Former Scottish Cooperative Wholesale Society factory ('The Scotch Stores'), NORTH END- 'OFFICE /FACTORY', Sligo Road, Enniskillen, Co Fermanagh, BT74 7JY

Former Scottish Cooperative Wholesale Society Factory ('The Scotch Stores')

A long, mainly two-storey late Victorian rubble-built former factory and integral manager's house, located on the south-west edge of Enniskillen, on the west side of Sligo Road and east of Old Henry Street. The complex is believed to have been built in 1893 to designs by Thomas Elliot for processing livestock, though its considerable length, varying roof heights and differing levels of detailing suggest that portions may have been added a few years afterwards. The building runs roughly north to south, curving to follow the line of the roads, and is marked by large Jacobean gables and an overall 'Highland lodge' character.

The complex comprises several connected sections. At the north end stands the manager's house, 'Thistle Bank House', which merges southward into a larger block that originally contained offices but now houses retail units, with a significant eastern portion occupied as a meeting place for a local church. This in turn connects to a large, plainer, lower-proportioned block that likely housed the factory proper and now contains shops, a snooker hall and other commercial units. South of this is a long narrow block, slightly taller and more ornate, originally possibly warehouses and now containing shops, a bingo hall and restaurant. At the very southern end are plain flat-roofed sections of approximately 1970s date, also now commercial. To the west, where ground level rises, much of the building appears single-storey. A long narrow enclosed yard lies to the west, containing a long gabled outbuilding that is two-storey to the east but single-storey to the west, with a tall square battered brick chimney at its south gable, indicating it once housed a boiler or boiling house.

Much of the complex is constructed in squared rock-faced stone with smooth dressings and quoins. Since the later 1970s the building has been occupied with retail and workshop units of various sizes, resulting in considerable alteration to window and door openings, particularly to the east façade fronting Sligo Road, and extensive modern signage application.

The east elevation of the office-factory section culminates at its south end in a low two-storey section with two large modern shop-front openings and a narrow window, all originally much smaller. Above rises a large square plain rendered or faced turret, possibly a water tank. To its right is a small gabled dormer with fixed-light glazing. North of the low section is a large three-storey gable topped with a ball finial, similar to those of the house but without a chimney stack. Between this gable and the house is a plainer two-storey section. At ground floor are three modern shop fronts, a doorway with modern door, another modern shop front with separate doorway, and a former arched doorway now modified. The original openings were considerably smaller. Above ground floor is a long rectangular panel, possibly once displaying the factory owners' name, with six evenly-spaced first-floor windows having segmental heads. The three right-hand windows retain their original sash frames (2/2 configuration), whilst the others have plain fixed-light glazing. The uppermost floor of the large gable to the left contains a pair of semicircular-headed windows. A small gabled dormer with louvered opening sits on the roof section to the right of the gable, with a stone chimney stack at the north end of the ridge.

The west elevation of the office section projects beyond the west gable of the house. A large hall-like portion now occupied by a local church dominates the left and centre. This represents the western half of the two-storey section visible from the east, but appears single-storey from this side due to the rising ground level. Roughly to the centre is a broad timber-panelled double door within a shallow porch having thick rendered jambs, flat roof and steps, likely not original. To its immediate left is a very large window, now with a recent signboard, originally probably with stone mullions and transom but now fitted with a modern frame and security bars. A small sash window (2/1) lies further left. To the right of the doorway is a large 'eyebrow' window with stone mullions and modern frames to three lights. The short north-facing façade contains a small modern-framed window. South of the hall-like portion is a large but relatively plain two-storey projecting gable. At ground floor are a panelled timber double door flanked by two small square windows with modern frames. The first floor has two small windows on each side of a much larger window with segmental head, all with PVC frames. The short north-facing façade has a relatively large ground-floor window with timber mullioned and transomed frame and a smaller, boarded-up first-floor window. South of this gable is another larger gable projecting further and angled slightly. Its ground floor contains four narrow windows with PVC frames to the left and centre and two doors to the right, one timber-sheeted and one glazed. The first floor has three slightly larger windows with PVC frames. The first floor features a single semicircular-headed window opening filled with a PVC window with louvering to the arch head.