19a & c Monaghan Street

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

A two and a half storey/ five bay block comprising two dormered dwellings arranged symmetrically about a central coach arch and set in a terrace on north side of Monaghan Street. No.19c is at left, and no.19a at right.

The gabled natural slate roof has rendered chimneys to each gable and cyma recta rainwater goods resting on bracketed brick eaves course. Between the brackets are panels of yellow tiles. Three equally spaced skylights to rear pitch and plain metal gutters.

The walls of the ground floor façade are cement rendered and painted over a projecting rendered base course. At first floor the walls are of red brick. Between the ground and first floors is a projecting granite string course over a course of bricks; the former also form the cills to the first floor windows. Two bands of yellow brick run across facade: one half way up the window jambs and the other at window head level. A course of black brick runs over the first floor window heads and another under the eaves brackets.

There is a coach arch in the middle of the ground floor façade. Ashlar granite jambs support a shallow semi-elliptical brick head. The opening has a pair of large sheeted timber doors with wicket gate. The coach arch jambs are shared with the doors into the houses on either side. Both these doors are modern stained timber with glazed top panel and two fielded bottom panels. To left of door to no.19c is a 1/1 top hung casement window, with painted granite cill; that to no 19a, at right, is boarded up.

At first floor are five equally spaced 1/1 modern top hung casement timber windows (the middle one over the coach arch). Their arches are punctuated with groups of black bricks.

Rising from front pitch of roof are five equally spaced dormers with fixed single panes in timber frames. Dormers have plain barge boards and slate hung cheeks; a drop finial survives on one dormer, over the coach arch.
Left and right gables abutted by adjacent buildings.

Rear of no.19c only accessed, but no.19a, to which there was no access (as unoccupied), presumed similar. Rear wall is of random granite rubble, lightly rendered (in places) with lime mortar and with brick eaves course.

Abutting the coach arch bay at rear is a one-room return over a continuation of the arch passage. Its roof has asbestos slates and the end gable at north is finished with a rendered and painted brick parapet. A one-storey kitchen extension abuts the angle between this return and the rear of no.19c. This extension has a natural slate roof, cement rendered walls, modern windows to yard side and door into house. To its right (ie on the ground floor of no.19c) is a 1/1 sliding sash window. There is an identical window in line on first floor. To left of this latter window, above kitchen extension, are smaller 1/1 sash windows to ground-first and first-attic floor landings. The room above the coach arch is lit by a 6/6 sash window. All the windows on the rear wall have brick jambs and heads, and granite cills. From what is visible of the fenestration of no.19a, it would appear to be a mirror image.

Just beyond rear of extended passage way, at left, is a small one-storey/ one-room building. Its gabled natural slate roof is hipped at one end. The walls are of rendered and whitewashed brick. Facade faces passage to rear of premises. At left on this wall is plain timber door. To right are two window openings (now sheeted over) with a shared granite cill and jambs and head, both chamfered. Inside is a small fireplace abutting the rear wall of the coach arch extension.

Historical information

These two buildings first appear in the 1882 Valuation Revision book, replacing buildings formerly belonging to Newry Distillery. The accompanying valuation map shows the extension at rear of coach arch to be an original feature (possibly the workshop cited in the Valuation book entry).

Primary Sources:
1. Valuation revision books, 1866-1930, PRONI – VAL 12B/15/1C, p.300;
2. Valuation revision books, 1866-1930, PRONI - VAL 12E/125/1/11.

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

Not listed

Criteria for listing: historic interest

Not listed

Evaluation

A two and a half storey/ five bay block comprising two dormered dwellings of some interest with respect to the use of polychromatic brick, which is typical of this area during the later 19th century (cf houses in nearby Lower Catherine Street). Symmetrical arrangement of doors around central coach arch reminiscent of 19th century houses elsewhere in the town. However, they are of insufficient interest to merit listing.