Northern Bank, 1 Queen Street, Warrenpoint, Newry, Co Down, BT34 3HZ

Northern Bank is an early 20th-century building positioned prominently on the northeast corner of Queen Street and Great George's Street in Warrenpoint. This substantial two-and-a-half-storey double-pile structure originally incorporated the bank manager's residence alongside the banking hall.

Architectural Character

The building is constructed of red brick laid in Flemish bond with a chamfered brick base course, enriched throughout with red sandstone detailing. The roofs are steeply pitched and covered in natural slate, with the main block forming a double pile arrangement and a returning roof at the rear right. Abutting its gable is a two-stage return that diminishes at each stage. All front gables feature pitched red sandstone copings with plain kneelers, raised decorative blocks positioned halfway up each pitch, and foliated finials. In contrast, the rear gables have plain painted timber bargeboards. Prominent moulded sandstone stringcourses run between each floor level on all but the rear elevation of the main block, terminating in foliated stops at the northwest end of the side elevations. A lesser stringcourse, positioned seven brick courses below the one between ground and first floors, frames a plain frieze. All stringcourses wrap around the corner tower and loop over the downpipes.

The chimneys are decorative red brick with moulded red sandstone caps, placed strategically: one to each gable of the front pile, one at each end of the rear returning roof (the rear one on its northwest pitch), and another on the end gable of the lowest rear return. All roofs have overhanging eaves with exposed rafter tails carrying cast-iron rainwater goods attached to the walls by decorative iron brackets. A single wall-head dormer sits on the front pitch of the main block, featuring a hipped natural slate roof with terracotta ridge tiles and a ball-topped finial. Its front contains a pair of casement windows, while its left and right cheeks are slate-hung and blank.

Window openings throughout typically have chamfered reveals, splayed sandstone cills, and chamfered sandstone lintels. Most windows are original flush timber casements with top-hung transoms, though some feature masonry transoms and mullions.

Southwest Elevation (Queen Street)

The principal facade faces Queen Street and presents two-and-a-half storeys across two bays. Its most striking feature is the three-stage octagonal tower that clasps the left corner from first-floor level upward. At ground level, this tower is supported by a narrow, slightly advanced brick pier on both the southwest and northwest elevations. These piers carry a corbelled sandstone base at the frieze course level between ground and first floors. The first and second stages of the tower each expose five full and two half faces. The southwest and northwest faces of these stages contain narrow casement windows, while the remaining exposed faces are blank. The third stage stands free and is shorter than the others, constructed entirely of red sandstone. Each face features a louvred, deeply chamfered lancet opening. The tower is crowned by a projecting moulded cornice supporting a conical roof of eight faces in coursed sandstone blockwork, each course advancing slightly proud of the one below, topped by a foliated finial on a square shaft.

The remainder of the left bay contains the main entrance within an elaborate red sandstone doorcase. Five dressed granite steps, the lowest with curved ends, rise to the front doors set within a semi-elliptical headed opening. A pair of narrow panelled storm doors, their heads conforming to the curve of the doorway, each have eight chamfered panels. The chamfered doorcase features stepped reveals and moulded bases. Foliated spandrels sit over the doors, above which is a glazed transom containing three glazed and leaded round-headed windows with masonry mullions, incised spandrels, and chamfered reveals. The left and right sides of the transom are flanked by octagonal attached colonettes resting on foliated corbelled stops. Above the transoms the wall remains blank until the frieze level between ground and first floors, where the doorcase head advances as a shallow ogee parapet. Its curving front frieze displays "BELFAST BANKING CO/ LIMITED" in raised letters, framed left and right by brackets that rest on the colonettes and support its cornice and leaded parapet. A modern ATM machine has been installed on the wall immediately left of the entrance.

