Historic Building Details

HB Ref No:
HB01/21/007

Address :
City Factory Queen Street-Patrick Street Londonderry County Londonderry BT48 7EL

Townland:
Edenballymore

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Survey 2:
B1

Date of Listing:
26/02/1979 00:00:00

Date of De-listing:

Current Use:
Office

Former Use
Factory

Conservation Area:
Yes

Industrial Archaeology:
No

Vernacular:
No

Thatched:
No

Monument:
No

Derelict:
No

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OS Map No:
36/4SW

IG Ref:
C4334 1718

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Owner Category

Commercial

Exterior Description And Setting

Detached multi-bay three-storey over basement polychromatic brick former factory, built c.1862, extended to the east, dated 1900, to the designs of Robert Young, and Young & Mackenzie respectively. U-shaped on plan, facing south onto Patrick Street with a series of projections and accretions to the rear. Hipped natural slate roofs with terracotta ridge tiles, several skylights and moulded cast-iron guttering on corbelled yellow brick eaves course with cast-iron, steel and plastic downpipes. Crow-stepped gable to the east rear projection and a central tower rising to form a third floor to the centre of the front elevation with a pyramidal slate roof. Red brick walling laid in Flemish bond with moulded sandstone ashlar quoins and plinth course. Rough-hewn limestone walling to basement level. Decorative angled and chevron patterned yellow brick courses below continuous sill courses. Camber-headed window openings formed in stop-chamfered yellow brick surrounds with sandstone sills and largely replacement hardwood timber casement windows. Principal south elevation is 28 windows wide with a pair of shallow recessed bays dividing the elevation into thirds. The recessed bays have three slender arched windows to the upper levels (that to the east rises to form an attic storey) with large openings at ground floor level. Square-headed opening to the west recess having a concrete lintel and replacement steel glazed doors. That to the east has an elliptical arched opening formed in chamfered yellow brick with a sandstone keystone with raised digits ‘1900’, and replacement hardwood glazed entrance screen. West side elevation is seven windows wide and fronts onto Queen Street. Detailed as per above except to the ground floor. Round-headed window and door openings to the ground floor formed in stepped and moulded yellow brick with carved sandstone figurative ancons and sandstone sills supported on brackets. Irregular rear elevation with less ornate detailing and comprising a full-height projection to either end, a further full-height projection to the centre and a series of lower accretions and utilitarian structures to the remainder. East side elevation is nine windows wide with an angle to the elevation accommodating the line of North Edward Street. Detailing as per front elevation. Roof Natural slate RWG Cast-iron/uPVC Walling Polychromatic brick Windows Replacement hardwood casement Setting: Occuping the entire length of Patrick Street and returning onto Queen Street, the former factory dominates its locale. A less formally designed east side elevation fronts onto North Edward Street with utilitarian accretions and extensions to the rear facing onto an access lane.

