5 Margaret Street, Newry, Co Down, BT34 1DF

Five Margaret Street is a three-storey building constructed between 1820 and 1839, located at the northern corner of Margaret Street and Abbey Way in Newry. It forms an important part of a corner group with nos 2 and 4 Abbey Way, all built in a similar manner. The building is situated within the conservation area in one of the oldest parts of Newry, though it has been much altered over time and is now recorded rather than formally listed.

The building has a pitched natural slate roof, hipped at the corner of Margaret Street and Abbey Way. A single rendered chimney rises from the party wall it shares with no. 2 Abbey Way. Both elevations are constructed with painted lined render with raised stepped granite quoins to the corner.

The Margaret Street elevation features five arched openings to the ground floor. Three semi-elliptical arches are supported by shared, band-rusticated, V-jointed piers, each with a raised keyblock to the head and raised moulded impost. The right arch is narrower than the others and contains a pair of sheeted metal doors with a fanlight over. To the left of the entrance, two single fixed pane windows with granite cills and rendered stall risers are fitted, each protected by a metal security grille. To the ground floor left are two further separate archways: the right contains a window as before, while the left has a modern three-panelled door with sidelights and fanlight. To each upper floor are five windows, aligned with the ground floor openings. All upper floor windows are modern reproduction sliding sashes with horns: those to the first floor are 6/6 sashes, while those to the second floor are 6/3 sashes and diminished in height.

The Abbey Way elevation has three semi-elliptical arches supported by shared, band-rusticated, V-jointed piers at ground floor level, each with a raised keyblock and raised moulded impost. The left arch is narrower and contains a pair of sheeted metal doors with a fanlight. To the right of the entrance are two single fixed pane windows with painted granite cills and rendered stall risers, both protected by metal security grilles. To each upper floor are three windows with granite cills. The first floor has three equally spaced modern reproduction 6/6 sliding sashes with horns, aligned with ground floor openings. The second floor has two reproduction 6/3 sliding sash windows with horns.

The left gable on Margaret Street is abutted by the adjoining property, and the right gable on Abbey Way is abutted by adjoining property to its right. No access to the rear has been gained.

The building appears on the 1835 Ordnance Survey map and was valued at £60 in the 1838 valuation book, making it the most valuable property in the entire area at that time. It is described as three storeys high in the 1863 valuation book. The building originally served as a shop and is currently in use as a public house. It was delisted on 29 March 2006, with conservation area protection now considered more appropriate given the extent of alteration and loss of special architectural or historic interest.