6 Queen Street, Coleraine, Co. Londonderry, BT52 1BE

A two-storey, three-bay, mid-terraced commercial premises built around 1898, located on the west side of Queen Street in Coleraine town centre. The building forms part of an early nineteenth-century terrace, though the present structure was substantially rebuilt or remodelled in 1898, possibly retaining earlier fabric.

The rectangular plan includes a two-storey return to the rear. The pitched roof is covered with artificial slate and finished with angled ridge tiles; chimneys have been removed. Ogee cast iron rainwater goods sit on a projecting eaves course. The walling is painted smooth render.

The principal elevation faces east with a three-bay arrangement. At first floor level, there are two windows over the shopfront on the right side and a single window opening over a door and former coach arch to the left. Windows throughout are 1/1 timber sash with horns, set in moulded architraves with projecting painted sills. Plate glass windows form part of the shopfront treatment.

The shopfront is a significant surviving feature, comprising a central recessed entrance flanked by plate glass windows with timber frames on painted render stall risers. The recessed entrance is fully glazed with modern double-leaf glass-panelled timber doors and narrow sidelights, surmounted by two moulded timber panels. The porch is splayed with modern floor tiles and a timber-sheeted ceiling supported on two cast-iron columns on pedestals, enclosed by iron gates with arrow-heads. The shopfront is bounded by panelled pilaster jambs rising to acroters. The single bay on the left side contains a doorway, now boarded over, flanked by painted moulded pilasters and topped by a small moulded pediment, above a former coach arch with a timber frame insert and boarded-over paired doors with plain overlight. A timber fascia over the shopfront carries a moulded cornice. A small metal plaque on the wall above the former coach arch states: "QUEEN STREET - FORMERLY PREACHING HOUSE LANE AFTER JOHN WESLEY FOUNDER OF METHODISM PREACHED HERE IN 18TH C".

The south elevation is abutted by number 4 Queen Street. The north elevation is abutted by the adjoining building number 8 Queen Street. The west (rear) elevation includes a two-storey unpainted rendered return with artificial slate roof and two modern rooflights to the north slope. A small section of the main rear wall is exposed to the right of this return. Extensions of surrounding buildings abut the rear return at ground floor level on the north, west and south sides, with only the first floor level exposed. The rear gable elevation of the return is blank and further abutted by a single-storey building with an asbestos tiled roof. The south elevation of the return has two blocked-up openings and cast iron guttering. The north elevation of the return has a single blocked-up and rendered opening.

Historically, Queen Street was formerly known as Preaching House Lane, named after John Wesley, founder of Methodism, who preached there in the eighteenth century. Buildings are shown on the site on the first edition Ordnance Survey map of 1830, though the present structure dates from 1898. The Townland Valuation (1828-40) records a structure occupying a much larger footprint as a kiln and offices belonging to Alexander Mitchell, valued at £22. Griffith's Valuation (1856-64) describes the building as a corn kiln and stores valued at £14. By 1872 the holding had been divided into three stores, each valued at £3. In 1897 the building was taken over by Allan Shaw, an auctioneer, and rebuilt as a house, offices and shop valued at £40. The premises were subsequently divided into a ground floor shop with offices on the upper floors, which were sublet to various tenants. In recent years the building was in use as a beauty salon.

The building is situated on the west side of Queen Street in the central pedestrianised zone of the town centre, north of The Diamond and the Town Hall. Forming part of an early nineteenth-century terrace which has been modified and altered over the years, incremental changes to neighbouring shopfronts have eroded the historic quality and character of the terrace and the wider setting. Despite this, the uniform scale of the terrace helps retain something of its homogeneity. The building displays proportions and detailing typical of the period and retains its now increasingly rare historic shopfront. Despite its otherwise plain appearance, its authenticity at ground floor level enhances the historic streetscape and the wider architectural character and quality of Coleraine town centre, making it one of the better preserved examples of its type in the town.