25 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 one of twenty-seven similar houses on the eastern terrace of Charlemont Square, a formally designed mid-Victorian square comprising 66 buildings in total arranged on three sides around a central green, primarily accessed from Fountain Street to the southeast. The house is of L-plan form facing southwest with a large two-storey rear return added around 1984.

The walling is generally random-coursed rock-faced local Newry Granodiorite with red brick dressings. Window and door openings are finished with painted stone cills and stepped red brick surrounds to gauged-brick cambered openings. The pitched natural slate roof is topped with angled black clay ridge tiles and incorporates a rectangular-section red brick chimney on the northwest side with a single terracotta pot. The eaves are flush with a red brick corbel course. uPVC rainwater goods with half-round guttering discharge to circular section downpipes.

The front elevation facing southwest is near symmetrical and sits flush with the main terrace, narrowly set back from larger shop buildings to its southeastern end. A modest paved front yard is enclosed by smooth cement-rendered dwarf walling topped by plain hooped painted metal railings, with a similar foot gate hung on slim metal posts to the southeast. A concrete path leads from the gate to the main entrance: a six-panelled painted timber door positioned to the southeast of the facade, featuring semi-circular glazing to the top and black iron door furniture, with a rectangular fanlight above. Two double hung 1/1 timber sliding sash windows with window horns and exposed sash boxes sit at first floor level, aligned with ground floor openings.

The northwest elevation is attached to No. 26 Charlemont Square East. The rear northeast elevation consists of a single-bay two-storey pitched roof rear return projecting northeast into the rear yard, with painted timber soffit and fascia. A planked painted timber door in smooth rendered boundary walling leads from a rear access route to a narrow L-shaped yard. A painted flush timber back door sits on the northwest side of the rear return. The northeast facade is finished with rough-cast cement render and features timber top or side opening casement windows. The southeast elevation is attached to No. 24 Charlemont Square East.

The building forms part of a planned arrangement of mill workers' dwellings and shops comprising a formal square with east, west, and north 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 step 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 square-headed door openings onto a wide rear access route. Front facades are nearly uniform along the east and west terraces, with five larger buildings to the southeast of Charlemont Square East and one to the southeast of Charlemont Square West incorporating traditional shop fronts at ground floor level with dwellings above. The northern terrace comprises eight larger paired two-and-a-half storey buildings. The central square is laid to lawn and enclosed by hooped galvanised metal railings with established trees at its boundary. A children's playground occupies the southeast area, incorporating a monument to the installation of electric lighting in 1911, while Bessbrook's War Memorial stands centrally southeast of the playground.