Nissen Hut adjacent to

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

Detached single-cell Nissen hut, built c.1940, located to the north side of Altanaveragh Road. Rectangular-on-plan.

Single-skin corrugated metal half-barrel structure supported by steel sections and timber purlins; steel chimney/vent. Windows are square-headed timber framed casement dormers.

Principal elevation faces south and consists of vertically-sheeted walling (partially removed). Wall mounted lamp-post.

West elevation is three-windows-wide; each window is within dormer with cat-slide roof.

North elevation is brick; square-headed entrance opening to right.

East elevation is three-windows-wide; each window is within dormer with cat-slide roof.

Setting

Set in farmland in rural area; bounded to road at south by remains of hedging with access to right through farm gate; bounded to other elevations by vegetation and hedging.

Roof Corrugated metal
Walling Corrugated metal
Windows timber
RWG N/A

Historical information

See surveyor's comments.

The hut is first shown on the 1980 edition of the Ordnance Survey map. It is entered into Valuation Records in 1963 and is exempt, probably indicating that it is being used as some kind of public building.

The Nissen hut was invented by Lt Col Peter Norman Nissen (1871-1930) of the Royal Engineers for use during World War I, as a response to the army’s need for an economical, portable, prefabricated building. “The Nissen hut represented a more suitable alternative to the tent…as it could be used for a variety of functions and was a bit more impervious to weather.” (Decker and Chiel, p.4)

He created two types of hut, the Nissen Bow Hut and the Nissen Hospital Hut and over 100,000 of the latter were fabricated during World War 1. “In some circles, these huts are believed to be the first, complete, mass-produced building.” (p.6)
During the Second World War the design was further developed by a team of designers working at Quonset Naval Base in the United States. The redesign was stimulated when the United Kingdom transferred ownership of properties in Scotland and at Londonderry and Enniskillen to be used as U.S. bases in 1941. “Since material resources and local labour were all but drained from the British Empire, the U.S. military had no other choice than to supply prefabricated building systems shipped from the U.S. to house their troops. Quonset was selected to be the assembly port for all supplies and materials required for the construction of these bases.” (p.2) These U.S. manufactured huts, based on the Nissen hut, later became known as ‘Quonset Huts’.

The structure of the hut was simplified in order to make it easier to put up and insulation was added between the inner and outer skins. On April 10th, 1941 an order of 2,488 ‘Nissen’ huts was authorised by the U.S. Bureau of Yards and Docks for Scotland and Northern Ireland and this was later increased to 4,000 and then 8,000. (p.7)
‘Nissen’ huts continued to be manufactured after the Second World War and were used in Northern Ireland for a variety of purposes. Wright reports Londonderry families being housed in them in 1967 (Wright, p.190) and notoriously, during internment in 1971, internees were housed in Nissen huts at Long Kesh, which was a former RAF base. (Logan and Reeves, p.217)

References:

Primary Sources

1. PRONI VAL/4B/6/5 – Second NI General Revaluation
2. PRONI VAL/4A/7/124/C – Second NI General Revaluation Map (1954-70)

Secondary Sources
1. Decker, J. and Chiel, C. “Quonset Hut: Metal Living for a Modern Age”, Princetown Architectural Press, 2005
2. Logan, W., Reeves, K. “Places of Pain and Shame: Dealing with ‘Difficult’ Heritage”
Wright, F. “Northern Ireland: a comparative analysis”, Gill and Macmillan, 1987

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

Not listed

Criteria for listing: historic interest

Not listed

Evaluation

A detached single-cell Nissen hut, built c.1940, located to the north side of Altanaveragh Road. The building uses simple materials and retains original form and structure intact. Although it is an unusual survival of this historically important type of prefabricated structure, the removal of interior fabric has compromised its historic and architectural character.