Hogg's Furnishing Centre Ltd

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

Comprises a three-storey main block fronting Merchant's Quay and a rubble granite rear return.

1. Main block

A three-storey building fronts the street. It has a pitched roof with metal rainwater goods. The walls are rendered with lined cement. At left is a large vehicle entrance with two metal doors to yard at rear. To its right, along ground floor, is modern shop fontage with entrance door in middle. At first floor are three picture windows, evidently modern inserted. The second floor has three similar windows in line with those below, and a fourth window above the vehicle entrance.

Left and right gables abutted by buildings. Exposed section of right gable cement rendered. Rear elevation at left of coach arch abutted by return (see below); section over coach arch cement rendered and without openings.

2. Rear return

A three-storey/ single bay granite rubble warehouse. Wall join with building to left suggests it was an infill between it and the front building; the former was subsequently raised from two to three floors.

Pitched natural slate roof with plastic rainwater goods. The walls are of coursed rubble granite with a brick eaves course. All the windows have granite cills. The door and window openings at first and second floor levels have brick heads and stepped brick surrounds.

The ground floor openings have been much altered. From left to right, they are: (1) and (2) jamb and lintel window; (3) semi-elliptical brick headed doorway partly infilled with concrete blocks; (4) and (5) as (1); (6) hidden from view - possibly a door; (7) infilled doorway as (3), now with a window. Some of the windows are four paned, others are fixed vertically divided two-paned.

The first floor is seven openings wide. At left is a metal-sheeted loading door, now leading on to a fire escape from the floor above. To its right are six windows: all are modern two-pane replacements as ground floor.

The second floor is almost identical to the first in terms of its door and windows. Above the loading door at left is a gable, below which is a hole for the cantilevered hoisting beam, now infilled. The second window from the left has been enlarged to take a fire escape door, with metal stairs running down the facade to left. The extreme right hand window has been infilled.

The right gable abuts the building at front and the left gable is abutted by a building in course of erection. The rear elevation is largely obscured by a newly built hotel, and the exposed remaining section has been cement rendered.

Historical information

This building is cited in the 1838 Valuation book and described as a store. By 1863 it belonged to Messrs Carvill, who had a steam-powered sawmill at the rear of the premises (now demolished). The sawmill ceased operations around 1887.

Primary Sources:
1.Valuation revision books, 1866-1930, PRONI - VAL 1B/ 246A, p.74
2. Valuation revision books, 1866-1930, PRONI - VAL 1B/ 246C, p.10
3. Valuation revision books, 1866-1930, PRONI - VAL 2B/2/39C, p.75.
4. Valuation revision books, 1866-1930, PRONI - VAL 12B/15/1F, p.121.

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

Not listed

Criteria for listing: historic interest

Not listed

Evaluation

Three-storey building with a rubble granite rear return of some local interest on account of its sawmill associations.