Northern Constitution, 18 Railway Road, Coleraine, Co Londonderry, BT51 1PD

Northern Constitution, 18 Railway Road, Coleraine

A two-storey-with-attic late Victorian building forming part of the offices of the Northern Constitution newspaper. Built around 1900-1904, it forms a largely symmetrical rendered terrace four openings wide, with a substantial late Victorian style shop-front to the ground floor. The building is interlinked to adjoining Northern Constitution blocks to the north and west, with which it shares group value as part of Coleraine's newspaper offices.

The principal elevation faces east onto Railway Road. The pitched slate roof has terracotta angled ridge-tiles and original skylights in modern frames to east and west. A brick chimney stands on the north gable without pots. Cast-iron ogee rainwater goods with decorative hoppers are mounted on rendered corbelled eaves. The walling is ruled-and-lined-rendered and painted, with roughcast to the rear. The upper floor contains four square-headed window openings with painted projecting sills, fitted with 1/1 timber sashes in plain reveals. The ground floor is divided into two shop units, each with an expansive plain glass window and a replacement four-panelled timber door with deep plain glass transom. A modern sign board spans the elevation, supported on fluted painted masonry pilasters. The south elevation is abutted by neighbouring terrace. The west elevation is roughcast rendered with a single first-floor window to the right; the remainder is abutted by an expansive two-storey return of the adjoining Northern Constitution building.

The building has undergone a series of internal modifications to link with adjoining Constitution buildings, reflecting the evolving relationship between the structures. The principal elevation has had some replacement elements inserted and the ground floor has been remodelled and refurbished, though historic fabric and detailing are substantially retained both externally and internally.

First shown on the third edition Ordnance Survey map of 1904, the terraces were constructed between 1901 and 1904 in conjunction with the adjoining offices and printing works of the Northern Constitution newspaper on a site previously occupied by a house and forge, which were removed in 1900. The building was initially owned by William Church, who also owned the Constitution building, but ownership transferred to the Northern Constitution in 1917. Early occupants included house painter Robert McCandless, who occupied the upper floors and rear yard, valued at £23 from 1901. The ground floor housed various commercial tenants, including a shop and out-stores valued at £17 10s, and later the Lilliput Laundry from 1923. In 1923, the neighbouring former house and shop were taken over and utilised as offices by the Britannic Assurance Company. By the 1935 First General Revaluation, the ground floor remained occupied by these companies whilst the upper floors fell largely vacant except for a single room used by the Young Women's Christian Association. Field evidence shows that the neighbouring terraced buildings to the south, added by 1922, were interconnected at first-floor level by a doorway, now blocked.

The footprint has remained relatively unaltered since construction. Since the mid-20th century, the building has been reordered to create interconnected and refurbished offices on the ground floor. It now forms part of the office accommodation for the Coleraine Chronicle and Northern Constitution newspapers.

The building is located in an urban setting within Coleraine town centre, with a narrow yard to the rear leading to Mill Street. An associated but detached former pressroom and paper store stands to the south-west on Mill Street.