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

1 Downshire Road (Sandy's Place), Newry

This is the right one of a pair of two and a half storey buildings with basement and three bays, representing a well-proportioned and detailed example of early Victorian town planning in virtually original condition. The building was erected in 1837 by Francis White, a hardware merchant, on land leased from the Marquis of Downshire. It was occupied by James Lyle in 1838. The building retains group value as part of a planned pair.

The main façade faces west onto Downshire Road. The walls are constructed of squared granite rubble brought to courses with a projecting eaves course. The pitched natural slate roof is rendered at the right verge and features one skylight to the front pitch and three to the rear. Rendered chimneys stand at right and left, the latter shared with the adjoining house. Half-round metal gutters and downpipe are also shared with the adjacent property.

Access to the main entrance is gained by six granite steps rising to a granite-paved platform. Original spiked iron railings with moulded bases flank the steps (two per step), and wrought iron boot-scrapers are set into the railings on each side of the platform. The front door is painted timber with four coffered and bolection-moulded panels without beaded muntin, fitted with brass furniture. It is flanked by a pair of three-quarter attached granite Tuscan columns supporting a moulded granite entablature, above which is a leaded peacock-tailed rectangular fanlight. The door opening has moulded one-piece panelled jambs and scrolled brackets to a projecting moulded cornice, all in granite. Above the cornice is a semi-elliptical rendered band, probably over a brick-relieving arch, with a burglar alarm between the band and cornice. A modern brass nameplate is positioned to the right of the door.

All window openings throughout have flat rendered heads, stepped rendered jambs and granite cills. To the ground floor left and right bays are single 6/6 sliding sash windows with horns. The basement door, centred below the front steps, is three-panelled timber with six top glazed panes. To its left, in line with the ground floor window, is a modern two-pane casement window without cill. To its right, also in line with the ground floor window, is a 6/3 sliding sash; both have metal security grilles over. The first floor carries three 6/6 sliding sash windows, diminished in height and in line with the ground floor openings. A granite plaque with raised lettering reading 'Sandys Place' is positioned below and to the right of the first floor window at the right.

The garden to the front is separated from the 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 giving access to concrete steps down to the basement passage.

The left gable forms the party wall with adjacent property number 2. The right gable, which faces Corry Park, is smooth rendered with stepped stucco quoins to each edge. It is blank except for two small segmental-headed 1/1 sliding sashes at attic level. The wall continues at right (cement coped) to enclose the yard; at left is an opening through to the yard with an original wrought-iron gate detailed as the front railing.

The rear elevation has a random rubble wall brought to courses with a raised eaves course. A passage runs across the front of the basement. Windows to this elevation are without horns unless otherwise stated. Centred to the basement is a partially glazed modern door to the external basement passage. To its immediate left is a small modern 1/1 top-hung window serving a toilet. To the left and right bays are single 8/4 sliding sashes (the left one with horns, both with metal security grilles). Above the door, between basement and ground floor, is a semicircular opening containing a multi-paned glazed door onto a concrete balcony over the passage, from which concrete stairs with metal handrails lead down to the garden.

At ground floor left is a wide tripartite window comprising a 6/6 sliding sash flanked on both sides by 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, 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 the half landing between first floor and attic is, at centre, a 3/3 spoke-headed sash.

Two outhouses stand to the rear. The first is a double-height single-storey structure with pitched natural slate roof positioned on the boundary wall with the adjoining property number 2; it is divided longitudinally down the ridge by the boundary wall, with each property owning half the complete building. Rubble granite walls are brought to courses with all openings having stepped render trim. The gable facing the rear of the house has a painted timber tongue-and-groove sheeted door set. The north wall is shared with number 2. The gable to the back has a tongue-and-groove painted timber door at left. The south wall has a tongue-and-groove timber door at centre with 2/2 sliding sash windows with horns to its left and right.

The second outhouse, now converted to an office, stands at the south east corner of the premises. It is a two-storey structure with hipped natural slate roof and half-round metal gutters. Random rubble walls have a raised eaves course. All openings have flat rendered heads, stepped rendered jambs, and windows have concrete cills unless otherwise stated. The south elevation, forming the boundary to Corry Park, is blank except for two 6/6 sash windows at first floor. The gable facing east onto the back access lane has a 6/9 sliding sash window centred to ground floor and a 6/6 sash at first floor. The north elevation, facing into the yard, has modern painted timber four-panel doors at both ground and first floor centres; the first floor door is accessed by metal stairs and balcony. To the left of each are two small vertically divided 2/2 sliding sashes. The west gable has a 6/6 sliding sash centred to each floor. The east gable continues as a high coped granite rubble wall enclosing the back of the 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 number 2. In the spandrel between the two arches is a finely dressed rectangular granite plaque with raised capitals reading 'F.W 1837'.

The rear garden is enclosed on all sides by rubble walls. The building is located within a conservation area.