17 Canal Street

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

A two-and-an-half storey/ three bay building with gabled frontage on the north side of Canal St, with two storey building in rear yard.

1. Main block

Pitched natural slate roof with exposed rafter ends; the rear pitch is shallower than at front. Two courses of fish-scale slates across centre front and to dormers. A red brick chimney rises from plain bargeboarded gable which rises from eaves at centre of street facade; the stepped stack is embellished with purple brick. There is a low rendered chimney on left gable, and probably a third on the rear pitch (not easily visible). A hipped dormer rises from front pitch of roof on each side of the facade gable; each has glazed cheeks and foliated wrought-iron finial. Half round metal gutters.

Main facade has painted brick walls, rendered to ground floor, all over a raised base course. Embellished with projecting string course between ground and first floors, and a geometric pattern along eaves. At ground floor left is a pointed doorway containing three-panel wooden door (top panel formerly glazed; bottom panels raised and fielded), and triangular transom over. To its right, across the remainder of the facade are two large openings, both with rounded edges to jambs The left one contains a pair of two-panel broad doors (top panels glazed). The right hand opening has a large four-pane window, now mostly boarded over. Above, a wooden fascia runs across the facade.

At first floor are four regularly spaced 2/2 sliding sash windows. These are symmetrically arranged about the chimney breast which projects forward on this and the floor above. The breast is embellished with raised bricks set in a geometric pattern (they are probably of a different colour, now obscured by over painting); there is also a projecting sign advertising 'Car Sales Owen King'. All the windows have two-centred heads and painted cills; the space between the top of the window frame and underside of the arch is infilled and indented with three small circular recesses. Electricity wires run across the facade above the window heads.

The top half-storey is lit at centre by a 1/1 sliding sash window in the middle of the chimney breast which rises up the eaves gable. Unlike the windows below, its frame has a Gothic head to match the opening. The dormer on either side has two fixed windows to front, and glazed cheeks. Each has an ornate metal finial.

The left and right gables of this building are abutted by lower buildings. The exposed walls are smooth cement rendered. Internal inspection shows the left and right gables to be of random rubble and brick respectively.

The rear elevation has been removed at ground level to permit access to a one-storey infill building which now occupies the rear yard immediately behind the house; some of the opening has subsequently been infilled with concrete blocks. The wall above is supported on a horizontal steel joist. Its surface finish (if any) could not be determined as it was obscured from view by the monopitch roof of this building.

2. Rear outbuilding

At the back of the yard is a long two-storey building which runs at an angle from the infill shed. It was impossible to inspect externally, but what could be seen indicates a pitched roof (probably with slates) hipped at its north end, and with four skylights to its west slope. Half-round metal gutters, mostly missing. Viewed from the east, there is a door at left and at right on ground floor; both are infilled with concrete blocks. At first floor are three windows with granite cills; all are also infilled. The north gable appears to have been rebuilt with concrete blocks. This is abutted by an extension with corrugated asbestos monopitch roof. The west wall is of random rubble. The south gable is open and ties in with the infill building.

Historical information

The first building on this site is recorded in a Valuation Book entry of 1873 as a sawmill, workshop and shed belonging to Alexander Wheelan (a well-known Newry building contractor). The rear outbuilding is also noted from 1878 onwards, as a workshop. In 1884, the complex was leased by Wheelan to Newry Baths Ltd. The Newry town Commissioners took over the running of the baths in 1892.

The Irish Provincial Electric Theatre Co Ltd took over the site in 1912, which is now described as an office, theatre and house (in upper part) Local informants state that the building was used as a cinema, and this would accord with its description as an ‘electric’ theatre. The house appears to be a new entry in the Valuation Book, suggesting it was erected at this time. This would accord with the use of metal floor joists. Its use as a cinema appears to have been short lived as the premises became vacant in 1916. In 1921 they were taken over by David, Robert and Joseph McLean as a garage, and this usage continued until comparatively recently.

To summarise, it would appear that the rear outbuilding was erected in the 1870s as a builder’s workshop, and the front section around 1912 when the rear building became a cinema.

Primary Sources:

1. Valuation revision books, 1866-1930, PRONI

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

Not listed

Criteria for listing: historic interest

Not listed

Evaluation

A two-and-an-half storey/ three bay building with gabled frontage. Although now in a very derelict condition, the unusual facade adds interest to the streetscape. The complex is of some social interest in having been used as public baths and cinema.