Long’s Supermarket, 141C Strand Road, Londonderry, BT48 7PB

Long's Supermarket is a well-composed industrial building in an eclectic neo-classical style, dating from 1921 and built for Messrs Wilkinson to the design of architect R.E. Buchanan & Co. It is one of the last large shirt factory buildings constructed in Derry.

The building comprises a 15-bay, 3-storey structure with a flat roof, flanked by 4-storey pavilion blocks at each end, each 3 bays wide. The external material is a mixture of red brick and painted smooth rendering. The east elevation, which fronts onto Strand Road, features the 15-bay centre section articulated by tall smooth-rendered pilasters with freely interpreted capitals. Windows and spandrel walls are set back to give deep reveals to the pilasters. Originally fitted with industrial-type metal windows subdivided into small Georgian-like panes, these were later replaced with timber windows divided into approximately 9 square panes. At the time of survey, windows were being substituted with new openings of reduced height to accommodate lowered ceilings, with a new centre door being added. Shallow balconies with galvanised metal balustrading were being created. The pilasters support a deep frieze and cornice finished in painted rendering, above a solid parapet in brick and plaster. The end pavilions are identical, with the centre bay picked out by enclosing broad pilasters and matching fenestration. The pavilion bays are faced with red brick and have single metal windows on each floor, with some retaining original metal frames. The 3rd floor is designed as a classical attic storey. The north and south elevations of the pavilions are similarly treated, except at ground floor where entrance doors with wide smooth plastered surrounds were originally located. The west or rear elevation underwent major alteration during the conversion work, with a 4-storey narrow-width extension projecting 3 bays and upper floors divided into bays by broad vertical bands of red brick. The flat roof was reasphalted with ventilation stacks accommodating services. The building is set back 5 metres from the back of the footwalk and approximately 600 millimetres above it.

The building originally operated as a shirt factory under the ownership of Messrs Wilkinson. It later became Bryce and Weston Ltd, recorded under this ownership in the 1950s. After ceasing shirt factory operations in the 1970s, Messrs Long purchased the property and converted the ground floor to a supermarket. From 1999, work commenced to extend the supermarket into the car park and adapt the upper floors to residential flats, undertaken by builders Louerne Homes Ltd of Strabane and architect Michael Galbraith of Buncrana. The interior has been substantially changed and the rear extended, though the front façade and end elevations retain the essentials of the original design. As part of the apartment conversion, individual galvanised steel balconies have been added to the front elevation and windows replaced with plastic frames. The building is recorded as being of industrial archaeological interest.