1-3 High Street

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

A 3 storey, 2 bay wide end house and shopfront, part of a symmetrical terrace composition, faced with dressed ashlar stonework.

The ground floor of the High Street façade has been unfortunately altered and consists of a narrow plain fanlighted doorway with 4 panelled door with planted mouldings, 3 steps of unequal height, an oriel bay window in wood subdivided into square small panes, many broken. Over the window, an improvised painted sign reading TAVERN. The wall finish, most inappropriately white roughcast rendering. First floor windows, formerly double hung sliding sash, modern insertions in 4 panes, casement type, 2nd floor of square proportion, likewise modern insertion. Upper floors faced with handsome ashlar sandstone without pronounced quoins. Between Nos 1 and 5 a recess is formed in wall facing to accommodate trunkhead and downpipe which appear to be original in cast iron. There is an additional surface mounted downpipe at end of terrace which was probably not originally intended. ½ round gutter, natural slated roof, gable chimney stack, rebuilt and rendered (formerly stonefaced). Chimney stack between No. 1 and 5 is stonefaced with cornice capping. Street light fixed to façade with exposed electric cabling.

The south gable without fenestration, faced with coursed white squared random rubble limestone with flush sandstone quoins, painted and with high painted plinth. A long incongruous single storey, 4 bay back return, rebuilt, smooth rendered, with double exit doors and horizontal 3 pane modern windows, all entirely out of character, flat roof. This return continues in line with pitched roof corrugated store, its south wall partly in the original white limestone and upper part rendered. The S gable of the corn store, which is part of the overall complex, also in line.

The upper floors of the rear of No 1/3 has a vertical semi-circular headed window, lighting stairway, with a single window with modern insertion at first and second floors. Wall faced as gable with smooth quoins. ½ round gutter, exposed soil and rainwater pipes. Natural slated roof.

No. 1/3 is part of a terrace fronting onto High Street, designed as a symmetrical neo classical ashlar faced façade with central pedimented breakfront which contains an arched gateway with access to market yard and corn store to rear. It is a remarkable piece of architecture grossly treated by various alterations and lack of sensitivity. At present an environmental improvement scheme is being carried out involving footpath relaying etc.

See illustration in Camblin’s Town in Ulster for the ground floor shopfronts c 1950.

Historical information

This terrace house is part of the 2nd market project carried out in Moneymore by the Draper’s Company. It was designed by the Company’s architect, William John Booth, a most ambitious scheme and probably a white elephant. The O.S. Memoirs refers to it, “The Company are erecting a very handsome and capacious grain store and another market house, which is expected to cost from 5000 to 6000 pounds”. The Company’s map of improvements proposed by the Deputation of 1839 shows the formal arrangement of the complex bound on the west and north by High Street and Market Street respectively. The corn store today illustrates the underuse of the project, plans of which were prepared in 1835 on the proposal of Bridger who said there was a need for such (a persuasive person). The project was completed in 1839 “ The whole pile of buildings is extremely well executed, has a most striking and ornamental appearance, and is admirably calculated for the purposes to which it is destined”.

The building was listed in 1975 when the owner was W Morgan. The present owner made planning application to carry out alterations to ground floor in mid 2000 but no work has begun. Repairs had been carried out in mid 1989 when Mr L Loughran was in occupation.

References

Primary Sources
1. O.S. Memoirs of Ireland, Parishes of Co Londonderry XI, 1821, 1833, 1836-7. P. 38
Ed by Angelique Day and Patrick McWilliams Q.U.B.
2. Curl J.S. Moneymore and Draperstown UAHS
3. Curl J.S. The Londonderry Plantation1609-1914 p. 215
4. O.S. Map 1832 Londonderry sh. 46.
5. O.S. Map 1832 Rev. 1856 Londonderry sh. 46.
6. Notes, 1st Survey, E.H.S. Hill Street, Belfast

Secondary Sources
1. Rowan A North West Ulster, Buildings of Ireland p. 425.
2. Camblin G The Town in Ulster Ill. 58 facing p. 81

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

A. Style
B. Proportion
C. Ornamentation
D. Plan Form
H-. Alterations detracting from building

Criteria for listing: historic interest

X. Local Interest
Z. Rarity
V. Authorship
Y. Social, Cultural or Economic Importance

Evaluation

A stone faced end house with shopfront part of a fine neo-classical composition in late Georgian style sadly insensitively altered in recent years but nevertheless can be redeemed with appropriate restoration.