Belvedere, Ashton House, Fathom Line, Newry, Co Armagh

This is an octagonal belvedere situated on a hillside overlooking the Newry River and Canal, located southwest of Ashton House (HB16/13/009). It is likely to have been built as a folly between 1780 and 1799, and is undoubtedly associated with Ashton House, which stands a short distance to the east. The structure is shown on maps of 1835 and 1861, described as a ‘tower’ on the latter. The walls are constructed from wet-dashed rubble stone, with some areas repaired using concrete blockwork. The belvedere features a felted roof, a central cast-iron lantern, and boxed timber eaves. There is an opening on each of the cardinal points, with four windows and one entrance on the western face (the door is now missing). The window openings have slightly splayed reveals with concrete block cills. It was formerly and currently serves as a garden feature, and has recently been recorded as derelict.