1 CHARLEMONT SQUARE EAST

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

Two-and-a-half-storey mid-Victorian end terrace corner shop and former temperance hotel, built between 1862-66 to designs by an unknown architect. Irregular plan form consisting of an L-plan three-bay SW facing block, five bays deep, orientated SW-NE with a shop front to SW, canted corner bay with clock facing S and a single storey five-bay triangular plan flat roofed block attached to SE extending E along Fountain Street (now housing Bessbrook Post Office).

No. 1 Charlemont Square East is the largest of five similar two-and-a-half-storey buildings each originally having GF shop fronts with dwellings above (HB16/22/001A-E). These commercial buildings together with twenty-seven smaller terrace dwellings to the NW (HB16/22/002A-ZZ) form the eastern terrace of Charlemont Square: a formally designed mid-Victorian square consisting of 66 buildings in total, arranged on three sides around a central green, primarily accessed from Fountain Street to the Southeast.

Generally random-coursed rock-faced local Newry Granodiorite walling with red brick dressings; brick quoins, stone cills and stepped red brick surrounds to shop front, door openings and gauged-brick cambered window opes. Typically double hung sliding timber sash windows to upper floors with horizontal glazing bars and window horns; GF having arched fixed light shop windows in square-headed openings now fitted with modern security shutters.

Pitched fibre cement roof with roll top and angled terracotta clay ridge tiles, two half dormer windows to SW elevation with plain replacement bargeboards; two similar half dormers to SE have original lobed painted timber bargeboards. Replacement rectangular-section red brick chimney to NW has five buff clay pots. Projecting eaves with painted timber facia and soffit; generally uPVC RWGs with half-round guttering discharging to circular section downpipes.

Principal elevation
The front elevation abuts the public footpath. Being near symmetrical, it faces southwest onto Charlemont Square having two half dormers to roof level, three wider timber sash windows to FF and two separate four-part shop windows, with painted timber segmental arcading, at GF having a continuous painted timber signboard above with a two stage dentilated cornice and modern signage displaying ‘Perfections’ (beauty clinic).

Facade has a near symmetrical fenestration pattern; canted corner bay to RHS (SE) faces towards S having a double leaf planked square-headed timber door at GF opening onto two granite steps; sandstone plaque above door has no legible inscription and circular clock face by ‘Smith’s’ of London to FF level has sandstone surround composed of a circular moulding set in a square field.

Northwest elevation
Building is attached on the NW to No. 2 Charlemont Square East (HB16/22/001B).

Northeast elevation
Rear elevation faces NE having a large two-and-a-half-storey gabled block to SE end extending to rear access route having no openings to its NE facing wall; two windows at FF level face NW. Gabled block abutted to SE by a single storey flat roofed triangular plan block. Triangular plan block extends to NE rear access route having a single window opening to its NE elevation and retains some cast iron RWGs; circular-section downpipe and polygonal hopper.

Single storey monopitched extension, with skylight, abutted to NW of two-and-a-half-storey block extends from NE elevation to rear site boundary; painted steel plate door to monopitched block. Single sliding timber sash window to FF level above monopitched block having exposed sash boxes and window horns.

Generally original random-coursed rock-faced stone walling with stone quoins and modern galvanized metal grills fitted to windows.

Southeast elevation
South east elevation forms the south-eastern end of Charlemont Square East and abuts the public footpath having a projecting single storey triangular plan block at GF facing towards S with parapet to flat roof; two-and-a-half-storey block behind faces SE with five sash windows to FF, two dormers at roof level and a skylight to roof centre.

Triangular block has two doorways to S facing facade; one to the eastern end of S facade now leading to Bessbrook Post Office having a panelled painted timber door with two glazed upper panels, panelled and glazed side lights and square-headed fanlight above. Door opens onto three granite steps and is flanked by two-part arcaded fixed light shop windows in square-headed openings, 'GR' post box to E of door. Triangular block has a second doorway to western end of S facade; four panelled painted timber door with half moon shaped light to top section and a semi-circular-arched fanlight above with red and buff brick dressings to head. Door opens onto a single granite step and has a single three-part arcaded shop window to W of doorway on slightly canted section of walling.

