5 Charlemont Square East, Bessbrook, Co.Armagh

5 Charlemont Square East, Bessbrook

A two-and-a-half-storey mid-Victorian terraced house built between 1862 and 1866 to designs by an unknown architect. The building forms part of Charlemont Square, a formally designed mid-Victorian development of 66 mill workers' dwellings and shops arranged in three terraces around a central green, accessed primarily from Fountain Street to the southeast.

The building is constructed of generally random-coursed rock-faced local Newry Granodiorite walling with red brick dressings, stone cills, and stepped red brick surrounds to gauged-brick cambered window openings. The pitched roof is finished in fibre cement with angled black clay ridge tiles. A half dormer window sits on the southwest elevation. The original rectangular-section red brick chimney on the northwest elevation has a red brick corbel course and single terracotta and buff clay pots, though it is now rendered. Projecting eaves feature painted timber fascia and soffit; cast iron rainwater gutters with half-round guttering discharge to rectangular hoppers and circular section downpipes, though the guttering to the front elevation is a uPVC replacement.

The southwest-facing front elevation is near symmetrical, flush with the main terrace of shop fronts to the southeast. A panelled painted timber door at the southeast end opens onto a single stone step with brass furniture and a semi-circular-headed fanlight above. The building is now exclusively a dwelling, its original ground-floor shop front having been removed and replaced with stone walling and an inserted window with stepped red brick surround and curved jambs. The facade has regular fenestration with two windows to the first floor. The half dormer window to the southwest wall retains its original painted timber lobed bargeboard. Double hung sliding timber sash windows with 2/2 horizontal glazing bars and window horns are typical to the front elevation.

The northwest elevation is attached to the smaller No. 6 Charlemont Square East and features a gable with a rectangular-section mid-ridge chimney at the apex and a smooth cement render finish throughout.

The northeast rear elevation has two double hung sliding timber sash windows to the first floor with exposed sash boxes, two skylights to the pitched roof, and a single-storey pitched roof rear return projecting into the rear yard. A smaller flat-roofed outbuilding is attached to the northeast of the rear return. Replacement smooth rendered dwarf boundary walling to the northeast of the yard is topped by painted metal railings with a pair of painted metal vehicular gates to the right, leading southwest from the rear access route to a concrete yard. Two-part sliding patio doors open to the ground floor of the northeast elevation, and a painted timber door with glazed top half is located on the northwest side of the rear return. The rear return has a top-opening timber casement corner window to its northern edge. Ground-floor level and the rear return generally feature smooth cement rendered finish, with original stone walling above.

The southeast elevation is attached to No. 4 Charlemont Square East.

The building 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. A larger rear yard is enclosed by random-coursed rubble stone walling with a square-headed door opening onto the wide rear access route. The rear facade has been much altered with various extensions of different shapes and sizes.

A single-storey rear return was added circa 1990.