1 Corry’s Square

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

Right-hand one of a pair of three-storey (+ basement) houses on north side of Corry's Square. This house is three bays wide; some rooms in the left bay (two openings wide) are shared with the adjoining house (HB16/25/004B).

Hipped roof, now devoid of slates. Parapet gutters discharged by cast iron pipe to left of entrance. There is a rendered chimney (with four red circular pots) aligned to ridge at right; also a similar chimney at left, shared with adjoining property.

Wall to south elevation (façade) is of coursed squared rubble granite, with raised chamfered basecourse up to ground floor level. A passage runs across basement, the walls of which are wet dashed. Projecting ashlar coping (part missing) to parapet across wall head. Main entrance is to ground floor middle bay (third opening from right), up four granite steps from street. Steps are flanked by plain spearheaded railing with ramped detail to junction with decorative urn topped posts; all set on a rendered plinth which has chamfered granite coping. Door opening has stepped render jambs and rendered semi-elliptical head (over brick), but is now infilled with concrete blocks.

To right of door are two blocked up window openings. These and all other façade windows have rendered brick jambs (stepped) and heads, and granite cills; all have been infilled with concrete blocks. To left of door are two similar windows.

Basement had two windows on either side of infilled doorway under vaulted entrance steps; now infilled, but window openings visible internally. First and second floors each have five windows, similar to and in line with those at ground floor; top floor windows are diminished in height.

Basement area to front is enclosed by railings (as those to front steps) on a finely-dressed chamfered granite plinth. Right gable (to Catherine Street) is lined render, with coped parapet as façade. Devoid of openings. Left elevation is the party wall with adjoining property.

Rear (north) elevation is six windows wide (some openings at right belong to adjoining house). Wall is smooth rendered. No basement lights. Second floor openings diminished in height. First opening from left (as viewed from rear) has a two-paned timber framed casement with overlight to each floor. Second opening has, at ground floor, a pair of metal-framed French windows. Casements similar to first bay on each upper floor. Third opening as first. Fourth opening is abutted by single-storey lean to which leads into back door of hall. At ground-first and first-second floor half landings is a semicircular headed window. Fifth bay has a casement to ground floor; windows to upper floors gone. On sixth bay, windows to ground and first floor now gone. A 2/2 sliding sash survives on top floor, with exposed box. This last set of openings is shared with the adjoining house.

Modern rendered garage and miscellaneous ruined out buildings in rear garden, which is delineated by a random rubble wall.

Historical information

Depicted as “Cavalry Barrack” on the 1835 OS town map. This and the adjoining house (HB16/25/004B) were a single functional unit at that time (which would explain the interconnection between each block), and are described in the 1838 Valuation as measuring 95ft x 41ft x 33ft (+ cellar). The valuation also notes “This [building] belongs to the government. Had been intended for a Cavalry barracks” in the wake of the 1798 rebellion. By this time, however, the army was in residence at the nearby former white linen hall, and this building was probably superfluous to requirements.

It is shown as two separate units by the time of the 1861 town map. This particular unit is described in the 1863 valuation as a police barracks and its measurements are given as 11.75yds x 13.5yds x 3 storeys + basement. The constabulary appears to have moved to Canal St around 1865, and from 1870 the building became a private house.

In the more recent past, this house has been vested by the Police Authority as a measure to counter terrorist attacks on the nearby police station. It is shown boarded up in a HMBB survey slide taken in October 1975.

Sources:

1. PRONI - VAL 1D/3/8E (1835 map);
2. PRONI -VAL 1B/246C, p.71 (1838 valuation);
3. PRONI -VAL 12E/125/1/12 (1861 map);
4. PRONI - VAL 2B/2/39B, p.68 (1863 valuation);
5. PRONI -VAL 12B/15/1A, p.197 (valuation revision).

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

Not listed

Criteria for listing: historic interest

Not listed

Evaluation

This was an imposing and well proportioned pair of late Georgian semi-detached houses at a conspicuous location on a main thoroughfare at the north end of the town. However, their dereliction has resulted in a major loss of historic fabric and they no longer merit listing.