14 The Diamond, Coleraine, Co. Londonderry, BT52 1BP

14 The Diamond is a semi-detached, asymmetrical, two-storey-with-attic bank building in an eclectic Victorian style, constructed between 1892 and 1894 as a branch of the Belfast Bank to designs by the prominent local architect Samuel Patrick Close. Built in sandstone, it occupies a prominent corner site at the south-west corner of The Diamond in central Coleraine, with its western elevation fronting directly onto Abbey Street. The building dominates its corner and makes a very significant contribution to the overall appearance of The Diamond, enriching the historic fabric of the town centre. Although the design incorporates some baronial and Tudor-esque elements, it is principally classical in character, embellished with relatively rich classical devices and detailing, coupled with ornate sculptural motifs on the balconies.

EXTERIOR

The principal building is rectangular on plan with a canted corner containing the main entrance to the north-west. A similar but lower gabled building adjoins to the left gable of the south elevation, and the two structures are interconnected, giving an overall L-shaped plan. The east gable abuts the neighbouring three-storey building.

The roof is pitched slate with lead-covered ridges. The canted corner carries a hipped roof topped with a metal ball finial. A lower pitched roof covers the rear return, which abuts to the south. Sandstone chimneys with multiple clay pots rise from the south gable of the main building and the return; a rendered chimney with multiple pots stands to the east gable. The far south and east gables extend above eaves level with raised sandstone coping. A modern skylight sits to the south-centre of the main roof.

To the centre of the north elevation, an advancing gable breaks through the eaves and is topped with moulded cornicing and a round-headed acroterion at the apex. A round-arched window sits at the centre of the attic storey, with a carved husked-garland beneath the sill course. This central bay is flanked on each side by timber segmental-headed dormers, each with 1/1 timber sash windows. A similar dormer appears to the left bay of the south return. Additional wall-headed attic dormers include a round-arched window to the west, a squared opening to the west return, and a further opening to the south. Replacement metal ogee rainwater goods are fixed to a projecting eaves course over masonry modillions; half-round cast-iron guttering to the rear is mounted on a plain timber fascia.

The walling of the main building is coursed, rock-faced sandstone with a projecting base course, ashlar dressings, stepped quoins, and moulded string-courses. The south and east elevations are finished in unpainted smooth render with no detailing.

Ground-floor window openings on the main building are large and round-arched, with in-stepped ashlar architraves, flush splayed sills, and projecting keystones to the rounded heads. First-floor windows are square-headed with fluted architraves rising to central segmental pediments, with floating pediments to the sides. Windows are generally 1/1 timber sashes, some of which have been replaced. Moulded sill, string, and impost courses wrap around the principal elevations.

The main entrance is located in the canted bay to the north-west. It is a round-arched opening containing a recessed double-leaf fourteen-panelled timber entrance door with a plain glass round-headed fanlight over, accessed via polished stone steps. A secondary entrance to the west is encased within plain pilasters and scrolled brackets, topped with a triangular stone pediment.

The principal elevation faces north and has an advancing breakfront gable to the centre, containing two windows on each level. A projecting stone balcony supported on masonry brackets features a stone balustrade and a coat of arms. The central bay is flanked by windows at each level; the left-hand ground-floor window opening has been recently modified to create a doorway fitted with a white metal frame and plain glass. A corbelled oriel window projects from the obliquely angled north-west corner, with foliated carving to the lower panels, surmounted by a balustrade and a coat of arms.

The east elevation is abutted by the neighbouring building. The south elevation contains a diminutive casement to the upper left; the remaining left side is abutted by the adjoining return. The ground floor of the south elevation has exposed English garden wall bonded brick walling with a round-arched window. The first floor is abutted by a slated lean-to extension with three timber casements and a single small sash, projecting out from the elevation on brick walling with a round-arched opening to the centre. The west elevation of the main building is detailed similarly to the north, with two windows at ground floor and a single central window above.

The principal elevation of the return faces west and is similarly detailed to the main block, with window openings arranged around a central triangular-pedimented doorcase supported on plain pilasters and scrolled brackets. Windows are square-headed sashes with stepped surrounds, projecting stone sills, and stone mullions to the upper floors. The seven-panelled timber entrance door retains its original furniture and has a plain glass transom with upper sidelights over. The north elevation of the return abuts the main building; the east elevation has seven windows across the upper floors, a small lean-to extension to the north-east re-entrant angle, and a flat-roofed modern extension at ground floor level, which is of no further interest. The south elevation is blank except for three small timber-framed metal casement windows at ground floor.

A small lean-to extension exists at first-floor level to the rear of the main building.

SETTING

The building sits on a prominent urban corner site at the south-west of The Diamond, with the western elevation fronting Abbey Street. The main building is entered via the angled bay in the north-west corner or through the recently added universal access doorway at the far east of the principal elevation. The upper floors are reached via the secondary entrance in the adjoining building on Abbey Street. An alleyway bounds the building to the south, where a segmental-headed archway with a pedimented top spans between the south gable and the neighbouring terrace. The building stands in close proximity to a number of other historic structures within The Diamond, including the Town Hall, the Orr Memorial, and No. 24 The Diamond.

HISTORICAL CONTEXT

Samuel Patrick Close designed a number of buildings for the Belfast Bank between 1880 and 1914, and was also much in demand as an ecclesiastical and domestic architect. The construction of this building reflects a broader trend in the second half of the 19th century in which banks expended large sums of money and employed notable local architects to design purpose-built branch offices, resulting in a range of architectural styles that reflected the changing fashions of the era. Competition among banks to produce architecturally significant buildings became the norm once purpose-built banking offices replaced adapted pre-existing premises.

The Belfast Banking Company had opened offices in Coleraine by the end of 1834, possibly on the present site. The new bank, built on the site of a previous banking house, was entered into valuation records as an unfinished building in 1892 and eventually valued at £110 in 1893; valuers noted that the contract cost £4,000. As was common at this period, the bank building also provided accommodation for the bank manager, who lived on the premises. In 1911 the manager was John Hazlett, who occupied the thirteen-room first-class building with his wife, two young children, and three domestic staff including a children's nurse and a general domestic.

Valuers' notes from the 1930s record the layout of the building, showing the bank proper with a cash office, strong room, manager's office, and records office, together with dwelling accommodation above and to the rear. At that date the manager still lived on the premises and had use of a reception room, kitchen, scullery, and pantry on the ground floor rear; three bedrooms, a bathroom, a WC, and two reception rooms on the first floor; and three bedrooms and a bathroom on the second floor.

In 1970 the Northern Banking Company Limited, founded in Belfast in 1824, merged with the Belfast Banking Company Limited to form Northern Bank Limited. The company was subsequently acquired by the Danish-based Danske Bank Group in 2005. The building was listed in 1977 and has continued to function as a bank, passing to Santander in more recent years, while the upper floors are in use as offices. The introduction of a cash machine and a level-access doorway since listing has brought changes to the main elevation at ground-floor level, but the building otherwise remains much as originally conceived.