2 Corry’s Square, Newry, Co Down, BT35 6AW

2 Corry's Square, Newry

This is the left-hand half of a pair of late Georgian semi-detached houses, dating from the early 19th century (1800–1819). It stands at a prominent location on the north side of Corry's Square on a main thoroughfare at the north end of Newry. The building is three storeys tall with a basement, and three bays wide; some rooms in the right bay (two openings wide) are shared with the adjoining house. The building is now in a derelict state and has suffered major loss of historic fabric.

The roof is hipped, though now devoid of slates. A parapet gutter discharges by cast iron pipe to the left of the entrance. A rendered chimney with six yellow hexagonal pots is aligned to the ridge on the left; a similar chimney stands on the right, shared with the adjoining property.

The south elevation (façade) is constructed of coursed squared rubble granite with a raised chamfered basecourse up to ground floor level. An ashlar coping runs across the wall head to the parapet, though part of this is missing. The basement walls are wet dashed, and a passage runs across the basement. The main entrance is at ground floor middle bay (the fourth opening from left), reached by four granite steps from the street. The steps are flanked by plain spear-headed railings with ramped detail linked to urn-topped posts (now missing) on a rendered plinth with chamfered granite coping. The door opening has stepped render jambs and a rendered semi-elliptical head over brick, but is now sheeted over with corrugated metal.

To the left of the door are three blocked-up window openings. All façade windows have rendered brick jambs (stepped) and heads with granite cills. All have been infilled with concrete blocks. The window at the extreme left has been altered and was once wider and taller than the others. To the right of the door are two window openings. The basement has infilled windows either side of an infilled doorway beneath the vaulted entrance steps. The first and second floors each have six windows, similar to and in line with those at ground floor; top floor windows are diminished in height. The façade is now partially obscured by ivy. The basement area to the front is enclosed by railings matching those to the front steps, set on a finely-dressed chamfered granite plinth.

The left gable is abutted by a lower building. The exposed section is cement rendered on the right and unrendered random rubble (partly obscured by ivy) on the left, with no openings.

The rear wall is smooth rendered but largely overgrown with ivy, making detailed description difficult. The rear appears to be probably six openings wide, with some openings at the left belonging to the adjoining house, and mirrors the plan of the adjacent property. There are no basement lights. Second floor openings are diminished in height. The first opening from the left (as viewed from rear) has a casement to ground floor; windows to upper floors are gone. On the second opening, windows to ground and first floors are now gone. A 2/2 sliding sash survives on the top floor with exposed box. This line of openings is shared with the adjoining house. The third opening is similar to the second bay. The fourth opening has semicircular-headed windows to the half-landings between ground and first floors, and between first and second floors. The remaining openings are not visible, being obscured by ivy. Ruined outbuildings stand in the rear garden, which is delineated by a granite wall.

Historical Context

The building was depicted as "Cavalry Barrack" on the 1835 Ordnance Survey town map. This building and the adjoining house (HB16/25/004A) formed a single functional unit at that time, which explains the interconnection between the two blocks. The 1838 Valuation describes the combined building as measuring 95 feet by 41 feet by 33 feet plus cellar, and records: "This [building] belongs to the government. Had been intended for a Cavalry barracks", following the 1798 rebellion. By that time, however, the army had relocated to the nearby former white linen hall, and this building appears to have been superfluous to requirements.

By the 1861 town map the buildings are shown as two separate units. This particular unit is described in the 1863 valuation as a private residence occupied by Francis Patterson, with measurements of 20.5 yards by 13.67 yards by 3 storeys plus basement.

In more recent times the house was vested by the Police Authority as a security measure in response to terrorist attacks on the nearby police station. The building was recorded as boarded up in an HMBB survey photograph taken in October 1975. It has since become derelict and was delisted on 27 February 1987.