24/26 High Street

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

A 3 bay wide, 2 storey, end-terrace house, with back return, slated roof. Shop

Elevation to High Street, symmetry marred by shopfront, has central arched doorway, 5 panelled, moulded door with pilasters, blocking pieces, scrolls and cornice. Panel mouldings have corner blocking pieces. Semi-circular fanlight with herog frame matching pilaster width, good ironmongery. Top 3 panels, horizontal and glazed. To one side of doorway(s) single 4 pane double hung sliding sash window with segmental head. To other side a small shopfront comprising glazed door, display window with low cill and over an illuminated plastic sign. Plain band stringcourse joining 1st floor cills with 3, 2 pane double hung sliding sash square headed windows. Wall smooth rendered, painted, ground floor mock rustication, plinth, frieze, corbel course supporting ½ round gutter with kneeler. Natural slated roof, moulded chimney stack.

The gable wall smooth rendered and painted. The rear has a flat roofed return extending over 1 bay and a lean-to roof back return extending over 2 bays. Roof flashed under eaves of main block. Windows a mixture of square heads and round headed. Walls roughcast rendered unpainted.

The building is an end terrace house (N) observing the general building line.

Historical information

The terrace of which No. 24/26 High Street is part was probably rebuilt c 1870 to designs of W.J. Booth, though he was no longer company architect in 1855 and died in 1871, had prepared designs much earlier (several variations). The terrace replaced on early one designed by Jesse Gibson (see ill. 35 in Curl’s Moneymore and Draperstown p. 58, 59). The houses may have been built by George Tipping. House was probably sold by the Company in c 1891 under Lord Ashbourne’s Act (The Purchase of Land (Ireland) Act 1885) (100% loan limit). The property was listed in 1975. Upper floors vacant. Was bakery before wineshop and previously offices of bus company (Chambers, now with offices on other side of High Street).

References

Primary Sources
1. O.S. Map 1832 Londonderry sh. 46.
2. O.S. Map 1832 Rev. 1856 Londonderry sh. 46.
3. Curl J.S. Moneymore and Draperstown UAHS p. 58, 59
4. Curl J.S. The Londonderry Plantation 1609-1914 p. 203, 221, 226, 230
5. Notes, 1st Survey, E.H.S. Hill Street, Belfast

Secondary Sources
1. Camblin G, The Town in Ulster p. 99.
2. The Oxford Companion of Irish History vp. 295 (Land Acts)
Ed S J Connolly

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

Not listed

Criteria for listing: historic interest

Not listed

Evaluation

An interesting example of a terrace house building of the mid Victorian era carried out by the Draper’s Company in the Post Famine period to improve the quality and character of Moneymore’s High Street.