Former Scottish Cooperative Wholesale Society factory ('The Scotch Stores')

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

Long, mainly two storey, well mannered late Victorian rubble-built former factory and integral manager’s house, with large Jacobean gables and overall ‘Highland lodge’ feel. The complex, which originally belonged to the Scottish Wholesale Cooperative Society and used for processing livestock, is believed to have been built in 1893 to designs by Thomas Elliot, but it shear length, differing roof heights and levels of detailing suggests that some portions may have been added a few years afterwards. Since the later 1970s it has been occupied with mainly shop / workshop units of various size and some new large window openings have been installed in the process. To the south end there are some large modern extensions, possibly dating from the 1960s or early 1970s. The property is located to the W side of Sligo Road and the E of Old Henry Street, on the SW edge of Enniskillen.

[For the purposes of this description, only the four main compass points will be used.]
The building runs roughly N to S, curving in line with the above mentioned roads. In plan form it is irregular. To the N end is the house (‘Thistle Bank House’). To its S the house merges with a much larger block, which must have once contained offices, but is now filled with shops with a large portion to the E used as the meeting place for a local church. This in turn merges with a large, plainer, lower proportioned block which probably housed most of the factory proper as it were, but is now occupied by more shops, a snooker hall etc. To S of this is a long narrow block, (possibly originally warehouses), slightly taller and slightly more ornate than that to the immediate N. This section also contains shops along with a bingo hall and restaurant. To the very S end the complex appears to have been somewhat extended in more recent years [?c.1970s], with the addition of plain flat roofed sections (also filled with shops).

To the W of the building the ground level rises so that the much of the block is single storey to this side. To this side also there is a long narrow enclosed yard with a long gabled outbuilding, which, like its larger neighbour is two storey to the E but single storey to the W. To the S gable of there is a tall square, battered brick chimney (the outbuilding obviously once contained a boiler or a boiling house). Much of the complex is in squared rock-faced [?lime]stone with smooth dressings and quoins. Throughout much of the building there has been considerable alteration in recent years in terms of window and door openings and the application of modern signage, especially to the E façade where it fronts on to the busy Sligo Road.

NORTH END- ‘OFFICE / FACTORY’ (HB12/19/025b)
To the S the house merges with the long former factory section. The N end of this section (i.e. that closest to the house) may have originally mainly housed the factory offices, for it has a more ‘domesticated’ appearance and much of the detailing replicates the house itself.

East elevation
The E elevation of this section (which faces out on to the Sligo Road), culminates to its S (left) end in a low two storey section with two large shop front openings, (a window and a separate glazed door screen), with a much harrower window to the left. These all appear to have been originally much smaller window openings. To the first floor are three window openings, that to the left blocked with [?]fixed light glazing to the rest. To the roof of this section there rises a large square plain rendered /faced ‘turret’ [?a water tank]. To the right (N) of the ‘turret’ is a small gabled dormer with [?]fixed light glazing.

To the immediate right (N) of the low proportioned section there large three storey gable similar to those belonging to the house, except that it is topped with a ball finial instead of incorporating a chimney stack. In between this gable and the house itself is a plainer two storey section. To the ground floor of this combined section of the façade there are, from left, three modern shop fronts, then a doorway, (with modern door), then another modern shop front with separate doorway, (again, with modern door). All of these openings have been altered to a greater or lesser degree as most used to be much smaller windows, whilst the shop window to far right used to be an arched doorway.

To the first floor (above a long rectangular panel which may once have displayed the factory owners’ name), are six evenly spaced windows all with segmental heads. The three right hand windows have retained their sash frames (all 2/2), whilst the rest simply have plain fixed light glazing. To the uppermost floor of the large gable to left is a pair of semicircular headed windows. On the section of the roof to the right of the large gable is a small gabled dormer with louvered opening. There is a stone chimney stack to the N end of the ridge of this section of roof.

West elevation
The W elevation of the ‘office section’ projects beyond the line of the W gable of the house. This elevation is mainly taken up with a large hall-like portion to the left and centre (now occupied by a local church). This portion is actually the western half of the two storey section of the above described E façade (i.e. that section to the N of the large gable), but to this side, because of the ground level, is only single storey.

Roughly to the centre of the façade of the hall-like portion is a broad timber panelled double door set within a shallow ‘porch’ with thick rendered ‘jambs’, flat roof and steps. One suspects this whole door ensemble is not original. To the immediate left of the door is a very large window with recent signboard over. This window probably originally had stone mullions and a transom but now has a modern frame with security bars over. To left of this window is a small sash window (2/1). To the right of the doorway is a large ‘eyebrow’-like window with stone mullions and modern frames to each of the three lights. To the short N facing façade there is a small window with modern frame.

To the right (S) of the hall-like portion there is a large (but relatively plain) two storey projecting gable. To the ground floor of the gable there is a panelled timber double door flanked by two small-ish square windows with modern frames. To the first floor there are two small windows to each side of a much larger window with a segmental head. All have PVC frames. To the short N facing façade there is a relatively large window to the ground floor with timber mullioned and transomed frame and a smaller window to the first floor, now boarded up.

To the right (S) of this gable is another larger gable with projects even further and sits at a slight angle. To the ground floor of this gable there are four narrow-ish windows with PVC frames to the left and centre and two doors to the right, one timber sheeted the other glazed. To the first floor there are three windows, slightly larger than before but also with PVC frames. To the first floor is a single, semicircular headed window opening filled with a PVC window with louvering to the arch head.

Historical information

This complex is believed to have been built in 1893 by the Scottish Cooperative Wholesale Society as a creamery and livestock processing facility, with associated offices and a manager’s house. It was designed by Thomas Elliot, but one suspects that it may not all have been built at the same time, for the lower proportions and plainer façade of the ‘middle’ / ‘factory’ section suggests it may have been added at a later date; however, this is not certain.

The complex survived as an animal processing facility until the mid to later 1970s, after which much of it was converted to shop units. The extensions may have been added to the south end at this point or perhaps in the 1960s. The former manager’s dwelling, (‘Thistle Bank House’), now serves as a private residence.

References- Secondary sources
1 Hugh Dixon, ‘Historic buildings…Enniskillen’ (Belfast 1973), pp.38, 47
2 Jeremy Williams, ‘A companion guide to Architecture in Ireland 1837-1921 (Blackrock, Irish Academic Press, 1994), p.198

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

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

Criteria for listing: historic interest

X. Local Interest
Z. Rarity

Evaluation

The northern factory and office part of the long, mainly two storey, well mannered late Victorian rubble-built former factory and integral manager’s house, with large Jacobean gables and overall ‘Highland lodge’ feel. The complex, which originally belonged to the Scottish Wholesale Cooperative Society and used for processing livestock, is believed to have been built in 1893 to designs by Thomas Elliot, but it shear length, differing roof heights and levels of detailing suggests that some portions may have been added a few years later. Since the later 1970s it has been occupied with mainly shop / workshop units of various sizes and many window openings enlarged throughout.