Architects

Young, Robert Young & Mackenzie

Historical Information

The City Factory, a three-storey red brick (former) shirt factory occupying almost the entire length of Patrick Street with elevations on Queen Street and North Edward Street, was originally constructed in 1862-63. In the early decades of the 19th century men’s fashion in Europe underwent change due to the mass production of American cotton. By the 1830s flannel was beginning to be replaced by the imported cotton which was a cleaner, cheaper and softer material. The Shirt Industry in Londonderry was founded in the early-19th century by William Scott, a local weaver who exploited this shift in the clothing market. Scott’s first shop was located in Weaver’s Row (close to the future site of Tillie & Henderson’s factory) but the swift success of his business necessitated the opening of a much larger factory in Bennett Street. In 1850 Scott was still the only shirt maker in the city but his success encouraged others such as Tillie, Hogg and Sinclair to establish shirt manufactories in the city. The Northwest Archaeological & Historical Society records that ‘these men saw the possibilities of the sewing machine, which was invented in 1845 by Elias Howe of Massachusetts. They saw that by bringing all the workers together into a factory rather than having them scattered around the countryside, they could make great savings.’ Peter McIntyre, one of William Scott’s former employees, established the firm of McIntyre & Hogg in 1853 (The Shirt Industry of the Northwest of Ireland, p. 8; Hume, p. 111). McIntyre & Hogg originally operated from premises on Foyle Street. The Dublin Builder records that the current three-storey building, known as the City Factory, was constructed in 1862-63 to designs by Robert Young (1822-1917), a Belfast-based architect and engineer. The design of the City Factory has often been attributed to Young & Mackenzie but Robert Young did not enter into partnership with his pupil John Mackenzie until at least 1866. The firm later undertook the extension of the building in 1899-1900 but the original block of the factory was an independent venture by Young. The Dictionary of Irish Architects notes that Young carried out a number of contracts in Co. Derry throughout his early career. The City Factory was one of the last contracts Young completed in the city before forming Young & Mackenzie, a firm which by the 20th century ‘had become the most successful architectural practise in Belfast’ (Dublin Builder; DIA). Robert Young designed the City Factory as a three-storey L-shaped factory. The c. 1873 Annual Revisions Town Plane shows that the original factory consisted of the elevation on Queen Street and the block on Patrick Street extending as far as the second carriage arch. The factory was not extended to its current length until 1899-1900 when the easternmost 10 bays were installed. The builder contracted to construct the City Factory was Matthew McClelland who held business premises on the Strand Road. The total cost for the erection of the factory was estimated at £8,000 by the Dublin Builder. Upon the buildings completion the Annual Revisions set the total rateable value of the City Factory at £370. The year ‘1863’ was inscribed in a keystone above the original coach arch. McIntyre & Hogg became one of the most important shirt factories and employers of local labour in Derry. During the 1870s the firm employed 600 in the City Factory and over 2,000 throughout Derry and Donegal (The Outfitter). The industry continued to develop throughout the 19th century with the City Factory taking a leading role in the evolution of the shirt making process. The centralisation of workers within large factories was accompanied by the introduction of the sewing machine in the 1850s. In 1867 McIntyre & Hogg were responsible for developing a new cutting machine which replaced the hand cutting of the shirt materials. The Londonderry Guardian noted that ‘this new [cutting machine] is admirably adapted for the purpose and is a complete success. It is driven by steam power (as the sewing machines are in all the large factories). It was invented and applied by their own superintending mechanic, Mr. Croom’ (Londonderry Guardian). A laundry was added to the City Factory in 1883 increasing the value of the building to £410. The addition of internal laundries became general amongst all the large factories in the city as the manufacturers developed new techniques in order to keep the quality of their output consistent: ‘Nothing looks simpler than the washing of shirts and yet no department gives greater trouble to the manufacturers, as the important points of colour and weight which are so essential, are difficult to produce with regularity. The shirts are washed in large cylindrical machines which reverse after every few revolutions, thus ensuring constant movement of both goods and liquids’ (Londonderry Sentinel). The ever increasing mechanisation of the shirt making process resulted in the installation of a new 25 horsepower engine within the City Factory in 1893. The additions resulted in an increase in the value of the building to £425. Such was the success of McIntyre, Hogg (& Marsh by 1891) that the City Factory was extended in 1899-1900 increasing the workforce accommodation to 800. Young & Mackenzie designed the three-storey ten-bay extension which added approximately 141ft to the length of the building. The contractor was Joseph Ballantine who held business premises on the Strand Road. Ballantine estimated that the extension would cost £3,882 and include the altering of the machinery and boilers within the building (The Shirt Industry of the Northwest of Ireland). Following the completion of the extension the total value of the City Factory was increased to £750. The year ‘1900’ was inscribed in a second keystone above the new coach arch that was added as part of the extension. During the First World War the demand for shirts greatly increased but following