Former Coach house

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

Description on 10.02.2006.
As on 23.03.2000 except: The building was extended into the rear elevation in 1999. Rear elevation - to the right is a small single story rendered boiler house with a stainless steel flue. The main section is single storey and extends back to adjoin another building. It has a mono pitch mostly glazed roof and PVC glazing and door to the side. Extension used for kitchen and restaurant.

Description on 23.03.2000.
Small single storey (double height) single bay out-building to the north side of Abbey Yard, forming part of a high quality group.

Roof is hipped and natural slated, with two modern skylights to rear pitch. Semicircular metal rainwater goods with downpipe to left and right elevations.

Facade walls are painted lined render. To right is a Gothic headed coach arch with smooth chamfered granite jamb and head. The head is infilled with a t+g sheeted panel and there are two timber sheeted doors below. Behind the doors are three modern doors, two are fixed and that to right provides access inside; in space above is a painted sign written fascia. To left side of facade at mezzanine level is a small fixed timber window set within a shallow headed Tudor opening with chamfered granite head and jambs and long granite cill.

Area to left of coach arch is enclosed by plain spiked railings with urn topped, decorative cast iron posts, resting on a chamfered granite base wall. The railings are inset with a gate providing access to the basement steps of no.7), The right of the facade is abutted by a coach arch identical to that on facade and sharing its right jamb. This arch belongs to another outbuilding (HB 16/28/55H) which abuts the right elevation.

Left elevation is abutted by a narrow lean-to return inserted into the basement passage to the rear of no.7. Return roof is cat-slide from the main block. Its walls are lined cement render, blank to facade and with a circular window to ground floor and first floor on rear elevation. Its right elevation is party wall with outhouse and its left elevation abuts the rear of no.7.

Rear elevation is of painted, lined, cement render. There is a modern diagonal t+g sheeted door with glazed diamond window to the centre of the elevation. To its left is a semicircular headed coach arch, now infilled with a single picture window. To right of the central door is a single storey lean-to return. To first floor are three, equally spaced fixed circular windows. The timber return has an artificial slate roof and herringbone t+g sheeted walls. It has a diamond window to both its cheeks. Area to rear is a pedestrian courtyard shared with nos. 7, 8, and 9 Abbey Yard.

Historical information

This area of ground was owned by the Corry family since the mid 18th century. This particular building was undoubtedly an outbuilding to a dwelling (HB 16/28/055A) erected by Isaac Corry (MP and Chancellor of the Exchequer in the Irish parliament) sometime after 1760; no buildings are shown on this site (then at the bottom end of Boat St) on John Rocque’s map of this date.

This building is probably of late 18th or early 19th century date and is shown on the 1834 O.S. map. From the early 1900s until 1972, it formed part of the Christian Brothers School complex. When the school relocated, the premises fell into dereliction until restoration by Clanrye Community Workshop 1986-91.

Primary sources:
1. J. Rocque (1760), ‘Plan of the town of Newry’.
2. OS 6" map, 1st edition (1834) Co Down sheet 46 (PRONI OS 6/3/46/1)

Secondary sources:

1. T. Canavan (1989), ‘Frontier town: an illustrated history of Newry’, p.90 (Belfast: Blackstaff Press).

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

A. Style
B. Proportion
C. Ornamentation
J. Setting
K. Group value

Criteria for listing: historic interest

X. Local Interest
V. Authorship

Evaluation

Small single storey (double height) single bay out-building and part of an important group in a prominent position in the town.