104-8 Hill Street

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

Three and a half storey L-shaped block on corner of Hill Street and The Mall.

Roof is hipped natural slated with brick chimney at top of left hip of Hill Street elevation. There are three gabled dormer windows, one to each property. All have 1/1 sliding sash windows with horns, glazed cheeks, fretted barge boards, and slate roofs. That to no.108 is on the canted corner and right dormer cheek is set in part of the higher roof to right. There is a modern skylight to front pitch of right elevation.

No 104 is to left of row on Hill Street.

Walls are smooth painted render with stepped decorative quoin stones on left corner and raised render platband above second floor windows and raised render eaves course. Modern timber shopfront to ground floor. Door to left of shop lobby leads to first floor flat. To first floor set to right is a 1/1 sliding sash window with horns, with painted cill and plain reveal. There is a similar window to second floor diminished in size. Two metal tie bars to centre of wall at first and second floor ceiling level.

No 106 is the centre building on Hill Street elevation.

Walls are smooth painted render, with moulded render stringcourses between first floor and second floor and between second floor and attic. Raised render eaves course. At ground floor is a modern shopfront. Two 1/1 sliding sash windows with horns diminishing in height to each upper floor, and in line with those to no 104 with painted cills.

No. 108 is to corner with The Mall

Main entrance is situated on a canted corner. Modern shopfront matches no 104 and 106. To first floor are four 1/1 sliding sash windows with horns. There are two to Hill Street, one to canted corner and one onto right side of The Mall elevation. All diminished in size to second floor. Between windows at first floor level on Hill Street is a modern plaque that states ‘Site of the former the Crown Inn, meeting/ place of the United Irishman/ 1144-1994’

A lower three storey return continues flush with the facade to The Mall. It has a pitched natural slate roof, plastic rainwater goods and smooth render walls. At ground floor is a modern shop front as corner building but lower. At first floor are three modern timber casement windows. The first two from left with concrete cills and the third with a granite cill. Second floor windows are in line with those to first floor below but increase in size. First and second windows (from left) are 1/1 top hung timber casements. The third window is a tripartite consisting of three 1/1 sliding sash windows. All have granite cills.

Historical information

Site of Crown Inn, where Wolfe Tone formed a branch of the United Irishmen. Three houses shown here on 1835 OS map. The 1863 valuation indicates that it was a 3 1/3 storey high building.

Primary Sources:

1. OS map 1835 edition, PRONI OS 9/15/1/1;
2. Valuation revision books, 1866-1930, PRONI - VAL 2B/3/69G,p14 (1863 valuation book).

Secondary Sources:

1. Newry Regeneration Project (1994), ‘Newry Town Trail.’

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

Not listed

Criteria for listing: historic interest

Not listed

Evaluation

Three and a half storey L-shaped block. Pleasant corner building with historical associations but not of sufficient quality to merit listing.