16 College Square East, Bessbrook, Co.Armagh

Two-storey, two-bay late-Victorian terraced house built around 1883, possibly designed by civil engineer John Hardy, though the architect remains unconfirmed. The building is part of College Square East, a formally planned Victorian square containing 53 mill workers' dwellings arranged on three sides around a central bowling green and playground, with the Town Hall positioned to the southeast.

The house has a rectangular plan form facing southwest. The walls are constructed from random-coursed rock-faced local Newry Granodiorite with stepped red brick dressings to door and window jambs, and painted stone cills. Window and door openings are square-headed with gauged brick surrounds. The pitched roof is covered in fibre cement tiles with roll top black clay ridge tiles. A rebuilt rectangular-section rustic red brick chimney to the northwest carries two terracotta clay pots. The eaves are flush with separate red and buff brick courses, with an alternating red and buff brick corbel course above. Metal rainwater goods consist of half-round guttering discharging to circular section downpipes.

The principal southwest-facing front elevation is near symmetrical and flush with the adjoining terrace. A modest front garden is enclosed by painted hooped metal railings with a matching gate. A paved path from the gate leads to a planked timber door with painted metal furniture and a square-headed fanlight above containing four vertical glazing bars. The facade displays a regular fenestration pattern with two windows at first-floor level and one window at ground-floor level, all double-hung sliding timber sash windows with window horns and two vertical glazing bars.

The northwest elevation is attached to No. 17 College Square East. The northeast elevation, with limited visible access, comprises random-coursed rock-faced yard boundary walling with a painted planked timber door leading to the rear yard and a single timber sash window at first-floor level. A flat-roofed outbuilding stands at the southern corner of the yard.

The southeast elevation is attached to No. 15 College Square East.

The house forms part of a planned arrangement where the eastern terrace is stepped in groups of six dwellings to respect the subtle site relief. Each dwelling has a modest front yard set back from the perimeter public road and footpath, typically enclosed by dwarf walling topped by hooped metal railings. Rear yards are enclosed by random-coursed rubble stone walling with square-headed door openings onto a wide rear access route, though rear facades are generally much altered.