The Women's Centre

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

Terraced two-storey stucco-fronted former bank, built c.1879 to the designs of James Coyle. Extensively renovated c.1995 with a three-storey extension abutting the rear. Rectangular on plan and facing east onto Abbey Street.

Pitched slate roof with sheeted overhanging eaves to the front elevation and uPVC rainwater goods throughout. Painted stucco walling to the front elevation, cement rendered to the rear. Stepped window surrounds with rope mouldings and uPVC windows throughout.

Front elevation is three windows wide with a door opening to the right and a full-span fascia panel between ground and first floors. The panel comprises painted tiling with raised letters in neo-mediaeval script stating: ‘The hand of the diligent maketh rich’, framed by moulded architrave incorporating first floor sill course. Square-headed to the first and segmental-headed to the ground floor the window openings are deeply set in stepped and embellished surrounds with rope mouldings. Windows are framed by Doric pilasters, those to the first floor rising from the sill course while those to the ground floor have embellished keystones, foliate discs to the spandrels and rise from a moulded plinth course. Segmental-headed door opening as per window with a replacement timber door and overlight.

South side elevation abutted by adjoining terraced building.

Rear elevation abutted by three-storey rendered extension, built c.1995.

North side elevation abutted by adjoining terraced building.

Setting:
Forming part of a terrace lining the west side of Abbey Street. Small enclosed yard to the rear.

Roof Slate
RWG UPVC
Walling Stucco/cement render
Windows UPVC

Historical information

The current women’s centre was built as a Savings Bank in 1878-9 to designs by J H Coyle and is first shown on the 1904 large-scale map of Coleraine, captioned ‘Bank’. The Savings Bank entered valuation records in 1879 at a valuation of £27.10s and replaced the earlier savings bank, a single storey building with porch and basement, described as a ‘neat little house’ in Griffith’s Valuation of 1856-64. The Savings Bank purchased the lease of the property for £200 in 1877 (First General Revaluation).

The Irish Builder records the architect as James H Coyle, who is also known to have carried out some alterations to St Patrick’s Church in Coleraine and to New Row Presbyterian church but is otherwise unknown. The contractors were Higgins & Maxwell (www.dia.ie). The bank was built with caretaker’s accommodation to the rear and the caretaker is recorded in the 1901 census as William Thompson, a French polisher who lived with his wife, five children and an aunt, a dressmaker, in nine rooms. By 1911 the Thompson family had increased by three, although one child had sadly died. The older boys were a shirt cutter and a printer compositor while the eldest daughter worked as a tailoress (1901/11 census).

The first Savings Bank in the north of Ireland opened at Smithfield in Belfast in 1816 as part of an early nineteenth-century movement across the British Isles. Savings banks aimed to persuade the labouring classes to deposit savings as ‘an encouragement to sobriety, industry and economy’ (McCreary). Savings Banks soon opened in other towns across the north of Ireland and the Coleraine Savings Bank was established in 1832, most likely making use of a pre-existing building in what was then ‘Shambles Lane’. Twenty guineas were presented by the Irish Society and ten guineas by Alderman Copeland to aid in establishing the Bank. Sixty local residents agreed to act as voluntary managers and the office was open every Saturday from one to four o’clock for deposits to be made, although no money could be deposited except in the presence of a manager. On the opening day £1.12s was deposited and after 20 years the deposits amounted to £30,725. It was only after 1932 when funds exceeded £340,000 that the bank began to open for more than a few hours a week. The bank was run entirely by volunteers until 1836 when the first actuary, John Canning, was appointed. Canning resigned in 1879 after more than 40 years in the post, having overseen the construction of the new bank building. In 1932, the Trustees experienced difficulty in finding a replacement for William Henry, the town clerk, who had served as Bank Actuary since 1900 and as a result, a decision was taken to merge with the larger Belfast Savings Bank (McCreary).

Valuer’s notes of the early 1930s show that the front block of the building contained the public office of the bank, the manager’s office and the strong room on the ground floor while on the first floor was the board room and the staff lavatories. The block to the rear, containing the caretaker’s accommodation, had a kitchen, scullery and WC on the ground floor, a reception and bedroom on the first floor and three bedrooms on the second floor. An attached plan shows the rear yard with coal house, wood shed and WC. The bank offices were remodelled and redecorated in 1933 but no external alteration was made.

In the post-war period when restrictions on the availability of consumer goods gave an impetus to saving, the Savings Banks in Northern Ireland and elsewhere experienced unprecedented growth with Coleraine branch recording funds of nearly £2½ million in 1946. In April 1963, Coleraine Savings Bank moved into new offices in the Diamond at the centre of the town, a sign that the Savings Banks were beginning to shed their ‘side-street’ image. On 21st November 1974 Savings Banks in Coleraine and across the province merged to form the Trustee Savings Bank of Northern Ireland. TSB Northern Ireland underwent a further merger with Allied Irish Bank in 1991 to form First Trust and continues to provide banking services from premises in The Diamond (McCreary).

The former bank building was taken over as a shop and stores by Edward McIntyre in 1970 and is currently in use as a women’s centre.

References:

Primary Sources

1. PRONI OS/6/5/7/1 First Edition OS Map 1830
2. PRONI OS/6/5/7/2 Second Edition OS map 1849-50
3. PRONI OS/6/5/7/3 Third Edition OS Map 1904
4. PRONI OS/6/5/7/4 Fourth Edition OS Map 1923
5. PRONI OS/6/5/7/5 Fifth Edition OS Map 1949
6. PRONI VAL/2/B/5/3/B Griffith’s Valuation (1856-64)
7. PRONI VAL/12/B/30/9A-N Annual Revisions (1864-1929)
8. PRONI VAL/3/C/6/4 First General Revaluation 1933-57
9. PRONI VAL/3/D/6/2/A/32 First General Revaluation 1933-57
10. PRONI VAL/4/B/5 Second General Revaluation 1956-72
11. 1901/11 Census online

Secondary Sources

1. Girvan, W D “Historic Buildings, Groups of Buildings, Areas of Architectural Importance in Coleraine and Portstewart” Ulster Architectural Heritage Society, 1971-2
2. McCreary, A “By All Accounts: A History of Trustee Savings Banks in Northern Ireland” Antrim: Greystone Books, 1991
3. www.dia.ie

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

Not listed

Criteria for listing: historic interest

Not listed

Evaluation

Terraced two-storey stucco-fronted former bank, built c.1879. This former bank building retains a most interesting front façade but unfortunately it has had itsfenestration, rear elevation and internal detailing all substantially altered and is not of sufficient interest to warrant listing.