Lewsley's Public House

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

Two storey terraced public house with attic, possibly built around a house/houses of pre 1834 origin, but whose front façade probably took on its present appearance c.1900. The property is situated in the terrace on the W side of the S end of South Promenade, to the S of Newcastle town centre.

The front façade faces roughly E and is asymmetrical. To the left of centre is a large-ish timber panelled double door with an acid etched fanlight and two large flanking pub windows, also with painted-on lettering. The door jambs have small decorative brackets (supporting the large pub sign above). The windows have moulded cills and moulded panels below. There is a pair of pilasters to the left of the left hand window and another pair to the right of the right hand window.

To the right of these is a conventionally sized timber panelled door with plain fanlight. To the right of this door is another set of pilasters as before, then another window, much as before but with pierced ventilator panel to top of the frame. To the right of this window is another double door (slightly narrower than the first double door) but with similar brackets to the jambs. To the right of this door are another pair of pilasters, then another conventional doorway as before, then another pair of pilasters. Above this whole ground floor ensemble is a long PVC sign board with dentilled cornice above and timber end brackets.

To the first floor are four windows (roughly evenly spaced), resting on a cill course and with moulded surrounds and a string course between. The windows have modern frames. Two modern projecting pub signs to first floor (one internally illuminated). The front façade is finished in lined render and painted.

To the left at the rear is a large, two storey, gabled return. The N face of this appears to be blank. The gable has what appears to have been a first floor doorway, but this is now filled with an odd looking window frame with panelling beneath. To the S face there are two first floor windows with modern frames and one to the ground floor with a similar frame. To the left of this is a metal sheeted doorway. To the right on this face is a single storey flat roofed extension, with door as previous to W face.

To the right at the rear is a large modern looking, two storey, flat roofed return with modern windows to all faces. A carriage entrance actually contained with the property to the S of this (No.91) is used by the pub. A modern metal staircase to the immediate N of the modern return, gives access to a doorway (much as previous) to the first floor of the rear façade of the main building. To the left of this door is a small window opening with modern frame. The whole of the rear elevation is finished in plain render and is mostly painted.

The main gabled roof has natural slate to the front and artificial to the rear. Four cast iron skylights to front, two much smaller cast iron skylights to rear. Two rendered chimney stacks (with moulded corbelling and a string course). Cast iron rw goods to front, mainly PVC to rear.

Historical information

A building is shown on this site on the OS map of 1834. It is difficult to match the properties show on this map with the valuation plans of 1838, but it is possible that the present pub is based around the house (of the same dimensions) recorded as belonging to John McMeekan, a house which also had a two storey return and which was believed by the valuers to be perhaps over 20-30 years old at that point. By 1863 the building was in the hands of one Robert Lowey. By this time it is described as containing a ‘shop and rooms’ as well as living quarters, suggesting it may have been a public house at this stage, though the present owner has stated that it was a bakery at some point.

For most the 20th century the property was owned by the Mulholland family (until c.1940) and the Cowan family (until 1980).

References- Primary sources
1 PRONI D.1503 Annesley Papers.
2 PRONI VAL/1B/362 p.18 First valuation, Kilcoo, c.1834-38.
3 PRONI OS/1/3/49 OS map, first ed., Co Down 49.
4 PRONI VAL/1D/3/10 Valuation town plan of Newcastle, 1838.
5 PRONI OS/6/3/49/2 OS map, first rev., Co. Down 49.
6 PRONI Second (‘Griffith’s) valuation, Kilcoo, 1863.
7 PRONI VAL/12E/111/1 Valuation town plan of Newcastle, 1864-1906.
8 PRONI and Linen Hall Library ‘Belfast and Province of Ulster Directory’ Vols.1-21, 1852-1900, (Belfast, Henderson [1852-65], Belfast News-Letter [1865- ]).
9 George Henry Bassett ‘County Down Guide and Directory’ (Dublin 1886), pp.161-165.
10 PRONI OS/8/136/1-4 OS plans of Newcastle, 1901.

Secondary sources
1 P.J. Rankin, 'Historic Buildings, Groups of Buildings, Areas of Architectural Importance in the Mourne Area of South Down', (Belfast UAHS 1975), p.74.
2 Grenfell Morton ‘Victorian and Edwardian Newcastle’ (Belfast 1988).

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

Not listed

Criteria for listing: historic interest

Not listed

Evaluation

Two storey terraced public house with attic, possibly built around a house/houses of pre 1834 origin, but whose front façade probably took on its traditional late Victorian/Edwardian pub appearance present appearance c.1900. To the rear there are two returns one of which appears to be modern, the addition of which has resulted in the original layout being altered. Most of the window frames, including those to first floor at front, are modern , which together with the use of artificial slates to the rear, results in the building being no longer of special architectural or historic interest.