40 Great James Street, Londonderry, Co. Londonderry, BT48 7DA

40 Great James Street is a mid-Victorian end-of-terrace house built in 1871-72. It forms part of a terrace grouping with Nos. 36 and 38 Great James Street, all of similar design. The building is a three-storey structure with two bays on its principal elevation, constructed of smooth rendered walls with a pitched slate roof and tall chimney stack.

The principal elevation faces south, accessed directly from street level by one step up. The smooth painted render walls are finished with smooth plaster band quoins flanking the window openings at first and second floor levels. Window openings are square-headed, set on painted masonry sills with a continuous painted sill running across the first floor. All windows on the principal elevation are 6/6 timber sliding sashes to ground, first and second floors, with the bays on the ground floor aligned with window bays above.

The entrance doorcase is a notable feature, comprising timber panelled pilasters on plinth blocks with plaster console brackets decorated with acanthus leaf detail on either side. The door itself is a four-panel raised and fielded timber door with a moulded timber cornice below a plain elliptical glazed fanlight. Cast iron half-round guttering on rise and fall brackets terminates at a swan neck cast iron circular downpipe to the right. The chimney stack to the east side is of red brick with six terracotta clay pots, though one pot is missing.

The north elevation to the rear is three storeys of smooth render painted finish. A two-storey rear return at half landing height to the main house features smooth render painted finish, while the north elevation itself is of rough cast unpainted render. A slated pitched roof with three velux rooflights covers this section. Window openings are square-headed on painted masonry sills, with an irregular fenestration pattern comprising both original timber sliding sashes and replacement timber casement windows to the rear return. A large red brick chimney stack to the north elevation of the return has three terracotta clay pots.

A small single-storey lean-to shed is attached to the rear return with a slate roof and cast iron rooflight. Another small shed adjoins the lean-to, finished in painted pebble dash with a corrugated metal sheet roof and timber door to the rear.

The west elevation is of smooth render painted finish with no fenestration above an adjoining gated vehicle entrance to No. 42. The pitched slate roof carries clay ridge tiles and a rebuilt rustic red brick chimney stack with six terracotta clay pots rising from the east side. Cast iron half-round guttering on rise and fall brackets terminates at a cast iron circular downpipe to the front elevation, with uPVC rainwater goods to the rear. The east side is adjoined to the neighbouring property No. 38 Great James Street.

The building sits within a terraced row lining the north side of Great James Street, a steep hill running between St. Eugene's Cathedral to the west and Strand Road to the east. A large rear garden is enclosed by red brick and schist walling with timber gates to the north boundary. The property is located within the Clarendon Street Conservation Area.