18 Charlemont Square East, Bessbrook, Co.Armagh

Two-storey two-bay mid-Victorian terraced house, built between 1862 and 1866 to designs by an unknown architect. The building forms part of Charlemont Square East, one of twenty-seven similar houses comprising the eastern terrace of Charlemont Square, a formally designed mid-Victorian square consisting of 66 buildings in total arranged on three sides around a central green, primarily accessed from Fountain Street to the southeast. The square was built as mill workers' dwellings and shops.

The house has an L-plan form facing southwest with a large two-storey rear return added around 1995. The walling is generally random-coursed rock-faced local Newry Granodiorite with red brick dressings. Stone cills are painted and stepped red brick surrounds are provided to gauged-brick cambered door and window openings, though doorway and window heads are now generally squared off with bands of smooth cement render to their surrounds.

The front northwest elevation has double hung timber sliding sash windows with window horns and exposed sash boxes. The rear southeast elevation and rear return have top opening timber casement windows and rough cast cement render. The pitched roof is covered with natural slate and has angled black clay ridge tiles, with a rectangular-section red brick chimney to the northwest. Flush eaves feature a red brick corbel course; metal rainwater goods with half-round guttering appear to the front southwest elevation, with uPVC rainwater goods to the northeast elevation and rear return.

The front elevation is near symmetrical. A modest paved front yard is enclosed by smooth cement rendered dwarf walling topped by plain hooped galvanised metal railings, with a similar foot gate hung on slim metal posts to the southeast. A quarry tile path from the gate leads to a panelled painted timber door positioned to the southeast of the facade. The door has three vertical panels to the bottom and a semi-circular-headed glazed top section composed of multiple glass panes, with black iron furniture and a fanlight above featuring two vertical glazing bars. The facade has a regular fenestration pattern with two windows at first floor level in line with ground floor openings.

The building is attached to No. 19 Charlemont Square East to the northwest and to No. 17 Charlemont Square East to the southeast. The rear northeast elevation shows a single bay two-storey pitched roof rear return projecting into the rear yard, having painted timber soffit and fascia. A planked painted timber door leads from the rear access route to a narrow L-shaped yard.

The building forms part of a planned arrangement of mill workers' dwellings and shops comprising a formal square with East, North and West terraces arranged around a central green. Each house is set back from the perimeter public road and footpath with a modest front yard typically enclosed by dwarf walling topped by hooped metal railings. The terraces to the east and west are stepped in groups of two dwellings respecting the subtle relief of the site. Larger rear yards are generally enclosed by random coursed rubble stone walling with a square-headed door opening onto a wide rear access route. Rear facades are much altered with various extensions of different shapes and sizes, whilst front facades remain nearly uniform along the East and West terraces. The central area of the square is laid to lawn and enclosed by hooped galvanised metal railings with some established trees at its boundary. A children's playground is located to the southeast and includes a monument to the installation of electric lighting in 1911; Bessbrook's War Memorial is centrally located to the southeast of the playground.