3 Downshire Road, (2 Sandy's Place), Newry, Co Down, BT34 1ED

3 Downshire Road, Newry

This is the left building of a pair of two and a half storey structures with basements, set over three bays on the east side of Downshire Road. Dating from 1837 and erected by Francis White, a hardware merchant, it represents a well-proportioned and detailed example of early Victorian town planning and survives in virtually original condition.

The main façade faces west to the street and is constructed of squared granite rubble brought to courses with projecting eaves. A pitched natural slate roof has one cast-iron skylight to the front pitch and two to the rear. The left gable is coped with granite, and a single lined render chimney sits on the party wall with the adjacent building. Ogee cast-iron gutters with a metal downpipe are shared with the neighbouring property.

Nine granite steps rise to a granite-paved platform over a basement passage, which serves the main entrance to the central bay. The steps are flanked by reproduction spiked iron railings, with iron boot-scrapers inset on each side of the platform. The front door comprises four panels, each coffered and bolection moulded, in painted timber with brass furniture. It is flanked by a pair of three-quarter attached granite Tuscan columns supporting a moulded granite entablature. Above is a leaded peacock-tailed rectangular fanlight. The door opening has moulded one-piece panelled jambs, scrolled brackets and a projecting moulded cornice, all in granite. Over the cornice is a semi-elliptical rendered band, probably spanning a brick relieving arch. Modern coach lamps are attached to each jamb.

All window openings throughout feature flat rendered heads, stepped rendered jambs and granite cills, with windows generally without horns unless otherwise stated. To the ground floor, the left and right bays contain single 6/6 sliding sashes. The basement door, centred below the front steps, is tongue-and-groove sheeted painted timber. To its left and right are 8/4 sliding sashes with horns, both fitted with security grilles. The first floor contains three 6/6 sliding sash windows, diminished in height, in line with the ground floor openings. The left gable is blank.

A low wall continues at the left to enclose a rear garden and terminates in the side wall of outhouses at the back of the premises. The right gable forms a party wall with the adjacent property.

The rear wall is of random rubble brought to courses with a raised eaves course. A passage runs across in front of the basement. At the centre of the basement level is a painted tongue-and-groove sheeted door. To its immediate right is a small modern casement serving a toilet. The left and right bays have single 8/4 sliding sashes. Above the door, between basement and ground floor, is a semicircular opening containing a pair of partly glazed doors opening onto a concrete platform with plain modern railings, from which a ramp leads down to the garden. To the right is a large tripartite window consisting of a 6/6 sliding sash flanked on either side by a 2/2 sash. The wall surround appears to have been rebuilt with larger, sharper stones not so well coursed. The left bay has a 6/6 sliding sash window. Between ground and first floors at the centre is a 6/6 spoke-headed sash, with a small two-centred headed window immediately to its left at cill level. The first floor left and right bays contain single 6/6 sliding sashes. On the half landing between first floor and attic, at the centre, is a 3/3 spoke-headed sash.

The front garden is separated from the street by a low chamfered dressed granite wall, constructed over strap-pointed random rubble and carrying reproduction arrow-headed metal railings. These railings also flank the path up to the steps. The right railing along the path has a gate leading through to concrete steps descending to the basement passage.

The rear garden is enclosed on all sides by rubble walls and contains four outhouses.

Outhouse 1 is positioned on the boundary wall with the adjoining property and is a double-height single-storey structure with a pitched natural slate roof. It is divided longitudinally down the ridge by the boundary wall, with each property owning half. The rubble granite walls are brought to courses with all openings having stepped render trim. The gable facing the rear of the house is blank. The south wall is shared with the adjacent building. The gable to the back of the premises has a tongue-and-groove door at the right. The north wall has a tongue-and-groove sheeted door at the right and an opening to the centre, formerly a door but now containing a fixed modern window with a cement panel below.

Outhouse 2, positioned at the north-east corner of the premises, is a two-storey structure with a hipped natural slate roof and random rubble walls. Its northern and eastern walls form the boundary of the yard. The north elevation, forming the boundary to the premises, is blank. The gable facing east onto the back access lane has a sheet metal door at the centre and another at first floor level, accessed by concrete stairs. The south elevation, facing into the yard, has a modern glazed window to the right of centre at ground floor and a similar window to the first floor left. The west gable, facing the rear of the house, has a single modern window at ground floor right.

Outhouse 3 abuts the left of Outhouse 2. The east gable continues at a high coped granite rubble wall enclosing the back of the premises. To its left is a shallow segmental headed arch with dressed jambs and voussoirs with a raised keystone, containing a metal and wire mesh gate. To its left is an identical opening to the back of the adjacent building. In the spandrel between the two arches is a finely dressed rectangular granite plaque with raised capitals reading 'F.W 1837'.

Outhouse 4, between Outhouses 1 and 2, is a modern rendered single-storey shed which divides the yard into two sections.

The property was occupied in 1838 by Peter Quinn. In 1861 it was purchased for £1000 by Mr A. Erskine, a Trustee of the 2nd Presbyterian Church. He sold it for £500 in 1867 for use as a manse. A subsequent occupant was Dr P. McKee, who later became Moderator of the Presbyterian Church. When sold in 1960 by Dr T. Hagan, it was used for a time as a Gospel Hall. The building now serves as an office and is situated within a conservation area.