26 Beechwood Avenue, Londonderry, Co Londonderry, BT48 9LP

26 Beechwood Avenue, Londonderry

A compact and mildly picturesque two-storey detached house dating from circa 1894-5, situated on a slight rise at the intersection of Beechwood Avenue and Marlborough Street. The property is finished in painted lined render with a slated gabled roof.

The front elevation faces roughly south and is symmetrical in arrangement. At the centre of the ground floor is a panelled timber double door with simple panelled jambs topped with curved brackets and a rectangular three-pane fanlight, approached by three splayed tiled steps. To the left and right of the doorway are matching canted bays, each with sash windows to both faces set on a cill course. The central window of the left bay is larger with vertical glazing bars (2/2); the other windows are plain. Both bays have flat roofs topped with a decorative 'balcony' featuring a cast iron balustrade that stretches between the bays and over the doorway. The first floor contains three segmental-headed sash windows (2/2).

Both the west and east gables have windows to right on each floor; plain sash windows to the ground floor, with segmental heads to the first floor. The east gable has an additional window set at low first floor level to centre-right.

The rear elevation features a small single-storey lean-to at its centre, with two windows with modern frames to its north face and a partly glazed door to its east face. To the left of the lean-to is a squarish window with modern frame. To the right is a sash window with Georgian panes to the lower light (6), followed by a small coal shed. The first floor rear contains three windows, those to centre and right matching the front first floor but with flat heads; that to the left is set slightly lower with a plain sash frame.

The roof has an overhang with exposed rafter ends to the rear and barges with decorative tie beams to the gables. Three relatively small gabled dormers to the front have four-pane frames, timber sides and slated roofs with plain barges. Three Velux windows are positioned to the rear. Two rendered chimney stacks have projecting bases and moulded coping. Cast iron rainwater goods are present throughout.

The front of the property features a small sloping garden with stone steps from an original-looking wrought iron pedestrian gate. The rear has a small enclosed yard with a high retaining wall to the north and a lean-to shed against this wall.

Beechwood Avenue and Marlborough Terrace were laid out in the 1880s with most houses completed by the late 1890s. The house was acquired by Edward McAteer by 1949, around the time of his election as Stormont MP for Mid Derry. It remained his home throughout his political career, during which he became leader of the Nationalist Party in 1953 and leader of the official opposition at Stormont in 1965. He lost his parliamentary seat in 1969 to John Hume, who was his near neighbour at 7 Beechwood Avenue.