Setting
No. 1 forms part of Charlemont Square East; being part of a planned arrangement of 66 mill workers dwellings and shops comprising a formal square composed of East, North and West terraces arranged around a central green; each house being set back from the perimeter public road and footpath with a modest sized front yard typically enclosed by dwarf walling topped by hooped metal railings. Terraces to the East and West are initially stepped in groups of two dwellings respecting the subtle relief of the site. Generally a larger rear yard to each dwelling is enclosed by random coursed rubble stone walling, having a square-headed door opening onto wide rear access route. Rear facades are much altered with various extensions of different shapes and size.

Front facades are nearly uniform along East and West terraces with five larger buildings to the SE of Charlemont Square East (HB16/22/001A-E), of which this building forms a part, and one to the SE of Charlemont Square West (HB16/22/004A) generally having traditional shop fronts at GF level and dwellings above. The northern terrace (HB16/22/003A-H) is the shortest being only 8 houses in width; although these buildings are distinctly larger two-and-a-half storey paired buildings.

Central area of square is now laid to lawn and enclosed by hooped galvanized metal railings with some established trees at its boundary. A children's playground is located to the SE and includes a monument to the installation of electric lighting in 1911 (HB16/22/026); Bessbrook's War Memorial (HB16/22/038) is centrally located to the SE of the playground.

Materials
Roof: Fibre cement
RWGs: uPVC and cast iron
Walling: Newry Granodiorite
Windows: Timber sliding sash

Historical information

Charlemont Square, a mid-Victorian village square comprising 66 dwellings arranged along its north, west and eastern sides, was established between 1862 and 1866. The square was constructed as part of the industrial development of the village of Bessbrook which was undertaken by the Richardson family from the 1840s.

The development of industry in the area dates from 1761 when the first woollen mill and bleach green were opened by a Mr. John Pollock. The site was simply known as ‘The Green’ but was renamed Bessbrook after Pollock’s wife Elizabeth (Bess) and the nearby Camlough River (Brook). The first edition Ordnance Survey map records that few buildings had been erected at Bessbrook by the 1830s. The only significant structures to be depicted upon that map were Mount Caulfield House (the residence of the Nicholson family – see HB16/22/024) and a number of thread manufactories and bleach mills. The village of Bessbrook was effectively founded in 1845 when John Grubb Richardson (1813-1891), a linen merchant from Lambeg, purchased one of the derelict mills at the site and began to build housing for his factory workers in the immediate vicinity. Richardson, in his own words, ‘had a great aversion to be responsible for a factory population in a large town, so on looking around, fixed upon a place near Newry … with water power and a thick population around, and in a country district where flax was cultivated in considerable quantities’ (Harrison, p. 50).

Bessbrook was established as a ‘model village’ in a number of phases beginning with the laying out of Fountain Street in the 1840s. The architect of the majority of the housing in Bessbrook is not known, however Richardson’s layout of the village was influenced by the work of William Penn, an American Quaker who had been responsible for the planning and development of Philadelphia in the late-17th century. Richardson was also a member of the Religious Society of Friends and, according to Harrison, possessed a ‘typical Quaker mix of pragmatic and altruistic expectation to provide jobs and good working conditions for his employees.’ By providing his workers with good standards of living Richardson hoped to ensure good relationships between employers and the employed. He therefore established the village as a social experiment where his workers could both live and work in contentment. Harrison states that Richardson’s philanthropic spirit led him to bring the poor, the unqualified and beggars from the surrounding countryside to work and live at Bessbrook, hoping that he could encourage them to improve themselves and excise old habits. Bessbrook is often referred to as a village without the ‘Three P’s’ due to Richardson’s stipulation that there would be no ‘Public House’ or ‘Pawn Shop’ in the settlement and therefore no need for ‘Police’ to be stationed there. In exchange for keeping the village free of alcohol Richardson provided recreational and educational facilities at the Institute (HB16/22/009), a number of well-stocked shops (located at nos 1-5 Charlemont Square East) and also had milk, tea and cocoa distributed to his mill workers. The strategy was effective as the majority of the population voted to preserve the ordinance in the 1870s and, to this day, there remains no public house at Bessbrook. Police were not stationed at the village until the turn of the 20th century (Harrison; Brett, p. 243).

