304 Newry Road

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

A range of vernacular buildings facing south at the roadside. Part single storey and part two storey all now vacant and blocked up. The western end of the range is single storey and comprises three bays and an abutting outhouse at right angles to the west gable and projecting forwards into the street. Immediately right of this outhouse is the post office which occupies one bay. The last two bays of this block comprise the dwelling. At east is the two-storey block. All walls are harled and colour washed (it has been several different colours in its lifetime). There are various detached outbuildings in the complex and some of them are quite substantial.

1. One storey block

The roofs are natural slate and at the rear some of the slate is local shale stone. The ridge is blue clay tiles and the verge is secured with a cement fillet. There are two smooth rendered chimneys on the cross walls, the easterly one has been raised presumably to overcome downdrafts after the two storey section was added. Gutters are galvanised metal.

At the front, the outhouse has a sheeted door, the post office has a window then a gabled slated projecting porch with a window to the front and a sheeted entrance door to the east flank and then a further window.

On the left gable, projecting forward from line of Post Office façade is a blocked up opening at ground floor right hand side.

The rear of the single storey section is featureless except for a parallel pitched stone porch with local slate roof a sheeted door in the east gable and a 3/3 sash window in the rear wall, part of which has collapsed at some time and has been rebuilt in concrete brick.

2. Two storey block

The two-storey section is one bay in width and two in depth. The roof runs at right angles to the main roof and is also natural slate with a plain rendered chimney on the rear gable, doubled or perhaps superseded by a cast iron externally mounted flue pipe bracketed up the wall. A further tall, rendered chimney rises off the left side eaves, directly in line with ridge of single storey block. The only feature in the gable facing the road is a first floor window. On the east wall there is a ground floor window in the first bay (1/1 sliding sash) and in the second bay there is a modern top hung casement window at ground and at first floor. In the rear gable there is a single first floor window offset to the right.

Historical information

A small building is marked at this location on the 1834 OS 6” map, but it is uncertain whether it is part of the existing range. The 1861 map shows two buildings, all of which are described as one storey in the 1861 Valuation; one is cited as a shop. The two-storey section first appears in the 1873 Valuation, the rating for the house increasing from £3 to £4.10s.0d. There is a further increase, to £6.10s.0d in 1878 when offices were added. In short, the block is probably mid 19th century in origin, with later 19th century additions. It is cited as Lisnacree Post Office on the 1901 OS map.

Primary sources:
1. PRONI - OS 6/3/55/1(1834 OS map) (Down sheet 55).
2. PRONI - OS 6/3/55/2 (1861 OS map) (Down sheet 55).
3. PRONI - OS 6/3/55/3 (1901 OS map) (Down sheet 55).
4. PRONI - VAL 1B/390A (1861 valuation).
3. PRONI- VAL 2B/3/81A (1873 valuation).
4. PRONI- VAL 12B/19/13A, (1878 valuation) p.77.

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

Not listed

Criteria for listing: historic interest

Not listed

Evaluation

A pleasant vernacular composition but not of sufficient interest as to be classed as special.