Rectory, Church Street, Banbridge, ***See surveyor's comments***

Rectory, Church Street, Banbridge

An asymmetrical two-storey-over-semi-basement four-bay detached house built around 1790 and extended around 1850, located on the north side of Church Street opposite the Cathedral Church of Christ the Redeemer in Banbridge town centre. The building is rectangular on plan with a canted-bay window to the west, a two-storey return dating from around 1850 and a single-storey extension of 1932 to the north, and a single-storey-over-basement annexe to the east.

The walls are rendered in roughcast with smooth rendered quoins to the ground and first floors, and painted smooth render to the basement. A continuous sill course runs across the ground floor windows. The pitched roof is natural slate with blue and black angled ridge tiles. Three red-brick chimneys with fluted shafts and masonry caps rise from the roof. Cast-iron ogee rainwater goods are fixed to smooth rendered eaves bands.

Most windows are Victorian replacements. The ground floor has 1/1 timber-framed sliding sash windows in moulded architraves with painted sills. First-floor windows are diminished in size and consist of segmental-headed 2/2 timber-framed sashes in square-headed frames with moulded architraves surmounted by cornices on console brackets. The basement contains a variety of timber-framed sash windows, including an original 10/10 window to the south elevation.

The principal south elevation is five openings wide at first and ground floor, with three windows to the basement. To the right of centre is a segmental-headed doorcase reached via a splayed stone perron with six bull-nose steps and replacement metal handrails. The door itself is six-panelled timber with brass furniture, flanked by two fluted Doric columns with entasis and surmounted by a radial elliptical timber fanlight with moulded archivolt and pilasters.

The west elevation features a tripartite canted bay window at ground floor rising from the basement. At basement level to the left is a single 2/2 window, half louvered.

The north elevation is abutted on the left by the two-storey return and extension. To the right of these at first floor is a round-headed 1/1 window within a gablet having a bargeboard and timber struts, with two timber casement windows to the right. At ground floor left is a double-leaf half-panelled timber door with transom light in a moulded architrave, and an 8/8 window to the left at basement level. The return contains a 1/1 window to both first and ground floor to the right; to the left is a modern half-panelled timber door.

The east gable is abutted at ground floor and basement by the annexe, constructed in similar style with roughcast rendered walls and a rendered chimney to the gable topped by a tall terracotta pot. Five steps with modern handrails lead to a four-panelled timber entrance door in a channelled smooth rendered surround. To the right at ground floor is a 1/1 window in smooth rendered architrave, with a basement containing a timber-sheeted latch door and a 1/1 window. The east elevation of the annexe has a 1/1 window to both ground floor and basement.

The Rectory is set back from the road with a central tarmacadamed entrance flanked by lawned banks. It is bounded to the street by a squared rubble stone wall with dressed coping stones topped with modern metal railings. At the centre are square ashlar gate piers with Gothic caps supporting modern gates. A lawned and shrubbed garden occupies the western side, enclosed by a high smooth rendered wall facing the west gable of the house. The front garden is enclosed to the west by a roughcast rendered garden wall with a timber-sheeted door to the yard, now in separate ownership. Mature trees enclose the property to the north and east.