Former Londonderry Fire Station, Northland Road, Londonderry, Co.Londonderry, BT48 0AN

Former Londonderry Fire Station

A detached, double-pile two-storey building over basement, comprising four bays of coursed rock-faced sandstone. Built in 1897 to designs by Young & Mackenzie, it was originally constructed as a residence for the Superintendent of the former Lunatic Asylum.

The building is T-shaped in plan. The principal elevation faces south-east onto Northland Road, approached by stone steps descending over a basement well. The roof is hipped with natural slate, featuring a small and a large sandstone chimney stack with buff clay pots positioned to the north-east side, both centred on the ridge. A deep overhanging cornice marks the eaves level.

The south-east facing principal elevation is of coursed rock-faced sandstone. To the left stands a painted render single-storey flat-roofed entrance porch approached by a perron flight of stone steps with replacement painted metal handrails to either side. The recessed square-headed door opening is surmounted by a segmental arch with keystone and moulded cornice above, leading to a low parapet wall painted in contrasting colour. The doorway itself contains a pair of raised-and-fielded diamond-faced three-panelled painted timber doors with plain architrave surround. Two square-headed timber windows sit on stone sills to the left of the porch, with three further windows aligned above at first-floor level. To the right is a projecting hip-roofed bay with two square-headed windows, one on the ground floor and one on the first floor above. All windows are timber sliding sashes with horns: 1/1 on the ground floor and 2/2 on the first floor. Basement level features square-headed uPVC casement windows positioned directly beneath each ground-floor window.

The south-west side elevation displays coursed rock-faced sandstone with an irregular fenestration pattern comprising a mix of small and large square-headed timber sliding sashes, steel and timber casements to ground and first floors, and uPVC casements to basement level. Cast-iron rainwater goods run the length of this elevation.

The north-west rear elevation rises to three storeys and is constructed of shist stone with red brick dressings to window and door surrounds. The left-side projecting bay incorporates a small slate-pitched roof stone extension at basement level to its extreme left, punctuated by a single square-headed uPVC casement window. A continuous stone band-course runs between basement and ground-floor windows. Ground and first floors display two square-headed timber sliding sash windows each: 1/1 sashes on the ground floor and 2/2 on the first floor. The south-west elevation of the projecting bay contains a single window of the same type on both ground and first floors, plus a basement square-headed door opening with a uPVC door featuring glazed top and bottom panes. The fenestration of the remainder of the rear elevation to the right of the projecting bay is irregular, comprising a mix of timber sliding sashes and casements. Basement level holds a square-headed uPVC casement window, with a continuous stone band-course between basement and ground floors. A semi-circular tall timber sliding sash window with decorative coloured margin panes ornaments the first-floor landing level. Cast-iron rainwater goods run along this elevation.

The north-east side elevation is of coursed rock-faced sandstone. A three-sided canted bay rises from basement to ground-floor level on the left, topped with a hipped roof featuring lead detailing. This bay contains a square-headed uPVC window to basement level and square-headed 1/1 timber sliding sash windows on the ground floor. To its right, paired square-headed uPVC windows serve the basement level, with a single square-headed 1/1 timber sliding sash window on the ground floor immediately adjacent. Three square-headed 2/2 timber sliding sash windows light the first floor. Cast-iron rainwater goods extend across this elevation.

The building sits on the western side of Northland Road on an elevated site overlooking the River Foyle to the east. The principal elevation is enclosed by a stone wall and a row of tall trees fronting Northland Road, positioned on the boundary of the Clarendon Street Conservation Area. The former fire station building stands immediately to the south, with a modern building at higher level to the north-west. Three-storey modern housing adjoins the site to the immediate north.