Outbuildings

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

A random rubble outbuilding aligned north-south at the rear of the Church Square frontage. Three storeys high with natural slate roof, gabled to south and hipped to north. Half-round plastic gutters. Random rubble granite walls brought to courses, with brick trim to all original openings.

The east facade, which faces the rear of the building on Church Square, has a double-leaf door (with metal lintel) to G/F left and an infilled opening to its right. There are three t+g sheeted loading doors to F/F; the middle one is wider and has an infilled opening to its left. There is a pulley beam over the right-had door. At S/F is a loading door at left, with pulley beam in an eaves gablet over. To its right is a shuttered opening (with granite cill), and a four-paned window to right again. The entire right-hand section of this facade is abutted at right angles by a three storey return (see below). The ghost of a lean-to which abutted at G/F and F/F is also evident.

No access was permitted to the remaining elevations as the owner was concerned about the unstable nature of the site. The shell of an abutting return abuts the west elevation at right angles and a 1/1 sash window is visible at S/F on the north gable.

The return is also three storeys high with pitched natural slate roof. There is a coped rendered chimney to its east gable. Walls as the main block, including brick trim to openings.

Its main facade faces south into the yard behind the building on Church Square . There is a 2x6 paned window and door, both original, to left on G/F and three modern openings to right (one of which is a doorway). Four openings to F/F. From left to right these are: 2x4 pane window, shuttered opening, infilled opening, 3x2 margin paned window; this last one has a smaller three-pane window directly below. There are four openings to S/F, in line with those below but diminished in height. From left to right these are: 2x4 paned window, shuttered opening, shuttered opening, loading door. All windows have granite cills.

The exposed apex of the left gable is blank.

The north elevation could not be accessed. Inspection from Newry Street shows three louvred openings to S/F.

The right gable is abutted by a lower two-storey building. The exposed walling above is cement rendered This building has a pitched natural slate roof and random rubble walls, but is not of merit - its south elevation has been drastically altered with new openings and a modern flat-roofed extension abuts to G/F.

Historical information

These warehouses are not shown on the 1776 map. They first appear on the 1860 map, although the N-S section was not shown until the 1903 map. They are described in the Valuation book as 7 x 8 ½ x 2 ½ , 2 ½ x 2 ½ x 2, rere 3 x 6 ½ x 2 ½ .

Primary sources:
1. Meade Estate: A Map of the Town of Rathfriland (1776) Now in Norfolk and Norwich Record Office.
2.OS 1:500 scale town map, Rathfriland (1860), (PRONI OS 8/24/1/2)
3.OS town map, Rathfriland (1903), (PRONI OS 8/24/2)
4. PRONI Valuation Book VAL 2b/ 3/ 60b p.44.

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

Not listed

Criteria for listing: historic interest

Not listed

Evaluation

Of some interest as a 19th C survival of the commercial activity in this area of the town.