12 Charlemont Square East, Bessbrook, Co.Armagh

Two-storey two-bay mid-Victorian terraced house built between 1862 and 1866 to designs by an unknown architect. The building has an L-plan form facing southwest with a single-storey rear return. It is one of twenty-seven similar houses forming the eastern terrace of Charlemont Square, a formally designed mid-Victorian square comprising 66 buildings in total arranged on three sides around a central green, primarily accessed from Fountain Street to the southeast.

The walling is generally random-coursed rock-faced local Newry Granodiorite with painted red brick dressings. Stone cills and stepped red brick surrounds frame gauged-brick cambered door and window openings, though door and window heads are now generally squared off with painted smooth cement render. The pitched roof is fibre cement with angled black clay ridge tiles. A rectangular-section red brick chimney to the northwest carries two terracotta pots. The eaves are flush with a red brick corbel course, and metal rainwater goods with half-round guttering discharge to circular section downpipes.

The principal front elevation faces southwest, near symmetrical, and is flush with the main terrace of houses set back from the larger shop buildings to its southeastern end. A modest raised concrete front yard is enclosed by hooped metal railings with a similar painted metal gate to the southeast. A concrete path from the gate leads to a panelled painted timber door positioned to the southeast of the facade. The door has two glazed panels to its upper half with a square-headed fanlight above. The facade displays a regular fenestration pattern with two windows at first-floor level aligned with ground-floor openings. The windows are generally 1/1 double hung sliding timber sash windows with window horns and exposed sash boxes.

To the northwest, the building is attached to No. 13 Charlemont Square East. To the southeast, it is attached to No. 11 Charlemont Square East.

The rear elevation, where visible, shows a single-storey flat roof rear return at the northwest end projecting northeast to the boundary of an enclosed rear yard. A planked painted timber door in random-coursed rock-faced stone boundary walling provides access from the rear access route to the yard. The rear elevation retains original random-coursed rock-faced walling with one timber sash window visible at first-floor level. The rear return has smooth rendered finish, and the yard boundary walling remains in near original condition. uPVC rainwater goods service the rear elevation.

The building forms part of a planned arrangement of 66 mill workers' dwellings and shops comprising Charlemont Square, with East, North and West terraces arranged around a central green. Each house is set back from the perimeter public road and footpath with a modest sized front yard typically enclosed by dwarf walling topped by hooped metal railings. The East and West terraces are stepped in groups of two dwellings respecting the subtle relief of the site. Larger rear yards to each dwelling are enclosed by random coursed rubble stone walling with square-headed door openings onto a wide rear access route. The central area of the square is laid to lawn and enclosed by hooped galvanized metal railings with established trees at its boundary. A children's playground and monuments are located to the southeast.