In 1863 Richardson became the sole owner of the Bessbrook Spinning Company following the purchase of his brother’s shares in the company. The local linen industry experienced a boom during the American Civil War (1861-65) as access to American cotton was cut off. Richardson took advantage of this opportunity by greatly enlarging his factory at Bessbrook whilst also increasing the size of his workforce. Lord Charlemont sold the remainder of the Camlough Estate to Richardson in 1865 and so by the mid-1860s Richardson was the main employer and the principal landowner at Bessbrook. Richardson had Charlemont Square laid out between 1862 and 1866 to accommodate the influx of new workers to the factory; between 1861 and 1871 the population of Bessbrook rose from 637 to 2,215 with the number of houses rising from 73 to 296 (Harrison, pp 100-101).

Brett states that Charlemont Square formed the centrepiece of the new developments at Bessbrook. The two and two-and-a-half-storey houses were constructed along the north, west and eastern sides of an open green which was intended to be used as a recreational space (a tennis ground was depicted within the green on the Ordnance Survey Town Plan of 1906). The architect of the houses is not known with certainty. Brett suggests that John Hardy, a civil engineer who was appointed company architect in 1881, may have carried out some work in Bessbrook in the 1860s, however his role may have been limited to the expansion of the mill buildings. The terraces along Charlemont Square were built by masons and joiners employed by the Bessbrook Spinning Company. The Natural Stone Database records that the houses were built of Newry Granodiorite. This granite was utilised in the masonry of most buildings at Bessbrook and was produced locally at a quarry opened on the former Charlemont Estate (granite from the Bessbrook Quarry is of a high quality and was used to build Manchester Town Hall and the great steps of St. George’s Hall in Liverpool). Charlemont Square was not depicted on the second edition Ordnance Survey map (1861) but construction of the buildings along the square had commenced by 1862. In that year, Griffith’s Valuation noted that Charlemont Square West (captioned ‘new row’) was the only side of the square to have been completed but that each of the 26 buildings along its length remained unoccupied. The remainder of the buildings along the square were completed (and occupied) by at least 1866, according to the Annual Revisions (Brett, p. 243; NSD).

Each house at Bessbrook was owned by the Bessbrook Spinning Company and possessed between three and five rooms. The occupants of the houses were required to adhere to a number of clauses regarding their lease. Bassett states that each house in Bessbrook possessed ‘a garden [or yard] containing an eighth of an acre, and when the tenant enters into possession he is required to sign an agreement which contains certain stipulations in regard to the keeping of fowl and pigs, so that they may not be found in the quarters occupied by the family or in the yard. He can have a pig-stye and fowl-run in the garden if he pleases. Another binding clause places him under obligation to send his children to school until they are old enough for mill work’ (Bassett; Harrison, p. 16).

No. 1 Charlemont Square East, a two-and-a-half-storey corner-site building, is the largest building along Charlemont Square and was originally constructed between 1862 and 1866. The Annual Revisions record that the building was initially let by the Bessbrook Spinning Co. to a Mr. James Weir and was valued at £25. Brett records that No. 1 Charlemont Square East was originally utilised as the village’s temperance hotel, although he suggests that the building was perhaps more of a boarding house. The Ordnance Survey Town Plan of Bessbrook (1906) depicted No. 1 Charlemont Square East along its current layout whilst an early-20th century photograph of the building shows that the building’s shopfront on Fountain Street and clock are original features. The occupants of No. 1 Charlemont Square East changed with frequency over the following decades. In 1911 the Census of Ireland noted that the hotel was operated by a Ms. Mary Emma Darker. The census building return described the building as a 1st class hotel that consisted of 13 rooms. Under the First General Revaluation of Property in Northern Ireland (1936-57) the building was no longer used as a hotel but was utilised as a private dwelling and shops. The building was increased in value to £40 with a Mr. James Chambers recorded as occupant (the single-storey shop facing onto Fountain Street was occupied by a Ms. Annie Bell).

During the 20th century the mill at Bessbrook continued to expand gaining the Bessbrook Spinning Co. international fame. During the Second World War the mill workers were tasked with supplying cloth for uniforms. The Bessbrook Spinning Co. continued to retain ownership of housing in Bessbrook until the 1960s when the dwellings along Charlemont Square began to be sold to private individuals and firms (the majority of the houses along the square were purchased by C. R. Morrow, a local car and farm machinery dealer, in c. 1970). The sale of property at Bessbrook was necessitated by the post-war downturn in the local textile market which foreshadowed the closure of the mill in 1972 (the building was subsequently occupied by the British Army – see HB16/22/039). The Chambers family purchased No. 1 Charlemont Square East outright in 1968. Under the Second General Revaluation (1956-72) the building was further increased in value to £61 with the ground floor shop utilised as the village’s post office.

