk II version; promoted as maximising long spans whilst maintaining light weight. This model was subsequently used by other companies, and is referred to by historians as the Belfast truss, although this term is widely used to apply to all timber bowstring trusses where the internal bracing members meet not on the bottom of the truss as was the convention but on the top curved member.

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

Not listed

Criteria for listing: historic interest

Not listed

Evaluation

Relatively large single storey brick-built fuel depot / shops with Belfast Truss roof, possibly built c.1910. A much altered example of a relatively large Belfast Truss-roofed building.

General comments

Surveyed as part of the Belfast Roof Truss survey.