23 Crawford Square, Londonderry

23 Crawford Square, Londonderry

A Victorian mid-terrace townhouse of two bays and three storeys over basement with an attic level, built in 1862 and thought to have been designed by J.G. Ferguson. The building is constructed of red brick with stucco dressings and rustication to the ground floor. It was built as a pair with No. 22 Crawford Square and forms part of a terrace row of four similar houses set to the northwest of Crawford Square.

The principal elevation faces south onto Crawford Square, positioned behind a low rendered stone boundary wall with painted cast-iron railings above. The pitched natural slate roof features a platform ridge continuous with No. 22, topped by a duo-pitched dormer with semicircular fascia board and a large two-stage ashlar sandstone chimney stack with projecting string course, panelled upper stage, and corbelled cap supporting four buff clay pots to the front elevation and five octagonal buff clay pots to the rear. The eaves are finished with timber fascia and modillion moulding over deep timber soffit boards, with half-round cast-iron guttering discharging to a circular cast-iron downpipe.

The principal elevation displays red brick in Flemish bond on the upper floors with stucco dressings and rustication at ground level. A dentilled band sits on a moulded sill-course to the first-floor windows. The advanced right-side bay features a pedimented gable with toothed quoins from first-floor level and a canted bay window rising from basement to first floor, finished with a moulded cornice and guilloche ornamental pattern to the frieze below.

The windows are presently concealed with plywood sheets. The second-floor tripartite window, partly visible, contains 1/1 timber sliding sash margin-paned windows with decorative console brackets featuring leaf detail between each pane, surmounted by a dentilled band and dentilled segmental arch crown moulding with brick tympanum. The attic level features a Diocletian window within the pedimented gable, comprising three unequal lights divided by plain mullions with moulded stucco surround and keystone; the central opening contains a bottom-hung casement window. The first-floor window above the entrance doorway has a moulded stucco architrave with decorative console brackets to either side supporting a deep projecting cornice; the second-floor window above has a lugged architrave surround. The semicircular arched dormer to the attic level above contains a square-headed 2 timber sliding sash window and slated cheeks.

The entrance features a large semicircular arch opening with moulded surround, with entrance steps over a basement well shared with No. 22, leading to a pair of raised-and-fielded timber doors flanked by large fluted columns of Doric order supporting a dentilled cornice above.

The west side adjoins No. 22 Crawford Square. The north elevation to the rear is three storeys over basement with attic level, incorporating a two-storey rear return built at half-landing level with gable shared with No. 22. Both rear and return elevations are rendered smoothly and left unpainted. The fenestration pattern is irregular, comprising a circular roundel window on the third-floor level to the right of a 6/6 timber sliding sash window and a 2/2 timber sliding sash window on the first floor. Two small dormers to the slated pitched roof each have slated duo-pitched roof and cheeks with coupled 2/2 timber sliding sash windows. Timber casement windows serve the rear return where visible. The pitched natural slate roof extends over the rear return. Toothed quoins from the south elevation return to the east gable end, which is of smooth unpainted render and topped by a two-stage sandstone chimney stack to both north and south sides of the platform ridge. Two small timber sliding windows between the chimneys serve the attic level, with a single 2/2 timber sliding sash window on the first-floor level to the north side of the elevation and two blind square-headed openings at basement level. Cast-iron rainwater goods serve the front elevation, whilst uPVC rainwater goods serve the rear and return.

Crawford Square is positioned at an angle to Northland Road on an inclined site to the northwest of the city, within the Clarendon Street Conservation Area. The square is centred on a rectangular mature garden, bound by low walling and enclosed on three sides by three-storey buildings. No. 23 sits at the end of a terrace of four similar townhouses, set above and back from the pavement behind a stone wall with cast-iron railings above (some now replaced), with paired entrances opening onto broad steps over cellar wells. A rear yard is enclosed by a rubblestone outbuilding (former stable) and walling that joins a rubble schist stone retaining wall to Northland Crescent. A cast-iron beam inserted within this wall forms a wide garage door opening, now infilled with concrete block; the wall returns along the northeast boundary with red brick toothed quoins to the corner. The southeast side of Crawford Square comprises a long terrace of eighteen similar townhouses.