Former Common Barn

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

A 5 bay long, 2 storey building, stone built, external stairway, pitched, slated and gabled roof.

The N elevation fronts towards Springhill Road has 5 bays of segmented headed shallow recessed divided by broad piers, within each recess a 2 light segmented headed window, some boarded up, at ground floor and similar at 1st floor. The central bay has a large door opening with sliding wood door. Walls are built of coursed whitestone with sandstone quoins and sandstone trim to windows and doors. ½ round metal gutter and natural slated roof. The W gable has a Perron type stairway with stair flights ascending to a landing at 1st floor. Over landing a flat roofed canopy supported on a pair of sandstone (ashlar) piers rising from ground level. The stair flights have solid balustrading with 6 road stone handrail and vertically tooled infill panels. Balustrade returns outwards at bottom and space under flights infilled with ashlar sandstone. Over the canopy round headed opening with plain band. Gable wall built of coursed white limestone and sandstone quoins. Timber barge boards with good overhang. Space under landing boarded up. Steps in sandstone. Single panel door leads to 1st floor. There may have been a bellcote surmounted on the W gable.

The E side is overgrown with ivy and is assumed is a repeat of the W side except the centre bay has a 2 storey concrete block toilet return built-on. The S gable, built of coursed white limestone has a single storey long flat roofed concrete block shed added in line.

The building enjoys a generous unkempt site on the Springhill Road just inside the Moneymore Conservation Area Boundary. In a NE corner of the site is a derelict cottage, 4 bays long, with sheeted timber door in 2nd bay and 3 no. segmented headed windows each boarded up. Walls built of coursed white limestone, red brick trim to windows and stone painted white. Natural slated roof with 2 chimney stacks asymmetrically placed but not on gables. Gables, stone faced, windowless. To the rear a narrow enclosed yard with ruinous stores opposite cottage. Building yard very overgrown with vegetation.

Historical information

The Draper’s Company felt the need to provide a Common Barn for Moneymore where grain could be threshed. Accordingly Booth was instructed to prepare drawings in 1840 and the building was completed in 1843. D Magee builder. There is little record of how this building was usefully used. Today the ground floor is a repair garage, though not always open and the upper floor used as an indoor bowling alley. To judge by the outward appearance of building, site usage must be minimal.

The cottage is contemporary with barn, built for a store keeper.

References

Primary Sources
1. O.S. Map 1832 Rev. 1856 Londonderry sh. 46.
2. Curl J.S. Moneymore and Draperstown UAHS p. 41.
3. Curl J.S. The Londonderry Plantation 1609-1914 p. 213, 215, 218
4. Notes, 1st Survey, E.H.S. Hill Street, Belfast

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

A. Style
B. Proportion
C. Ornamentation
H-. Alterations detracting from building
K. Group value

Criteria for listing: historic interest

V. Authorship
Z. Rarity
X. Local Interest

Evaluation

An ambitious stone built barn building of 1840-43 erected by the Drapers’ Company and designed by W.J. Booth. A severe piece of early Victorian architecture now much overgrown to the rear and spoiled by haphazard additions.