Public toilets in the Town Park, Warrenpoint, Newry, Co Down, BT34 3NZ

Public toilets in the Town Park, Warrenpoint

A small utilitarian building of early 20th-century character, situated on the south-west side of Queen Street within an attractive early 20th-century public park. The complex comprises a toilet block and an abutting shelter, both constructed in 1928 at a cost of £1,500 to the council. The building is one of several public structures within this park setting; related buildings include a bandstand and pavilion.

The toilet block is a single-storey, two-bay structure. The pyramidal natural slate roof is crowned with a cylindrical ventilation cowl at the apex. The walls are finished in painted and lined cement render with an advanced base course, a moulded frieze course with plain frieze, and a moulded cornice beneath a plain blocking course.

The principal elevation faces north-east towards the street and is symmetrical in composition. Entrance doors at the left and right lead respectively into the gents and ladies toilets. The doors are modern four-panel units with security glazed fanlights, set within semi-circular headed openings embellished with moulded architraves and keyblocks that connect to the frieze course above. Between the doors are two Diocletian timber windows over a common cill, similarly embellished with architraves and keyblocks; the middle pane in each window opens. A downpipe runs between them. The left elevation features a similar pair of windows to the centre, also security glazed. The left corner is recessed beneath the frieze and contains a pair of fixed 1/1 timber windows. This wall continues leftward as the rear elevation of the abutting shelter. The exposed left section of the rear elevation has a modern painted timber door accessed by a modern shallow concrete ramp with metal handrail. The right elevation contains two windows to the centre matching those at the front. The wall insteps at the right beneath the frieze and contains a single Diocletian window.

The abutting shelter is a slightly lower single-storey, two-bay structure with a flat two-stage roof, raised over the bay adjacent to the toilets and finished with a plain blocking course to the front and side. The walls are finished in painted smooth cement render with an advanced moulded base course in a contrasting colour.

The principal elevation of the shelter faces north into the park. The left bay, which is narrower than the right bay, contains a staff toilet accessed by a modern door with transom, with a 3×4-paned timber window to the right. The right bay serves as the public shelter. The facade is divided into five sections by six pilasters, each with a moulded base, dado and capital. The second and fourth divisions (one door width each) open into the interior; the middle (third) division has a modern security glazed window to its upper section. The pilasters support a triglyph frieze beneath a projecting mutuled cornice under the plain blocking course. A modern steel security gate has been mounted across the front of the middle three divisions. The rear elevation, a continuation of the recessed section of the toilet block's left elevation, features two small rectangular ventilation openings at the left, an infilled window opening to the centre, and a pair of 1/1 top-hung timber windows at the right, with plastic guttering and downpipe at the right. This elevation lacks frieze and blocking course. The right elevation contains pilasters at the middle and at each end, all with frieze and blocking course matching the front facade. A moulded dado rail runs between the left and middle pilaster. A semi-circular headed door with stucco keyblock is positioned at the right.

The building retains much of its original character as one of several public buildings within this attractive early 20th-century park.