At first floor, the left bay (above the entrance) contains a pair of casement windows with transoms set in a shared opening. The right bay is finished as a large gable with a pitched natural slate roof. Its ground floor features a central two-staged buttress with sandstone copings, the top of which supports the base of a first-floor oriel window. To either side of the buttress is a transom and mullion window containing two side-hung casements with top-hung transoms. The first-floor oriel window has a corbelled sandstone base (rising from the buttress at frieze level between ground and first floor, as with the tower). Its front face contains a large fixed window with transom, and its cheeks have similar narrower windows. The oriel also features a masonry head and a steeply swept lead roof. On the wall to either side of the oriel is a narrow casement window with transom. The gable itself contains a pair of casements with transoms in a common opening, with a blank sandstone shield positioned in the gable apex above.

Northwest Elevation

The left elevation extends three bays in width, with the left bay being the narrowest and the right bay the widest. The central and right bays terminate in large gables, while the left bay has eaves matching those on the southwest elevation. The extreme right corner is clasped by the octagonal tower described above.

The left bay provides access to the former manager's house. The stringcourses do not extend to this bay, and lower ceiling heights allow three floors below eaves level. The ground floor features a door with nine panels arranged 3x3, set within a chamfered brick surround. The panels have bolection moulding (the top three being smaller) with a modern aluminium letterbox. A narrow leaded transom light sits above. To the left of the doorway is a narrow casement window with transom. Each upper floor has a pair of similar windows in a common opening, with that to the second floor diminished in height.

The centre bay has a transom and mullion window with masonry transoms and mullions and a transom light at ground floor. First floor features a similar tripartite window. Aligned above at attic level is a pair of timber casements in a common opening, with a plain sandstone shield in the gable apex. At ground floor of the right bay are a pair of transom and mullion windows matching those in the centre bay's ground floor. At the centre of this bay stands an advanced chimney stack resting on a brick corbelled base at frieze level between ground and first floors. To its left on each upper floor is a single casement window with transom, that to the attic being wider than that to the first floor.

Northeast Elevation

The rear elevation comprises two stages: the left part is set back while the right part advances under the returning roof. The left part is abutted by a single-storey return with a pitched natural slate roof. This section is built in brick and has three segmental-headed windows across its southeast face, which is flush with the southeast (right) gable of the main block. The remainder was not inspected.

The right part of this elevation has an end gable facing northeast, abutted by a lower two-storey return. A 2/2 vertically divided sash window sits to the left of the exposed section of wall. The return has a hipped natural slate roof with terracotta ridge tiles and a ball-topped hip knob. Eaves and rainwater goods match those of the main block. Floor levels correspond with the main block, with a sandstone stringcourse between ground and first floors. Its right (northwest) elevation, facing onto Great George's Street, contains a timber-framed tripartite window in a common opening at ground floor and a pair of casement windows with transoms in a common opening at first floor. Its left (southeast) elevation was not inspected. Its end (northeast) wall is blank and is abutted by a lower single-storey return.

The single-storey return has a pitched natural slate roof with terracotta ridge tiles and a chimney stack on its end gable. It features plain bargeboards and exposed rafter tails. Its right (northwest) elevation has two pairs of casement windows, each pair in a common opening. Its left (southeast) cheek was not inspected, and its end (northeast) gable is blank.

Southeast Elevation (Great George's Street)

The right (southeast) elevation of the main block is two bays wide. The left bay is gabled and wider than the plainer right bay. Between the two bays rises a narrow chimney breast culminating in a slender stack with three terracotta pots. Only the left bay features the sandstone stringcourses, which wrap around from the facade and terminate on the chimney breast. The ground floor has a transom and mullion window with masonry framing at the right end. First floor contains a wide timber casement window with transom, while the attic level has two small casement windows with transoms.

The right bay is plainly built in brick with no detailing. It has a small circular four-pane window at ground floor. Each upper floor contains a segmental-headed sash window: that to first floor is 1/1 and that to the attic is 2/2 and slightly diminished in height.

Setting

The boundary along Queen Street and Great George's Street is enclosed by a red brick dwarf wall with red sandstone coping. The wall has been raised slightly in brick, presumably when railings were removed during the Second World War. A modern wrought-iron gate serves the doorway on Great George's Street. The rear yard is enclosed by a brick wall with a tongue-and-groove sheeted door to Great George's Street.