38 Hill Street

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

Left one of a pair of four storey (+ attic) classical Georgian houses set in a terrace on west side of Hill Street.

Pitched natural slate with cement rendered chimney on each gable; that at right is shared with adjoining property (HB16/28/034B). There are two cast iron skylights on front pitch. Cyma recta cast iron rainwater goods.

Walls of street facade rendered with faintly lined cement with projecting granite eaves course. Main entrance at ground floor left is up two granite steps from street. There is a double leaf timber door with six raised and fielded panels and semicircular wrought iron fanlight. Door and fanlight are set within a semicircular headed opening. There are two top hung 1/1 plastic windows to right of door at ground floor. These both have moulded cement architraves and cement rendered cills. At first, second and third floors are three equally spaced plastic windows, all in line with ground floor openings. Ground and second floor windows are the same height, whereas first floor windows are larger and third floor ones are diminished in height. There are granite cills to windows on second and third floors, those on first floor are cement rendered.

Wrought iron railings with cast iron urn topped posts, over a low chamfered granite plinth enclose steps and basement area (now infilled) to street.

Right gable is party wall with property to right. Left gable abutted by lower three storey building, the exposed section is cement rendered without openings.

Rear elevation

The wall to the rear is cement rendered and has a single storey return abutting to centre and right. All the windows are 1/1 uPVC unless otherwise stated. At ground floor left is a single window. There are two windows to left and centre of each upper floor. To right bay is a single semicircular headed window to ground floor to first floor half landing, there is similar to the two half landings above. The also form escape windows onto a large metal platform shared with no.40. Rear return has a pitched natural slate roof with a tall red brick chimney rising from ridge, parallel to rear elevation of house. There are modern skylights to each pitch. Rainwater goods are plastic on bargeboards.

Walls are smooth rendered. There are no openings in right cheek and there are two windows to rear gable. Both are 2/2 sliding sashes with stepped brick quoins and head. Left cheek has two four panelled doors, two 2/2 sliding sashes and two 1/1 sliding sashes, all with brick dressings.

Historical information

Hill Street was laid out by the Downshire family in the mid 18thC as a formal extension to the town. This building is shown on the 1835 OS map. It is marked as a dwelling house valued at £39 in the 1838 valuation. Shown as “Provincial Bank of Ireland” on 1861 OS map. 1863 valuation describes building as 4 1/3 storeys high plus basement. Bank moved to purpose built premises at 42-44 Hill Street (HB16/28/035) in 1905, and this building reverted to a dwelling occupied by a Mr Hunter Moore. It is now adjoined to no.40 Hill Street and serves as a parish house to Newry RC Cathedral.

A photograph of the building next door (no.36) held in the Historic Monuments Record, shows part of this building. It has a c1860 doorcase consisting of a pair of large corbels on either side of the door supporting stout colonettes, which carry a masonry canopy (all in Venetian Gothic style). The first floor windows have foliated stucco corbels supporting a swept stucco canopy.

Primary Sources:
1. OS map 1835 edition, PRONI- OS 9/15/1/1
2. Valuation revision books, 1866-1930, PRONI -VAL 1B/389, p.44 (1838 valuation book).
3. OS map 1861 edition, PRONI- OS 9/15/2/16
4. Valuation revision books, 1866-1930, PRONI -VAL 2B/3/69G, p.26 (1863 valuation book).
5. Valuation revision books, 1866-1930, PRONI - VAL 12B/22/17A, p.12 (1905 valuation revision).

Secondary Sources:

1. Jope Ed. ‘Archaeological Survey Co. Down’, p.429 (entry 417.31).
2. Photograph of no.36 Hill Street (post WW2) in Historic Monuments Record.

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

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

Criteria for listing: historic interest

X. Local Interest

Evaluation

Left one of a pair of four storey (+ attic) classical Georgian houses. Façade marred by installation of plastic windows but quality and survival of original interiors is high.