Building to rear of

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

Two storey out-building to rear of nos. 7-9 Abbey Yard, and accessed through the coach arch of the link block between nos. 9 and 10.

Roof is hipped to right elevation and gabled to left. It is asbestos slated with a single brick chimney to left gable, and there are two large skylights along ridge. Rainwater goods are semicircular metal with down pipe to front and rear and right elevations.

Walls are painted lined cement render with raised eaves course, except as noted below. Facade is north facing and has an off-centre semicircular headed coach arch. Arch has plain render jambs and head and has a pair of diagonally sheeted timber doors with a similar fixed panel in the arch head. There are three windows to the left and two to the right of the coach arch. All are 12/12 sliding sashes with no horns and painted granite cills. To extreme left at ground floor is a modern diagonally sheeted timber door. At first floor are three large equally spaced 16 pane metal-framed windows (middle eight are centre pivoting). To extreme left at first floor is a modern metal ventilation flu, and to its immediate right is a modern sheet metal door with metal escape stair to ground floor.

Right elevation wall to the ground floor right corner is quarter-chamfered.

Rear elevation is abutted to the right by the gable of the poultry shop out building (HB 16/28/55B). It has a similar gabled return to left of centre of the elevation. The wall between the two is painted random rubble with two first floor openings (now infilled with concrete blocks) and encloses the side yard of the poultry shop. The remaining wall to the right of the gabled return is painted, lined cement render with single modern doors to ground and first floor. The latter is accessed by a metal dogleg stair from courtyard.

Single storey rear return has a pitched corrugated metal roof, its rear gable is filled by a coach arch. Gable has a Gothic headed coach arch with chamfered granite jambs and head (right jamb is shared with the coach arch on HB 16/28/55F). The spandrel over the head is built up into a gable with random granite rubble. Its right cheek is painted random rubble with no openings, enclosing the side yard of the poultry shop. Its left cheek is painted, lined cement render with no openings.

Historical information

This area of ground was owned by the Corry family since the mid 18th century. This particular building was an outbuilding to a terrace of dwellings (HB16/28/055A, /055C and /055D) 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 Street) on John Rocque’s map of this date.

The 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. 1. 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
C. Ornamentation
J. Setting
K. Group value

Criteria for listing: historic interest

V. Authorship
X. Local Interest

Evaluation

Two storey out-building. An important part of the Abbey Yard complex, with most exterior features remaining.