No 14 Great James Street, (Former Factory), Londonderry, Co.Londonderry, BT48 7DA

No. 14 Great James Street, Londonderry

A mid-terrace former factory of four bays and three storeys, built in 1889 by an unknown architect. The building is constructed of red brick laid in Flemish bond with polychromatic white brick dressings, set on a brick plinth. It has been extended to the north east side and occupies an extensive mid-terrace location on Great James Street, where it dominates the streetscape.

The principal south west elevation faces onto Great James Street and is four bays wide, containing nine openings vertically divided by projecting brick pilasters into groupings of three, one, three and two openings. The ground floor features semicircular arch-headed archway openings with indented keystones. The upper floor bays are segmental arch-headed with red-brick hood moulds and stone and brick voussoirs, fitted with timber casement windows with openable sections. Two archways between window bays are present on the ground floor; the right side archway formerly gave access to a coach entryway but has since been filled in to serve as an entrance lobby to commercial premises, with its arch head now concealed by large modern signage.

The roof is pitched natural slate with black clay ridge tiles. A red-brick parapet wall is concealed behind a large moulded salient cornice. Chimney stacks rise from the north west and south east sides as red brick and rendered elements. A large red-brick chimney rises from the north east gable end to the left side rear return, and a rendered chimney stack with two buff clay pots rises from the north west elevation of the right side rear return.

The north west side elevation projects above that of the adjoining property No. 16 Great James Street, with red-brick and render finish gable-end walling topped by a squat chimney stack without clay pots. The irregular north west side elevation of the rear return has an unpainted rendered finish with plainer detailing, featuring a full-height projection at the centre and a further single storey projection to the left containing a metal external fire-escape staircase rising the full height of the building. This rendered elevation comprises a series of square-headed openings concealed with ply-sheeting and an unpainted rendered chimney stack with two buff clay pots. The projection is abutted at ground floor level by a high red-brick boundary wall to the adjoining neighbouring property.

The north east double-pile gable-end elevation to the rear is of stone and red brick, blank with no openings, topped on its left side by a squat red-brick chimney stack. The south east side elevation is blank with smooth painted rendered finish, spanning the full length of the site, with the gable-end to the main factory building topped by a rendered squat chimney stack. This less formally designed elevation faces onto a vacant infill site.

Windows are replacement hardwood casements. Roof drainage is uPVC or plastic. The building stands in close proximity to the former Great James Street Presbyterian Church and Manse to the south west side.