47 Main Street, Hilltown, Newry, Co Down, BT34 5UJ

47 Main Street, Hilltown, Newry, Co Down

A two-storey, four-bay house built between 1820 and 1839, originally constructed as a police barracks. The building stands on the south side of Main Street, with its north-facing front elevation constructed of squared granite rubble brought to courses and heavily strap-pointed, with cement render dressings at each corner of the main block.

The pitched natural slate roof is aligned west to east with terracotta ridges and modern metal rainwater goods on boxed timber eaves over a brick eaves course. Three cement rendered chimneys rise from the structure—one to each gable and one to the centre.

The front elevation features a single opening to each floor of each bay. The left bay contains a reproduction 1/1 exposed box sliding sash window with horns and dressed granite cills. Two concrete steps lead to the front door in the second bay from the left, which has five raised and fielded panels (the bottom one largest) and is set within a one-piece granite lintel with granite blocks to the base of the jambs. Immediately to its right is a similar infilled doorway. The right-hand bay has a semi-elliptical headed coach arch with roughly dressed granite voussoirs, containing a pair of sheeted timber doors with a similar sheeted panel to the head. Four 1/1 replica sliding sash windows occupy the first floor, all in line with ground floor openings but diminished in height, with lintels at eaves level.

Each end gable is blank and smooth cement rendered with an inset basecourse. The rear (south) elevation wall is rendered as the gables and is abutted at the third bay (viewed from rear) by a modern two-storey return with pitched artificial slate roof, boxed eaves and plastic rainwater goods. Modern windows and doors of inappropriate design feature throughout the rear elevation and return.

The front garden is enclosed to the road by a rusticated concrete blockwork wall with projecting copings and modern wrought metal gates to the drive. To the rear are several much-altered rubble stone outbuildings.

Historical records show the building was cited in the 1835 valuation map and accompanying valuation book as a police barracks. This function appears to have ceased in the 1840s, as plans dated 1846 were drawn up for a new station, though not enacted in that form. The c.1859 valuation map indicates the building had been divided into two houses, a division confirmed by the c.1861 valuation. Significant refurbishment and modernisation works were undertaken during the 1980s and 1990s. The building was delisted on 28 March 2003.