8 College Square North, Bessbrook, Co.Armagh

A two-storey, two-bay late-Victorian mill workers' terraced dwelling, built of local stone around 1890. The architect is unknown, though the work may have been by civil engineer John Hardy. The building has an L-plan form facing southeast, with a two-storey rear return.

Number 8 forms part of a terrace of twelve similar houses which comprise the northern side of College Square, itself a formally designed late-Victorian square containing 53 dwellings in total. The square is arranged on three sides around a central bowling green and playground, primarily accessed from Fountain Street to the southeast.

The walling is generally random-coursed rock-faced local Newry Granodiorite with stepped red brick dressings to jambs and stone cills. The door and window openings are square-headed with gauged brick. The pitched roof is covered with fibre cement tiles and topped with roll top black clay ridge tiles. Two rectangular-section red brick chimneys are present: one to the southwest with four buff clay pots, and one to the northeast with four terracotta clay pots. The eaves are flush with separate red and buff brick eaves courses and an alternating red and buff brick corbel course above. The rainwater goods are generally uPVC with half-round guttering discharging to circular section downpipes.

The front elevation faces southeast and is flush with the rest of the terrace. It is nearly symmetrical with a regular fenestration pattern: two windows at first-floor level aligned with openings at ground level, all fitted with double hung 1/1 timber sash windows with horns. A modest front yard is paved and enclosed by red brick dwarf walling topped with hooped galvanized metal railings. A similar foot gate on slim posts stands to the northeast, with an area of planting to the centre of the yard. A paved path from the gate leads to a modern panelled painted timber door with a glazed top half, black iron furniture, and a square-headed fanlight above. A window is situated to the southwest side of the door.

To the southwest, the building is attached to No. 7 College Square North. The northwest-facing rear elevation has limited visibility but shows a two-storey rear return at the northeast projecting northwest to the site boundary. The rear yard to the southwest is a single reduced bay in width and has a painted sheet metal door leading from the rear access route. The elevation has a top opening timber casement window facing northwest at first-floor level above the yard. The rear return has two windows visible at first-floor level to its southwest side, one obscured by a modern oil tank raised on concrete lintels. A vent opening is visible to the northwest side of the rear return at ground-floor level, with no openings visible to the northeast side. The rear elevation generally has a roughcast cement render finish with uPVC or timber casement windows with slim concrete cills. To the northeast, the building is attached to No. 9 College Square North.

College Square itself is a planned arrangement of 53 mill workers' dwellings comprising a formal square composed of east, north, and west terraces arranged around a central bowling green, playground, and lawn. 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. Rear yards are typically 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.

The eastern terrace comprises 23 dwellings stepped in groups of six to respect the subtle relief of the site, terminating at its southeastern end with the village Town Hall (the old Institute building). The western terrace comprises 18 dwellings, arranged for the most part in pairs and built in a similar style but with some significant differences in detailing. The former school building is located at the southeastern end of the western terrace.

The northern terrace, of which this building is part, is the shortest in the square at only 12 houses in width. Though similar to the other terrace dwellings, these are distinctly larger two-storey buildings with steeply pitched roofs.

The central area of the square is now divided into three sections laid to lawn. The northwestern area has a bowling pavilion and green enclosed by painted hooped metal railings with established trees at its northwest boundary. A lawn enclosed by hooped metal railings is located to the southeast, and an open children's playground with three granite monuments stands in the centre of the square. One monument records: 'erected A.D. 1911 in respectful memory of George Wright, Head Mason. John McClelland, Head Millwright. Michael Boyle, Flax Buyer. Who each faithfully served the Bessbrook firm for nearly 50 years. Also Robert Ross, Mill Manager. Austin Kennedy, Rougher'. Another records 'The garden in memory of James N. Richardson is arranged by his wife as a playground for the children of Bessbrook whom he loved November 1927', with an inscription on the opposite side noting this was the last stone cut from Bessbrook quarry. A third monument, recently moved from the grounds of Bessbrook Mill, details the mill's history from its ownership by the Pollock family in 1760 to Bessbrook Spinning Co Ltd in 1878.