Ulster Bank

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

An attached three-storey stone classically detailed bank with Art Nouveau detailing, built 1909 to designs by Blackwood and Jury, located at the north side of High Street.

Rectangular on plan, four-window-wide, facing south; central two-window-wide breakfront, single-storey parapet-roofed porch with modern rear flat-roofed two-storey block to east; two-storey pitched return attached by three-storey lean-to linking block to south; lean-to slightly projecting two-storey extension to east of linking block and return; single-storey hipped addition to south (of no interest).

Hipped natural slate roof with roll-top blue/black ridge tiles, limestone balustraded parapet over modillioned cornice; breakfront has shaped gablet with “Hand of Ulster” cartouche; stone chimneystacks with modillioned cornice to east and west; replacement metal downpipes. Walling is ashlar limestone over plinth with quoins; torus-moulded sill course and first floor lintel-level stringcourse; ground floor has entablature. Windows have segmental arch-headed painted timber 1/1 sashes with keyblocks and hoodmoulds; upper floors have lugged architraves.

Principal (south) elevation has breakfront to centre (interrupting cornice and parapet); ground floor window jambs have Gibbs-blocking except to breakfront, which has tapered Art Noveau-style columns with foliated capitals in jambs.

West elevation is abutted by porch to right end and modern brick stair block (of no interest) to centre. Exposed section is detailed as principal elevation, second floor has two windows to left end. Porch is entirely abutted by neighbouring building; left cheek is abutted by stair block (of no interest); right cheek slightly projects from principal elevation and had moulded parapet coping (continuous from first floor sill-course) with ball finials at ends; round-headed entrance opening, varnished and stained timber door with moulded panels, chamfered limestone lintel, lattice-glazed fanlight, flanked by lattice-glazed sidelights with moudled stone sills, Gibbs-blocking and protruding keyblock and voussoirs, stop-ended hoodmould over.

Rear (north) elevation is entirely abutted by linking block. Linking block has Flemish-bonded red brick walling and is abutted by return, exposed section is blank; left cheek is abutted by extension, exposed section second floor has single window; right cheek
return is detailed as linking block with windows without architraves and abutted by addition (of not interest), exposed section has two-storey canted bay to left end, three first floor windows tow right and two windows at second floor apex, projecting chimneybreast at right end; cheeks are blank. Extension is two openings wide with red brick Flemish-bonded walling and limestone quoins over splayed ashlar limestone plinth; ground floor right end has segmental arch-headed varnished and stained timber door with lattice-glazed fanlight, flanked by loop sidelight to each side, dressed limestone surrounds, deeply projecting hoodmould; cheeks are blank.

East elevation first and second floors have windows, ground floor has three windows, ground floor fascia embossed “ULSTER BANK LIMITED.”

Setting:-
The bank is situated fronting High Street between the Tyrone County Club (HB11/13/013 to west) and the Omagh Civic Centre (to east), to the rear is an enclosed tarmac parking lot separated from the modern Strule Arts Centre and River Strule.

Roof: Natural slate
Walling: Limestone
Windows: Timber
RWG: Metal

Historical information

The bank was built in 1909 as the Ulster Bank and opened in November of that year (“Decades of the Ulster Bank, pg.48).

Consequently, the OS map editions of 1833, 1854 and 1906 show a previous building on the site. In 1906 the property is described as a ‘house’, occupied by Hugh Buchanan.

The bank is first shown in its current form added to the Valuation Revisions Town Plan of Omagh. The occupier is changed to the ‘Ulster Banking Company’ in 1909 and in 1910 the description is revised to ‘bank house, offices, yard and garden’, with the building valuation increasing from £7 to £180 (later to £140 due to an appeal).

Rowan names the architects as Blackwood and Jury and describes the bank as a ‘detached block typical of the Art Nouveau classicism of its architects... with bulging columns and balusters’. (Rowan, p 447). Ulster Bank formerly had offices next door at 16 High Street, which when vacated was remodeled into the town hall (HB11/13/016), which was demolished c.2005. (Mitchell, p53-55).

References:

Primary Sources

1. PRONI OS/6/6/35/1-First Edition OS Map (1833)
2. PRONI OS/6/6/35/2-Second Edition OS Map (1854)
3. PRONI OS/6/6/35/3-Third Edition OS Map (1905-6)
4. PRONI VAL/1/D/6/6 -Town Plan of Omagh (1824-1844)
5. PRONI VAL/2/D/6/17 -Town Plan of Omagh (1849-1869)
6. PRONI VAL/12/B/6/36 -Valuation Revisions (1860-1929)
7. PRONI VAL/12/B/41/37-Valuation Revisions (1903-1929)
8. PRONI VAL/12/E/186/1/5 -Town Plan of Omagh (1882-1909)
9. PRONI VAL/12/F/7/7/1- Valuation Revisions (1930-35)

Secondary Sources

1. Rowan, Alistair. “Buildings of Ireland-North West Ulster.” London: Penguin: Dublin, 1979.
2. Knox, William J. “Decades of The Ulster Bank, 1836-1964.” Belfast: privately published by Ulster Bank, 1965.
3. Mitchell, Haldane, Ed. Images of Omagh and District. Vol. 7. Omagh: Rotary Club of Omagh, 1999.

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

A. Style
B. Proportion
C. Ornamentation
D. Plan Form
I. Quality and survival of Interior

Criteria for listing: historic interest

V. Authorship
X. Local Interest

Evaluation

An attached four-window-wide three-storey stone classically detailed bank with distinctive breakfront façade and Art Nouveau detailing, built 1909. Purpose-built for Ulster Bank by architects Blackwood and Jury, it displays a high level of craftsmanship and ornamentation. This bank is of note for its façade of ashlar limestone with classical overtones and some Art Noveau detailing. Although some alteration has taken place, it retains much of its original layout and many original details. The ornate stonework on the façade displays fine craftsmanship reflecting its robust character as a significant civic building.