No. 1 Charlemont Square East was listed in 1981 and was included in the Bessbrook Conservation Area which was designated in 1983 in recognition of Bessbrook’s ‘historical significance as a planned mill village and its distinct form and character.’ The Conservation Area Guide notes that the carefully planned development of Bessbrook, including the uniform terraces at Charlemont Square and College Square, influenced the design of the famous English model villages at Saltaire (1852), Port Sunlight (1888) and Bourneville (developed by the Cadbury family in 1895) ‘which have directly influenced town and country planning all over the world’ (Bessbrook Conservation Area Guide). The NIEA HB records note that No. 1 Charlemont Square East underwent general repair work in c. 1986 (NIEA HB Records). By the Second Survey the ground floor of the building had been subdivided into two retail units with one of the units continuing to be utilised as the village’s post office.

References

Primary Sources
1. PRONI OS/6/2/26/1 – First Edition Ordnance Survey Map (1834-35)
2. PRONI OS/6/2/26/2 – Second Edition Ordnance Survey Map (1861)
3. PRONI OS/6/2/26/3 – Third Edition Ordnance Survey Map (1906)
4. PRONI OS/8/31/3 – Ordnance Survey Town Plan (1906)
5. PRONI VAL/2/B/2/37D – Griffith’s Valuation (1862)
6. PRONI VAL/12/B/15/6A-6J – Annual Revisions (1866-1929
7. PRONI VAL/12/B/15/4A – Annual Revisions (1924-29)
8. PRONI VAL/3/C/2/12 – First General Revaluation of Property in Northern Ireland (1936-57)
9. PRONI VAL/4/B/2/20 – Second General Revaluation of Property in Northern Ireland (1956-72)
10. George Bassett: The Book of County Armagh (1888)
11. Ulster Town Directories (1861-1918)
12. Census of Ireland (1901: 1911)
13. First Survey Record – HB16/22/001 (1969)
14. NIEA HB Record – HB16/22/001A

Secondary Sources
1. ‘Bessbrook: A record of industry in a Northern Ireland village community and of a social experiment, 1845-1945’ Belfast: Nicholson & Bass Ltd., 1945.
2. Brett, C. E. B., ‘Buildings of County Armagh’ Belfast: Ulster Architectural Heritage Society, 1999.
3. Harrison, R., ‘The Richardson’s of Bessbrook: Ulster Quakers in the linen industry (1845-1921)’ Dublin: Original Writing Ltd., 2008.
4. ‘Bessbrook Conservation Area Guide’ Belfast: Department of the Environment (N. I.), 1983.

Online Resources
1. Natural Stone Database - http://www.stonedatabase.com/
2. Dictionary of Ulster Biography - http://www.ulsterbiography.co.uk/

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

A. Style
B. Proportion
C. Ornamentation
D. Plan Form
H-. Alterations detracting from building
I. Quality and survival of Interior
J. Setting
K. Group value

Criteria for listing: historic interest

W. Northern Ireland/International Interest
Y. Social, Cultural or Economic Importance
Z. Rarity
R. Age
S. Authenticity
T. Historic Importance
U. Historic Associations

Evaluation

Two-and-a-half-storey eight-bay mid-Victorian end terrace corner shop and former temperance hotel, built between 1862-66 on the corner of Charlemont Square East, Bessbrook. Well proportioned corner building in Newry granite with dormers and featuring a clock on its south face; The building retains its external character, despite replacement of original natural slate roof and has its original planform and most internal joinery.

The largest of 32 houses which form the eastern terrace of Charlemont Square (HB16/22/001A-E & HB16/22/002A-ZZ); a formally designed and planned mid-Victorian square consisting of 66 buildings in total (also HB16/22/003A-H & HB16/22/004A-Z), arranged on three sides around a central green. The building and its neighbouring terrace houses form an important group in the village.

The local historical and social importance of the Bessbrook squares is well recognised; both as a model village based on Quaker ideological beliefs and also with their connection to general industry and trade surrounding Bessbrook Mill (HB16/22/39). Internationally significant as part of an early planned mill village begun in the 1840s by the prominent linen merchant John Grubb Richardson (1813-1891) from Lambeg and contemporary to the other English model villages of Port Sunlight (1888) and Bourneville (1895), which latterly went on to contribute to 'town and country planning all over the world'.