9-11 Newry Street

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

Three-storey mid 19thC building incorporating two small shop units and offices, set in a terrace on S side of Newry Street.

Pitched natural slate roof with cement rendered and coped chimney to each gable. Rendered skews to front pitch with moulded kneelers. Semicircular metal rainwater goods on advanced eaves course.

Front elevation is four windows wide on upper floors, lined rendered and painted with stepped V-channelled stucco quoins. At ground floor, the left half is filled by two shop fronts, which are symmetrical. At centre is a pair of storm doors leading to a small common vestibule between the shops. Each storm door has a glazed top panel and bolection moulded bottom one. They have a red and black tiled threshold and glazed cheeks. Flanking to either side is a large shop window with horizontal transom over. This frontage is framed at either end by thin moulded render pilasters (with rounded head and tail to each panel). Over is a timber fascia with overhanging leaded cornice and timber brackets, each with a small drop finial.

The right half of the ground floor has a door to left and a window to right. Below the window is a moulded stucco basecourse. The door is four panelled and bolection moulded with raised insets. Large decorative brass doorknob and plain brass letter slot. Over is a plainly glazed transom. Around both door and transom is a painted timber architrave embellished with fretted circles and lozenges. The door is set within a rectangular opening which has a two stage moulded reveal, with low moulded basecourse and a granite threshold. Over is a modern hanging sign and to its right is a modern brass wall plaque. The window to right of the door is 2/2 horizontally divided sliding sash with horns and painted granite cill.

The four first floor windows are equally spaced 2/2 horizontally divided sliding sashes (with horns). They share a common cill course (with moulded stucco brackets beneath towards right end; these are hidden by fascia on left). The openings are framed by tapering stucco pilasters with small plinths and small moulded Ionic capitals. The pilaster heads support the cill course of the second floor windows and are flanked by brackets similar to those on the cill course below. The second floor windows are as those below but slightly diminished in height.

The left gable is abutted by a lower building and is rendered and unpainted over.

The right half of the rear elevation is abutted by a two-storey return. Exposed wall is lined rendered. At ground floor left is a modern timber door. To its right is a modern 1/1 top-hung casement (without cill). At right between ground and first floors is a margin-paned 1/1 sliding sash window. Set to left at first floor there is a 1/1 margin-paned sliding sash window. At right, between first and second floors, is a modern 1/1 landing window / escape door that is served by a metal fire escape ladder (in a state of collapse). At left on second floor is a 3/6 sash window (with horns). At second floor right, over the rear return roof, is second 3/6 sash window.

The return has a pitched roof, with lower eaves than the main block. Its walls are lined rendered and unpainted. On its left cheek at ground floor left is a 6/6 sash (with external wrought iron grille); a similar window to right has been infilled. At first floor left there is a modern top-hung casement, and to right is another infilled window opening. Its gable is blank. Its right cheek has a 6/6 sliding sash window at ground floor right and a pair of t+g sheeted doors to it left. First floor has two modern top-hung casements, both set to right end.

The right gable is abutted by a lower single storey building, and rendered and unpainted over.

Historical information

This plot was built over by 1776. Two shops are noted in the 1835 Valuation book. Their measurements are 13ft x 30ft x 24ft and 12ft 6in x 30ft x 19ft 6in (i.e. both two storeys). However, the c.1862 Valuation gives the measurements for the building shown on the accompanying Valuation map as 43ft x 33ft x three storeys and describes it’s a “large ironmongry shop”. There was no subsequent change in the valuation, indicating that the site was probably redeveloped in the mid 1800s.

The shop was a single unit, divided into two in the mid 1980s (when the counter to 11A was removed).

Primary Sources:

1. Meade Estate: A Map of the Town of Rathfriland (1776) Now in Norfolk and Norwich Record Office.
2. PRONI 1834 Valuation town map (1:1760), VAL 1D/3/3.
3. PRONI 1835 First Valuation book, VAL 1B/ 358A, p.150; /358B, p.76.
4. OS 1:500 scale town map, Rathfriland (1860), (PRONI OS 8/24/1/2)
5. PRONI c.1862 Second Valuation book, VAL 2B/3/60B, p.77.

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

A. Style
B. Proportion
C. Ornamentation
H-. Alterations detracting from building
I. Quality and survival of Interior

Criteria for listing: historic interest

X. Local Interest

Evaluation

This mid 19th C shop and office has an attractive pilastered façade, containing a fine shop front and a good door case. Internally it retains its plan form and many of its original features.