The Women's Centre, 23 Abbey Street, Coleraine, Co. Londonderry, BT52 1DU

The Women's Centre, 23 Abbey Street, Coleraine, is a terraced two-storey stucco-fronted former bank built around 1879 to designs by architect James H Coyle, with contractors Higgins & Maxwell. It is recorded on the Northern Ireland heritage register but does not meet the threshold for listing. The building faces east onto Abbey Street and is rectangular on plan, with a pitched slate roof featuring sheeted overhanging eaves to the front elevation and uPVC rainwater goods throughout.

The front elevation is painted stucco, three windows wide, with a door opening to the right. Between ground and first floors runs a full-span fascia panel of painted tiling with raised letters in neo-mediaeval script reading "The hand of the diligent maketh rich", framed by moulded architrave incorporating the first floor sill course. The window openings are deeply set in stepped and embellished surrounds with rope mouldings. Those to the first floor are square-headed and framed by Doric pilasters rising from the sill course. Those to the ground floor are segmental-headed and framed by Doric pilasters with embellished keystones, foliate discs to the spandrels, and rising from a moulded plinth course. The segmental-headed door opening matches the ground floor windows and retains a replacement timber door with overlight. All windows are uPVC throughout.

The rear elevation and side elevations are abutted by adjoining terraced buildings. The rear elevation is cement rendered and abutted by a three-storey rendered extension built around 1995. The building forms part of a terrace lining the west side of Abbey Street, with a small enclosed yard to the rear.

The building has been extensively renovated around 1995. Its fenestration, rear elevation and internal detailing have been substantially altered. While the front façade retains architectural interest, the extent of alteration means the building does not warrant listing.

Historically, the building operated as the Coleraine Savings Bank. The earlier Coleraine Savings Bank, established in 1832, had occupied a pre-existing building in what was then called Shambles Lane. The new bank building was constructed following the decision to establish a purpose-built premises. The bank was run entirely by volunteers until 1836 when John Canning was appointed as the first actuary. When Canning resigned in 1879 after more than forty years in the post, he had overseen the construction of this building. Valuer's notes from the early 1930s record that the front block contained the public office, manager's office and strong room on the ground floor, with the board room and staff lavatories on the first floor. The rear block contained caretaker's accommodation comprising kitchen, scullery and WC on the ground floor, a reception and bedroom on the first floor, and three bedrooms on the second floor. The caretaker in 1901 was William Thompson, a French polisher, recorded in the census as living with his wife, five children and an aunt (a dressmaker) in nine rooms.

The bank offices were remodelled and redecorated in 1933 but no external alteration was made. In 1963, the Coleraine Savings Bank relocated to new offices in the Diamond at the town centre. On 21 November 1974, Savings Banks across the province merged to form the Trustee Savings Bank of Northern Ireland. Following a further merger with Allied Irish Bank in 1991, banking services continued from the Diamond premises. The building was taken over as a shop and stores by Edward McIntyre in 1970 and is currently in use as a women's centre.