71 Hill Street

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

Four storey (+ attic) classically styled rendered building, five openings wide on the east side of Hill Street containing two properties.

Pitched natural slated roof with one large chimney stack to each gable. Parapet gutter to facade with metal downpipes.

Wall to facade is rendered and painted to the upper floors. To ground floor are six fluted tapering Doric demi-columns resting on squared plinths separating the three doorways and two shop windows. Doorway to right of facade leads to the upper floors of no.73. Shop front to its left belongs to no. 71. First doorway to left of facade and shop front to its immediate right belong to no 75. Painted timber fascia board, with moulded cornice, supported by the columns runs the full length of the ground floor facade of the whole building. At centre of fascia is a plaque which reads: 'Nos.71-73 Hill St / Site of the former Theatre Royal, / open 1783 / 1144 - 1994'

Nos 71/73 has two granite steps to its pair of two panelled doors. Shop window to left is two paned, divided by a mullion, with infilled transoms over and roller shutter box to window head. To right of shop front, up two granite steps, is a four panelled timber door, with transom over, leading to upper floors. There is a projecting plastic sign fixed over the transom, between the columns.
Shop front of no.75 is detailed as above. There are no steps to front door, which is four panelled with two plain glass transom lights above. Door seems to have been lowered; the second transom being inserted to accommodate lowered head. Window is a single pane and has a roller shutter box attached just below fascia.

To upper floors of building, separating each opening are pilasters, which rise to parapet level. Each rest on a moulded plinth, have a moulded abacus and ornate Grecian style capital. To first floor are five equally spaced 6/6 sliding sash windows with no horns and deeply moulded architraves. Each has a Greek-key frieze and a moulded cornice, and its cill is the plinth over fascia. There are five window openings to each upper floor, each diminishing in height.

Windows to second floor are 6/6 sliding sash with no horns (except for the first and second windows from left which are 1/1). They have deeply moulded architraves, and a plain render cill, which meets pilaster to either side. The pilasters terminate in Grecian capitals at second floor window head level. Resting on the capitals is a fascia made up of three broad bands of smooth render, which step out a little as they rise. The cill of the third floor rests on the top band. Third floor has five equally spaced 3/3 sliding sash windows with no horns, all in line with openings below. Between these, in line with pilasters below are raised piers each with an instepped panel. Each pier rises to parapet level and is topped with a decorative semicircular antefixae with open anthemion to centre. Between window head and parapet head are the raised render bands supporting a projecting overhanging cornice, which projects over each pier.

Right elevation is abutted by a neighbouring property up to second floor level. Remaining walls are line render, with banded chimney to gable and single 3/3 sliding sash window with render cill to front side (left) of third floor. Left elevation same as right but with two windows, and recent lined cement render.

Historical information

This was originally the Theatre Royal, erected in 1783 as Newry’s first purpose-built theatre. It continued in this use until 1832. Two houses are shown on the 1835 OS map and they are valued at £54 and £58 in the 1838 valuation. The present interior of the buildings suggests a complete rebuild, rather than refurbishment of the theatre. The present owner states that this block is known locally as ‘The New Buildings’ and that it was the first in the town to be built entirely of brick. This may equate better with work of the mid-19th rather than late 18th century. The portrayal accompanying the 1853 town map shows the building in its present form, although the ground floor street frontage was subsequently modified. Both are described as four and one-third storeys high in the 1863 valuation. No 71 was converted to a shop around 1914. .

Primary Sources:

1. OS map 1835 edition, PRONI- OS 9/15/1/1
2. Valuation revision books, 1866-1930, PRONI VAL 1B/389, p.45 (1838 valuation);
3 Valuation revision books, 1866-1930, PRONI VAL 2B/3/69G, p.13 (1863 valuation);
4 Valuation revision books, 1866-1930, PRONI VAL 12B/22/16A, p.2 (valuation revision).

Secondary Sources:

1.1853 illustrated town map of Newry.
2.Newry Regeneration Project (1994), ‘Newry Town Trail’.
3.T. Canavan (1989), ‘Frontier town: an illustrated history of Newry’, pp.91-2 (Belfast: Blackstaff Press).
4.S.H. Bell, ‘A note on the early theatres in Newry’, Journal of the Old Newry Society, vol.7, pp15-19.

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

Criteria for listing: historic interest

X. Local Interest

Evaluation

Right side of four storey (+ attic) classically styled rendered building. An imposing building with an interesting history. It retains its elegant character and is an impressive building in this section of Hill Street.