2 College Square North, Bessbrook, Co.Armagh

Two-storey two-bay late-Victorian mill workers terraced dwelling, built of local stone around 1890 to designs by an unknown architect, though possibly the work of civil engineer John Hardy. The building has an L-plan form facing southeast with a two-storey rear return. It is part of a terrace row of twelve similar houses forming the northern side of College Square, a formally designed late-Victorian square containing 53 dwellings in total, arranged on three sides around a central bowling green and playground.

The structure is constructed of generally random-coursed rock-faced local Newry Granodiorite walling with stepped red brick dressings to jambs and painted stone cills. Door and window openings are square-headed with gauged brick surrounds. The pitched roof is clad in fibre cement tiles with roll top black clay ridge tiles. A rectangular-section red brick chimney to the southwest (rebuilt in modern rustic brick) has two terracotta clay pots. A second red brick chimney to the northeast has three buff clay pots and a single terracotta clay pot. The eaves are flush with separate red and buff brick eaves courses and an alternating red and buff brick corbel course above. Rainwater goods are generally uPVC with half-round guttering discharging to circular section downpipes, though metal guttering is retained to the front southeast elevation.

The principal elevation faces southeast and is flush with the rest of the terrace. It is near-symmetrical with regular fenestration: two windows at first-floor level aligned with ground-floor openings, all windows being top-opening timber casements. A modest-sized front garden containing some established shrubs is enclosed by red brick dwarf walling topped with hooped painted metal railings. A similar foot gate hung on slim posts is positioned to the northeast, and a paved area lies to the northwest. A paved path from the gate leads to a six-panelled painted timber door with black iron furniture and a square-headed fanlight above. A window is positioned to the southwest side of the door.

To the southwest the building is attached to No. 1 College Square North. The northwest elevation consists of a two-storey rear return projecting northwest to meet the yard boundary wall. The rear yard to the southwest is a single reduced bay in width and has a painted sheeted timber door with modern block infill to the opening jambs, leading from the rear access route. The yard boundary wall is of random-coursed rock-faced local stone with concrete coping. A timber casement window is visible at ground-floor level facing northwest into the yard. The rear return has two windows to its southwest side visible at ground-floor level, with no openings visible to the northeast or northwest elevations. The rear elevation generally has a painted smooth cement render finish with timber casement windows and slim cills. An oil tank raised above yard level is supported on concrete lintels. To the northeast the building is attached to No. 3 College Square North.

No. 2 forms part of College Square North, a planned arrangement of 53 mill workers dwellings comprising a formal square with 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-sized front yard typically enclosed by dwarf walling topped with hooped metal railings. Rear yards to each dwelling are typically enclosed by random-coursed rubble stone walling with square-headed door openings onto wide rear access routes, though rear façades are generally much altered. The terrace to the east comprises 23 dwellings, initially stepped in groups of six respecting the subtle relief of the site and terminating at its southeastern end with the village Town Hall (the old Institute building). The western terrace comprises 18 dwellings, for the most part arranged in pairs and built in a similar style but with some significant differences in detailing. The former school building is located at the southeast end of the western terrace. The northern terrace is the shortest in the square, containing only 12 houses; although similar to 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 each laid to lawn. The northwest section has a bowling pavilion and green enclosed by painted hooped metal railings with some established trees at its northwest boundary. A lawn enclosed by hooped metal railings is located to the southeast, and an open children's playground including three granite monuments is located in the centre of the square. One monument records the completion in 1911 in respectful memory of George Wright, Head Mason, John McClelland, Head Millwright, Michael Boyle, Flax Buyer, and Robert Ross, Mill Manager and Austin Kennedy, Rougher, who each faithfully served the Bessbrook firm for nearly 50 years. Another records the garden in memory of James N. Richardson, arranged by his wife as a playground for the children of Bessbrook whom he loved, dated November 1927, with an inscription recording this was the last stone cut from Bessbrook quarry. A third monument, recently moved from the grounds of Bessbrook Mill to its current location, details the mill's history from ownership by the Pollock family in 1760 to Bessbrook Spinning Co Ltd in 1878.