the armistice in 1918 the international shirt market entered a depression. Intensifying international competition placed local shirt factories such as the City Factory at a disadvantage due to the costs involved in transportation but the Derry factories were able to survive due to paying much lower wages than their contemporaries in England. In the 1920s there were 44 shirt factories in Derry employing a workforce of over 8,000 (The Shirt Industry of the Northwest of Ireland). The value of the Shirt Factory had been raised to £800 by the First General Revaluation of Property in Northern Ireland (1936 57) and was further increased to £1,320 by the end of the Second Revaluation (1956-72). In the 1970s McIntyre, Hogg & Marsh merged with English Sewing Cotton Ltd. and also took over Tootal Ltd. The firm retained the Tootal brand name (The Outfitter). In 1970 the UAHS guide for Londonderry described the City Factory as ‘a fine example of functional architecture within the discipline of load-bearing brickwork. The single rhythm of the windows; the emphasis on the horizontal helped by the string courses and cornice of decorated brickwork; the excellent use of different coloured brick; and the good articulation of the ground floor round-headed windows, all make this an interesting contribution to the street. The keystones of the ground floor windows to Queen Street are finished with good sculpted heads’ (UAHS guide, p. 46). Between 1970 and 1978 over 30 shirt factories closed throughout Northern Ireland due to increasing overseas competition from Developing Countries but the City Factory endured for another two decades (The Shirt Industry of the Northwest of Ireland). The City Factory was listed in 1979. The NIEA HB Records note that the factory remained in an excellent state of internal and external repair by the 1980s although the roof required restoration in 1988. The City Factory continued to operate as a shirt factory until 1991. At the time of its closure the shirt factory still possessed a large workforce of almost 400 people. The City Factory is one of the earliest shirt factories to survive in Londonderry. The City Factory is now one of the last remaining links to the city’s industrial heritage, following the demolition of Tillie & Henderson’s factory in 2003. The factory remained vacant until 1995 when the ground floor was converted for commercial use (necessitating the blocking up of one of the original coach arches), the first floor was converted into office space and the upper floors were briefly turned into four self-contained apartments. In 1999 the upper floors of the building were converted into educational use and offices for a faculty of the North West Institute of Further and Higher Education. In 2005 the Derry Artists for Derry Art established the Void Art Centre in the basement of the City Factory (NIEA HB Records). References Primary Sources 1. PRONI OS/6/5/20/2 – Second Edition Ordnance Survey Map (1853) 2. PRONI VAL/12/E/157/1/7-8 – Annual Revisions Town Plan (c. 1873) 3. PRONI VAL/12/B/32/11B-ZA – Annual Revisions (1862-1897) 4. PRONI VAL/12/B/33/2A-2F – Annual Revisions (1898-1931) 5. PRONI VAL/3/C/6/10 – First General Revaluation of Property in Northern Ireland (1936-57) 6. PRONI VAL/4/B/5/14 – Second General Revaluation of Property in Northern Ireland (1956-72) 7. Ulster Town Directories (1860-1918) 8. Dublin Builder (15 Nov 1862) 9. Londonderry Guardian (14 Mar 1867) 10. Londonderry Sentinel (19 Oct 1912) 11. The Outfitter (14 Oct 1951) 12. First Survey Record – HB01/21/007 (1970) 13. First Survey Image – HB01/21/007 (No Date) 14. NIEA HB Records – HB01/21/007 Secondary Sources 1. ‘The shirt industry of the Northwest of Ireland’ Londonderry: Northwest Archaeological & Historical Society, 1978. 2. Calley, D., ‘City of Derry: An historical gazetteer to the buildings of Londonderry’ Belfast: Ulster Architectural Heritage Society, 2013. 3. Ferguson, W. S; Rowan, A. J; Tracey, J. J., ‘List of historic buildings, groups of buildings, areas of architectural importance in and near the city of Derry’ Belfast: Ulster Architectural Heritage Society, 1970. 4. Hume, J., ‘Derry beyond the walls: Social and economic aspects of the growth of Derry 1825-1850’ Belfast: Ulster Historical Foundation, 2002. 5. Lacey, B., ‘Siege city: The story of Derry and Londonderry’ Belfast: The Blackstaff Press, 1990. 6. Lacey, B., ‘’Discover Derry’ Londonderry: The Guildhall Press, 2011. 7. Rowan, A. J., ‘The Buildings of Ireland: North West Ulster’ London: Yale University Press, 2003. 8. ‘Londonderry Clarendon Street Conservation Area Booklet’ Department of the Environment, 1978. 9. ‘Design Guide for Clarendon Street Conservation Area’ Department of the Environment, 2012. Online Resources 1. Dictionary of Irish Architects - http://www.dia.ie 2. Void Art Gallery website - http://www.derryvoid.com/about/

Criteria for Listing

Architectural Interest

A. Style B. Proportion C. Ornamentation D. Plan Form H-. Alterations detracting from building H+. Alterations enhancing the building J. Setting

Historic Interest

V. Authorship Y. Social, Cultural or Economic Importance X. Local Interest R. Age T. Historic Importance S. Authenticity

Evaluation

Detached multi-bay three-storey over basement polychromatic brick former factory, built c.1862, to the designs of Robert Young, extended and to Young & McKenzie designs 1899-1900. The factory is a good example of industrial Victorian architecture, and although some external fabric has been altered, the rhythmic fenestration and exaggerated scale of the building remains intact. In addition to the architectural merits of the building, the social importance is reflected in its having been one of the most important shirt factories and employers of local labour in Derry, and in its role in the evolution of manufacturing equipment and techniques. It survived as a working factory until 1991, therafter being converted into commercial space.

General Comments

Date of Survey

27 February 2014