18 Waterside, Coleraine, Co. Londonderry, BT51 3DP

No. 18 Waterside is a three-storey, three-bay rendered terraced building, constructed as part of a phased Georgian-style terrace built approximately between 1846 and 1854, with this particular property completed somewhat later, around 1866 to 1868. The terrace was designed under the oversight of Samuel Angell, the Worshipful Company of Clothworkers' surveyor in Ulster, and Stewart Gordon. It represents the typical urban form of living accommodation over a shop, and forms part of one of the only coherent historic street frontages remaining within Coleraine town.

Architectural Description

The building is rectangular on plan and sits within a largely homogeneous terrace characterised by restrained detailing, rendered walling, tall narrow frontages, and large regular fenestration arranged above shop fronts. The pitched slate roof features blue-grey angled ridge tiles, and there is a rendered chimney stack with multiple terracotta pots abutting the chimney of the adjoining terrace. Rainwater goods are mostly uPVC, with some surviving cast-iron downpipes, mounted on an in-stepped smooth-rendered eaves course. The rear elevation has plain eaves.

The walling is unpainted roughcast render to the principal and visible elevations, with smooth unpainted render to the rear. Windows to the upper floors are replacement square-headed 1-over-1 timber sash windows with projecting smooth-rendered reveals and sills; uPVC sash windows are used to the rear.

The principal elevation faces north and presents three windows across the upper floors. At ground floor level there is a 20th-century vinyl fascia, large modern glazed shop-front openings with tiled surrounds, and a plain timber door to the right with a timber-boarded transom above. The east elevation is abutted by the adjoining terrace, and the west elevation is similarly abutted by its neighbour on that side. The south rear elevation is largely obscured by foliage, though limited inspection reveals uPVC windows to the left above an abutting slated lean-to return, which itself has a 4-over-4 sash window fitted with fixed metal bars. There is a single window to the upper floor left; the remainder of the rear elevation is abutted by a two-storey gabled and flat-roofed return with a wide uPVC window above a single-storey lean-to return, and the right cheek has two sash windows to the upper floor. There are multiple abutments to the rear overall.

An enclosed yard lies to the rear, bounded by the returns of neighbouring terraces on each side and by metal fencing to the south.

Setting

The building is located in an urban and residential setting on the western side of Coleraine town, on the western bank of the River Bann. The principal elevation directly fronts one of the main approaches into Coleraine town centre via the nearby Old Bridge. A related terrace of similar listed buildings faces the building from the opposite side of the street to the north. This southern terrace as a whole plays an important role in defining the character of one of the main approaches into the town and in providing visual balance to Waterside as a street.

Historical Context

This area of Killowen Parish, now known as Waterside, was originally a suburb of Coleraine and historically owned by the Worshipful Company of Clothworkers, one of the London Merchant Companies charged with developing and settling — or "planting" — the county of Londonderry during the early 17th century. The Company leased out these lands over the following centuries, often to absentee landlords, which led to a general decline of the estate and a lack of new house construction due to uncertainty over tenures. The Company regained direct control of its proportion in 1840 when the lease expired, and a subsequent era of improvement followed, including substantial expenditure on buildings, infrastructure, and education.

A new bridge of increased height was built around 1844 to replace a previous timber construction of around 1735, and stabilising works were carried out to the western embankment of the River Bann. During this period the street level on the Killowen side was raised to correspond with the level of the new bridge, which had a significant impact on the existing buildings in the area. It was decided that it was more appropriate to demolish and entirely rebuild Waterside, in order to create a more dignified entry into the Company's estate from the main part of Coleraine to the east.

The general layout of Waterside had already been established before the redevelopment, so the terrace did not alter greatly in plan. However, the design, scale, and style of the new buildings followed a strict architectural approach established by the erection of the neighbouring Clothworkers' Arms Hotel around 1846. The hotel marked the first stage of the new development, and demolition of the neighbouring houses began in 1847. According to James Curl (1986), the houses on the southern terrace were erected first as a means of providing visual balance to the then-isolated hotel opposite. Samuel Angell designed a suitable corner terrace to complement his hotel design and to line the near-processional approach into the Clothworkers' Estate from the town via the new bridge. Although designs for the remaining buildings were largely generated by other architects, each was strictly regulated by Angell and surveyor Stewart Gordon to conform to the overall scheme. The terrace was largely completed around 1854, with the Clothworkers' Company claiming to have spent approximately £4,000 on the erection of houses in the Waterside area during this period.

As Curl (1986) observes, the plain, balanced, and unembellished style of the terrace represents a conscious decision by the Clothworkers' Company to refrain from the excessive ornamentation embraced by other London Companies during this widespread period of architectural improvement.

No. 18 specifically was added to the valuation records in 1868, indicating that this building and the adjoining terrace to the west were constructed around 1866 to 1868, rather than with the main body of the terrace completed over a decade earlier. Griffith's Valuation of 1856 records a previous house on the site, described as "very old" and valued at only £4. Under the ownership of Sir Hervey Bruce, the house and outbuildings were first occupied by John Ross in 1872 and valued at £21 in the General Revisions of 1866 to 1874. By 1897 the premises had been divided, with Charles Hamill, a saddler, occupying the ground-floor shop and cellar, and Annie Blair residing in the accommodation above. In 1903 the premises were amalgamated into a single unit, with the valuation rising to £24. Mary and Ellen McDermott took over occupancy in 1916. The building's footprint has changed little since the Town Plan map of 1882, though field evidence indicates that the rear return has been modified or remodelled in recent decades.

Alterations

The integrity of the upper floors has been largely retained, but incremental changes to the ground-floor shop over the decades have resulted in the erosion of some historic fabric, including the replacement of the original shop front with modern glazing, a vinyl fascia, and tiled surrounds. The rear return has also been modified in recent decades. uPVC windows and rainwater goods have been introduced in various locations.

Group Value

No. 18 has group value with the other listed buildings in this terrace and contributes importantly to the visual balance and coherence of Waterside as a whole.