13 Charlemont Square East, Bessbrook, Co.Armagh

Two-storey, two-bay mid-Victorian terraced house built between 1862 and 1866 by an unknown architect. The building has an L-plan form facing southwest with a large two-storey rear return added around 1984. It forms part of Charlemont Square East, one of twenty-seven similar houses that, together with five larger two-and-a-half storey shop buildings to the southeast, comprise the eastern terrace of Charlemont Square. This formally designed mid-Victorian square contains 66 buildings in total arranged on three sides around a central green, primarily accessed from Fountain Street to the southeast.

The walls are constructed of generally random-coursed rock-faced local Newry Granodiorite with painted red brick dressings. Stone cills and stepped red brick surrounds frame the gauged-brick cambered door and window openings, though the doorway head to the front southwest elevation has been squared off with painted smooth cement render. The pitched fibre cement roof features angled black clay ridge tiles and a rectangular-section red brick chimney to the northwest with two buff clay pots. The eaves are flush with a red brick corbel course, and metal rainwater goods with half-round guttering are fitted.

The front elevation is nearly symmetrical and sits flush with the main terrace, set back from the larger shop buildings at its southeastern end. A modest paved front yard is enclosed by smooth cement rendered dwarf walling topped by plain hooped painted metal railings, with a similar foot gate hung on slim metal posts to the southeast. A concrete path leads to a panelled painted timber door positioned to the southeast of the facade. The door has brass furniture and two semi-circular-headed glazed upper sections with decorative glazing. The facade displays regular fenestration: two windows at first-floor level align with ground-floor openings. The front northwest elevation has 1/1 double hung timber sliding sash windows with window horns and exposed sash boxes, installed in 1999. The rear southeast elevation and side of the rear return feature top-opening and side-opening timber casement windows respectively.

The building is attached on the northwest to No. 14 Charlemont Square East. The rear elevation faces northeast, with a single-bay two-storey pitched-roof rear return projecting northeast into the rear yard. A planked painted timber door from the rear access route leads to a narrow L-shaped concrete yard. At its northwest extent, this leads to the back door on the northwest side of the rear return, similar in style to the front door. The northeast facade has a rough cast cement rendered finish with timber top-opening casement windows; the northeast end of the rear return has single side-opening casement windows at ground and first-floor levels. The building is attached to No. 12 Charlemont Square East on the southeast.

The terrace occupies a planned arrangement of 66 mill workers' dwellings and shops comprising a formal square with East, North and West terraces arranged around a central green. 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. The East and West terraces are stepped in groups of two, respecting the subtle relief of the site. Each dwelling has a larger rear yard enclosed by random-coursed rubble stone walling with a square-headed door opening onto a wide rear access route. Rear facades have been much altered with various extensions of different shapes and sizes, while front facades remain nearly uniform along the East and West terraces. The northern terrace contains eight larger two-and-a-half storey paired buildings. The central area is laid to lawn and enclosed by hooped galvanized metal railings with established trees at the boundary. A children's playground to the southeast includes a monument to the installation of electric lighting in 1911. Bessbrook's War Memorial is centrally located to the southeast of the playground.