History of Darcus and Cathedral Cottages
14 & 16 London Street
Although the deeds of these properties date to the late 18th century, the rough cellar walls of No. 14 suggest the existence of an earlier structure on this site. Stewart’s Map of 1738 shows that a house and plot of land extended from Pump Street along London Street as far as No. 14. The owner was John Darcus (1680-1730s), a member of a prominent Derry family. One of his sons was wounded while fighting with the British Army in the American War of Independence (1775-1783).
In 1767 the Irish Society transferred the lease of this property to another of John’s sons, Henry Darcus (1718-1795). This holding included houses on London Street (14 to 22 in today’s numbering). In 1823, John Darcus (born in 1800), grandson of Henry Darcus, sold part of his inherited property in London Street (including Nos. 14 and 16) to George Franks, an attorney at law in Derry. John, enriched by the proceeds of his sale, took off to London with an actress, Mrs Lascelles. We decided to name 14 London Street “Darcus Cottage” to commemorate its long connection of the Darcus family, and no. 16 “Cathedral Cottage” because it faces St. Columb’s Cathedral.
According to the 1832 Valuation Records, Mr. Franks’ house in London Street (now No. 14) had a pantry, privy, cellar store, and office. Attached to it was a coach house and passage (now No. 16), with a dwelling overhead. City maps show that sometime between 1832 and 1873 the property was split into two separate houses, and No. 16 acquired its own front door and staircase. In 1862 the now ageing George Franks transferred several properties (including 14 & 16 London Street) to his daughter Mary Ann, and her husband Thomas Knox, in lieu of the dowry he had pledged to pay when she married in 1842. Mary Ann died in 1875 and her husband in 1888. Their children sold their inherited house property to David Spain in 1922. The following year, David Spain disposed of 14 & 16 London Street to Sir Frederick James Simmons, grandfather of the noted Irish poet James Simmons.
An annual street directory of Derry, first published in 1862, provides information on the tenants who lived in these houses. No. 14 served as a pub run by Eliza Gallagher in 1870. By 1893 the City of Derry Unionist Registration Office was located there, and Daniel Holland, its agent, lived next door in No. 16. He later became Governor of the Apprentice Boys Society. By 1902, the Londonderry Unionist Association was also based in No. 14. For some years following 1916 the property housed the office of the Orange and Protestant Friendly Society together with its agent, James Goligher. During the remainder of the 20th-century Nos. 14 and 16 passed through numerous ownerships.
By 1975, No. 16 London Street had fallen into such a state of disrepair that the Northern Ireland Housing Executive considered it unfit for human habitation and ordered its demolition. Fortunately, remedial work carried out by its new owner, the Inner City Trust, enabled the demolition order to be rescinded in 1979. After purchasing 14 and 16 London Street from the Inner City Trust in 1998 we embarked on a programme of renovation and since then these quaint historic houses have entered a new phase in their long and chequered history. Darcus and Cathedral Cottages now function as self-catering residences for tourists and visitors who want to experience life within Derry’s ancient walls at first hand.
Contact
Adresse
Darcus Cottage,
14 London Street,
Derry,
Northern Ireland,
BT48 6RQ
Cathedral Cottage,
16 London Street,
Derry,
Northern Ireland,
BT48 6RQ
Téléphone
0044 28 71269691 / From N. America 011 44 28 71269691
