2 Corry’s Square

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

Left-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 right bay (two openings wide) are shared with the adjoining house (HB16/25/004A).

Hipped roof, now devoid of slates. Parapet gutter discharged by a cast iron pipe to left of entrance. Rendered chimney (with six yellow hexagonal pots) aligned to ridge at left; also a similar chimney at right, 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 at ground floor middle bay (fourth opening from left), up four granite steps from street. Steps are flanked by plain spear headed railings with ramped detail to link with urn topped posts (now missing) on a rendered plinth with chamfered granite coping. Door opening has stepped render jambs and rendered semi-elliptical head (over brick), but is now sheeted over with corrugated metal.

To left of door are three 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. That at extreme left has been altered and was once wider and taller than the rest on the façade. To right of door are two window openings.

Basement has infilled windows to either side of infilled doorway under vaulted entrance steps. First and second floors each have six windows, similar to and in line with those at ground floor; top floor windows are diminished in height. Façade now partially obscured by ivy.

Basement area to front is enclosed by railings (as those to front steps) on a finely-dressed chamfered granite plinth.

Left gable is abutted by a lower building. Exposed section is cement rendered to right, and unrendered random rubble (partly obscured by ivy) to left. This elevation is devoid of openings.

Left elevation is the party wall with adjoining property.

Rear wall is smooth rendered, but is largely overgrown with ivy making it impossible to describe. Probably six openings wide (some at left belong to adjoining house), and the mirror image of the adjacent house. No basement lights. Second floor openings diminished in height. First openings from left (as viewed from rear) has a casement to ground floor; windows to upper floors gone. On second opening, windows to ground and first floor now gone. A 2/2 sliding sash survives on top floor, with exposed box. This line of openings is shared with the adjoining house. The third opening is similar to the second bay. Fourth has semicircular headed windows to half landings between ground and first, and first and second floors. Remaining openings not visible as obscured by ivy.

To rear are ruined outbuildings in garden delineated by granite wall.

Historical information

Depicted as “Cavalry Barrack” on the 1835 OS town map. This and the adjoining house (HB16/25/004A) 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 private residence occupied by Francis Patterson and its measurements are given as 20.5yds x 13.67yds x 3 storeys + basement.

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.