Downshire Arms, 28 Main Street, Hilltown, Newry, Co Down, BT34 5UJ

The Downshire Arms is a grade B2 listed building situated on the left (west) side of a pair of early 19th century buildings at the north-east corner of Main Street and Rathfriland Road junction in the centre of Hilltown. Originally an inn, it has been extensively refurbished (circa 1993) and is now part of an amalgamated hotel complex that includes the former market house and court house to its right.

The building is two storeys tall with basement and attic levels, comprising three bays, with a pitched natural slate roof. Two rendered chimneys—one to the west gable and another to the centre of the ridge—are painted with projecting coping. The roof is fitted with semicircular steel gutters on a two stage rendered eaves course, with downpipes at either end of the façade.

To the centre of the front pitch is a small dormer window with a segmental leaded roof and leaded cheeks, containing a pair of small 1/1 sliding sashes. Two similar dormers appear on the rear pitch. The walls are painted smooth cement render.

At ground floor centre, a segmental arch carries the pavement over an external basement passage that formerly led to the inn's entrance; this is now disused. The entrance itself comprises a painted reproduction six-panelled door (with the top two panels smaller and raised and fielded), flanked by plain sidelights with timber apron panels and a three-paned semi-elliptical headed fanlight, all modern additions. Wrought iron boot scrapers flank the door to left and right.

The left and right ground floor bays each contain a set of tripartite windows: a 6/6 sliding sash flanked by 2/2 sashes, all within a single opening with finely dressed granite cill. Single 3/3 sliding sash windows with exposed dressed granite jambs, lintels and cills appear at basement level in the left and right bays; both are fitted with modern metal security bars.

Three equally spaced first floor windows, one per bay, are 3/6 sliding sashes with granite cills. Above the central window is a wrought iron bracket supporting a modern timber sign.

The basement to the front elevation is paved and accessed by a metal ladder at the left (west) end. It is enclosed by a rendered and painted dwarf wall with rounded coping and curved sweeps at either end and around a central door. This wall supports iron railings with cast iron mouldings to base and head, and plain finials.

The left gable fronts Rathfriland Road and is rendered to match the façade. At basement level is a modern flush timber fire escape door with steps rising to street level, with a modern electric light above it. The ground floor contains a 6/6 sliding sash, with a 3/6 sash directly above on the first floor. The remainder of the gable is blank.

The right cheek of the rear return (continuing left from the gable) has no basement. At ground floor is a 6/6 sash with a 3/6 sash above. A dwarf wall and railings matching those to the façade enclose this elevation, with a small integrated gate to the right corner serving the basement steps.

The rear elevation is abutted to its right by a two storey rear return, and the remainder (along with part of the adjacent east block) is abutted by a modern single storey flat-roofed extension. The remaining first floor wall is painted smooth render and contains two doorways, each with a pair of modern French windows leading onto the extension roof. The extension features a leaded roof and a wide modern timber canted bay window to the yard. Its roof is enclosed by a modern reproduction Georgian balustrade with a matching metal escape stair descending to the right. At ground floor, a flight of concrete steps leads down right to a modern basement door below the extension, while a second flight rises left to a ground floor left door.

The rear return (at the right of the rear elevation) has a pitched natural slate roof with the right pitch longer than the left as viewed from the rear. A rendered chimney rises on the rear gable. Eaves, gutters and walls are consistent with the main block. Its left cheek is abutted to ground floor by the extension and has a modern vent at first floor. The rear gable contains a fixed 3x2 paned window at first floor centre (the opening being the same size as a 3/3 sash). The right gable forms a party wall with the adjacent second building.

For details of the yard and outbuildings, refer to HB 16/07/005B. For description of the Market House, refer to HB 16/07/005C.