16 Charlemont Square East, Bessbrook, Co.Armagh

Two-storey two-bay mid-Victorian terraced house, built between 1862 and 1866 to designs by an unknown architect. It forms part of Charlemont Square East, one of twenty-seven similar houses comprising the eastern terrace of Charlemont Square—a formally designed mid-Victorian square of 66 buildings arranged on three sides around a central green, primarily accessed from Fountain Street to the southeast. The building has an L-plan form facing southwest with a single-storey flat-roofed rear return.

The walls are constructed from generally random-coursed rock-faced local Newry Granodiorite with red brick dressings. Stone cills are painted and window and door openings have stepped red brick surrounds with gauged-brick cambered heads, though doorway and window heads are now generally squared off with painted smooth cement render. The pitched fibre cement roof features angled black clay ridge tiles. A rectangular-section red brick chimney to the northwest carries two terracotta pots. The eaves are flush with a red brick corbel course. Cast iron rainwater goods with half-round guttering discharge to circular section downpipes.

The front elevation faces southwest and is near symmetrical, set flush with the main terrace. A modest paved front yard enclosed by smooth-render dwarf walling topped with hooped metal railings contains a similar painted metal foot gate to the southeast. A concrete path leads from the gate to a panelled painted timber door positioned to the southeast of the facade, featuring two glazed panels to the upper half with brass furniture and a square-headed fanlight above. The facade has regular fenestration: two windows at first-floor level aligned with ground-floor openings. All windows are double-hung 1/1 sliding timber sash windows with window horns and exposed sash boxes.

The building is attached on the northwest to No. 17 Charlemont Square East. The rear elevation faces northeast and is enclosed by rock-faced random-course stone walling bounding a concrete yard accessed through a planked painted timber door from the rear access route. The original stone boundary walling is smooth-rendered on the yard side. To the southwest end at ground-floor level is an increased-width side opening casement window with replacement concrete cill; a double-hung sliding timber sash window sits at first-floor level to the centre. From the northwest end of the facade, a single-storey rear return projects northeast to the yard boundary wall, with a flat felt-covered roof. The southeast side of the rear return has a painted timber door with two glazed upper panels, a top-opening timber casement window to its right, and a separate boiler house accessed from the yard through a planked painted timber door. The rear elevation has generally smooth-rendered finish with concrete cills, timber casement windows to ground-floor level, and original stone walling above. To the right of the first-floor window the letters 'LA' are inscribed in the stone three times, also bearing the date 1899, likely referring to a member of the Adams family. The rear return has uPVC rainwater goods.

The building is attached on the southeast to No. 15 Charlemont Square East. The setting comprises a planned arrangement of mill workers' dwellings and shops. The east and west terraces are stepped in groups of two dwellings respecting the subtle relief of the site. 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. Larger rear yards to each dwelling are enclosed by random-coursed rubble stone walling with square-headed door openings onto a wide rear access route. Rear facades are much altered with various extensions of different shapes and sizes, whilst front facades are nearly uniform along the east and west terraces. Five larger buildings to the southeast of Charlemont Square East and one to the southeast of Charlemont Square West have traditional shop fronts at ground-floor level with dwellings above. The central area of the square is laid to lawn and enclosed by hooped galvanized metal railings with established trees at its boundary.