Kilmorey Arms Hotel, Knockree Avenue, Kilkeel, Newry, Co Down, BT34 4BH

Kilmorey Arms Hotel

A two-storey building with attic, located at the corner of Greencastle Street and Knockchree Avenue in Kilkeel, with substantial additions dating to the present day. The building incorporates an adjoining house in Greencastle Street.

The entrance frontage faces Knockchree Avenue and comprises three distinct parts. The original building occupies the northern (right) end and is three bays wide. It is covered by a natural slate hipped roof with clay ridge tiles, projecting eaves and half-round metal gutters. The structure carries three chimneys, each with smooth rendered finish, a corbel course, and granite capping. The walls are lined with smooth render over a dressed granite base, with stepped quoins at the right side.

The entrance is positioned in the central bay of this section, beneath a projecting single-storey flat roof carried on two square piers. The canopy has a plain frieze, projecting cornice, and block parapet. It is open to the front and accessed by two tiled steps, with a modern railed ramp to the right. The left cheek contains a fixed 2x5 pane timber window. The entrance doors are a pair of modern multi-glazed leaves. On either side of the porch is a blind arch containing a rectangular window. The right window is 6/6, the left is 1/1; both have granite cills and are painted timber sliding sashes. At first floor are three evenly spaced 6/3 sashes aligned with the ground floor openings but diminished in height.

The central section of the Knockchree Avenue frontage has, at ground floor, three 6/6 sashes with exposed boxes and painted concrete cills. To the left is a modern double door (2x4 panels) in an older frame with rectangular transom. Beyond this stands a segmental headed carriage arch with granite dressings and painted sheeted doors, including a wicket gate. At first floor are four equally spaced 1/1 sashes. From the eaves rise two dormers, each with pitched natural slate roofs, raised and coped verges, and two modern top-hung casements. The dormer cheeks are slated.

The third section on the left comprises a two-storey gable fronting the street, with a pitched asbestos slate roof and tiled verges. A chimney rises from the apex, detailed as those on the main building. At first floor is a large plastic casement window. From the south elevation of this gable, a wing projects with roof and side wall parallel to the street. At first floor left is a curved oriel with plastic windows, and to its right is a small casement. Immediately left of this wing is a pair of metal sheeted gates hung from square rendered pillars, providing access to the yard. To the left of the gates stands a squared and snecked rubble granite wall approximately 2 metres high. The south gable of the wing contains a modern casement window, and at first floor is a projecting rectangular bay with plastic windows. The left (yard-facing) cheek of this bay has various additions and modern windows.

The south elevation of the section with the gable facing the street is abutted by various one and two-storey additions, many of relatively recent date. At the left is a large modern function suite with overhanging artificial slate roof, plastic gutters, smooth render walls, and plastic windows.

The Greencastle Street facade has the same roof and wall finish as the Knockchree Avenue frontage, with two chimneys detailed as before. The facade is six openings wide with stepped quoins at both ends. The second opening from the left contains an entrance door set within a semicircular arch with stepped plaster dressing and glazed transom. The door is four-panel bolection moulded painted timber. The remaining openings contain 6/6 windows. At first floor are six 6/3 sashes aligned with the ground floor openings. This facade incorporates the adjoining two-storey, three-bay house described separately.

All internal facing roof pitches to the main corner block have artificial slates, and the inward-looking walls have modern plastic or timber casement windows. A flat-roofed kitchen occupies the central well, with various flues rising from it.