Historic Building Details

HB Ref No:
HB16/26/013 A

Address :
1 Downshire Road (1 Sandy's Place) Newry Co Down BT34 1ED

Townland:
Carneyhough

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Survey 2:
B+

Date of Listing:
26/02/1976 00:00:00

Date of De-listing:

Current Use:
Office

Former Use
House

Conservation Area:
Yes

Industrial Archaeology:
No

Vernacular:
No

Thatched:
No

Monument:
No

Derelict:
No

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OS Map No:
266/7 NW

IG Ref:
J0883 2688

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Owner Category

Commercial

Exterior Description And Setting

Right one of a pair of two and a half storey (+ basement))/ three bay buildings on east side of Downshire Road. There are also two outhouses to rear. Pitched natural slate roof with rendered right verge. One skylight to front pitch and three to rear. Rendered chimneys at right and left (the latter shared with adjoining house). Half round metal gutters and downpipe shared with adjoined house. Main façade faces west to street. Wall of squared granite rubble brought to courses with projecting eaves course. Six granite steps rise to a granite-paved platform over passage across front of basement and at front of main entrance in central bay. Original spiked iron railings (with moulded bases) flank steps (two per step). Wrought iron boot-scraper in railing on each side of platform. Front door is of painted timber with four panels (each coffered and bolection moulded, but without beaded muntin) and brass furniture. It is flanked by a pair of three-quarter attached granite Tuscan columns supporting a moulded granite entablature over which is a leaded peacock-tailed rectangular fanlight. Door opening has moulded one-piece panelled jambs and scrolled brackets to projecting moulded cornice, all in granite. Over the cornice is a semi-elliptical rendered band, probably over a brick-relieving arch. There is a burglar alarm between this band and the cornice. To right of door is a modern brass nameplate. All window openings throughout have flat rendered heads, stepped rendered jambs and granite cills. All sash windows have horns unless otherwise stated. To ground floor left and right bays is single 6/6 sliding sash windows. Basement door is centred below front steps and is three panelled timber with six top glazed panes. To left, in line with ground floor window, is a modern two-pane casement window, without cill. To right of door, also in line with ground floor window is a 6/3 sliding sash. Both windows have metal security grilles over. To first floor are three 6/6 sliding sash windows, in line with ground floor openings but diminished in height. Below and to right of first floor window at right is a granite plaque with raised lettering reading ‘Sandys Place’. Garden to front separated from street by a low chamfered dressed granite wall (over strap-pointed random rubble) carrying reproduction arrow-headed metal railings. These railings also flank the path up to the steps. The left railing along this path has a gate through to concrete steps down to the basement passage. Left gable forms party wall with adjacent property (no.2). Right gable, which faces Corry Park, is smooth render with stepped stucco quoins to each edge. It is blank save for two small segmental-headed 1/1 sliding sashes at attic level. Wall continues at right (cement coped) to enclose yard; at left is an opening through to yard with original wrought-iron gate detailed as the front railing. Yard wall continues at side wall of outhouse (q.v. outhouse 2). Rear wall is of random rubble wall brought to courses, with raised eaves course. A passage runs across the front of the basement. All windows to this elevation are without horns unless otherwise stated. To centre of basement is a partially glazed modern door to external basement passage. To its immediate left is a small modern 1/1 top-hung window (serving a toilet). To left and right bays are single 8/4 sliding sashes (the left one with horns, and both with metal security grilles). Above door, between basement and ground floor, is a semicircular opening containing a multi-paned glazed door onto concrete balcony over passage, from which concrete stairs (with metal handrails) lead down to garden. At ground floor left is a wide tripartite window comprising a 6/6 sliding sash flanked on both sides by a 2/2 windows. At ground floor right is a 6/6 sliding sash. Between ground and first floor, at centre, is a semicircular-headed 1/1 sliding sash with stained glass. Immediately to its right, and level with its cill, is a small infilled opening with two-centred head, rendered surround and granite cill. At first floor left and right are single 6/6 sliding sashes. On half landing between first floor and attic is, at centre, a 3/3 spoke-headed sash. Outhouse 1 Rear garden is enclosed on all sides by rubble walls. Positioned on the boundary wall with the adjoining property (no.2) is a double-height single-storey outhouse with pitched natural slate roof; it is divided longitudinally (down the ridge) by the boundary wall, each property owning half the complete building. Rubble granite walls brought to courses. All opening have stepped render trim. On gable facing to rear of house is a painted timber t+g sheeted door set. North wall is shared with no.2. Gable to back of premises has a t+g painted timber door at left. South wall has one t+g timber door at centre. To left and right of it is a 2/2 sliding sash window with horn. Outhouse 2 At south east corner of premises is a two-storey outhouse, now converted to an office. Hipped natural slate roof and half-round metal gutters. Random rubble walls with raised eaves. All openings have flat rendered heads, stepped rendered jambs, and the windows have concrete cills (unless otherwise stated). The south elevation forms boundary to Corry Park and is blank save for two 6/6 sash windows at first floor. The gable facing east on to back access lane has a 6/9 sliding sash window centred to ground floor, and 6/6 sash at first floor. The north elevation, which faces into yard, has a modern painted timber four-panel door at both ground and first floor centre; the latter is accessed by metal stairs and balcony. To the left of each are two small vertically divided 2/2 sliding sashes. The west gable (facing to rear of house) has a 6/6 sliding sash centred to each floor. The east gable continues as a high coped granite rubble wall enclosing back of premises. At right is a shallow segmental headed arch with dressed jambs and voussoirs (with raised keystone), now containing a pair of reproduction arrow-headed metal gates (identical in design to those at front). To its right is an identical opening to the back of no.2. In the spandrel between the two arches is a finely dressed rectangular granite plaque with raised capitals reading: ’F.W 1837’.

Architects

Not Known

Historical Information

Erected 1837 by Francis White (=F.W. on plaque), a hardware merchant, the land having been leased from the Marquis of Downshire. Occupied by one James Lyle in 1838. Primary Sources: 1. OS 6" map, 1st edition (1833) Co Down sheet 46 (PRONI - OS 6/3/46/1) 2. Valuation revision books, 1866-1930, PRONI VAL1D/3/8A 3. Valuation revision books, 1866-1930, PRONI VAL 1B/ 389, p.55. 4. Plaque on back boundary wall. 5. Archaeological Survey Co Down, p.428 (entry 417.27). Secondary Sources: 6. Information board in adjoining house (1998).

Criteria for Listing

Architectural Interest

A. Style B. Proportion C. Ornamentation D. Plan Form I. Quality and survival of Interior K. Group value

Historic Interest

X. Local Interest

Evaluation

Right one of a pair of two and a half storey (+ basement))/ three bay buildings. A well proportioned and detailed example of early Victorian town planning in virtually original condition.

General Comments

Date of Survey

03 April 1998