1 Wakefield Terrace, Bessbrook, Co.Armagh

A two-storey, three-bay end terraced house in painted lined cement render. Originally constructed as a single-storey dwelling around 1865 to designs by an unknown architect, the building was rebuilt, raised and gentrified around 1926. It forms part of a terrace of six similar houses located on a corner site at the south-west end of Fountain Street and to the south-east of Church Road, at the south-east end of Charlemont Square.

The building has an L-plan form, with its principal elevation facing north-east towards Fountain Street and a two-storey pitched-roofed rear return. The walling is generally painted lined cement render with square-headed door and window openings and painted stone cills. The pitched roof is covered in natural slate with roll-top terracotta clay ridge tiles. Two rebuild rectangular-section red brick chimneys rise from the structure—the one to the north-west has a buff clay pot and a terracotta clay pot, whilst the one to the south-east has two terracotta pots. The building features flush eaves with a uPVC fascia and uPVC rainwater goods with half-round guttering discharging to square-section downpipes.

The principal front elevation is asymmetric, facing north-east and fronted by the public footpath. It consists of a two-storey three-bay block with a central entrance flanked by sash windows. The entrance has a painted square-headed door surround with plain rectangular-section pilasters and a moulded entablature, with a six-panelled painted timber door, brass furniture and a square-headed fanlight. First-floor windows are in line with ground-floor openings. Above the door is a diminutive window flanked by windows set within gabled dormers, all being double-hung 1/1 sliding timber sash with horns. Raised render quoins mark the south-east corner.

The south-east elevation is a gabled block to the north-east with a red brick chimney to the apex and a two-storey rear return to the south-west. The north-east block has a projecting plinth and no openings. The rear return has two equally spaced double-hung sliding timber sash windows to the ground floor, with two uPVC top-opening casement windows in line above on the first floor, set within gabled dormers. A rear yard to the south-west is enclosed by smooth rendered dwarf walling topped by sheeted timber fencing; two-part sheeted timber gates lead to the shared rear yard.

The rear elevation faces south-west towards an enclosed rear yard shared with the other houses along the terrace. It comprises a two-storey rear return to the south-east and a private yard to the north-west enclosed by flush painted lined render walling. A sheeted timber door to the south-east of the wall leads from the shared yard to the private yard.

To the north-west, the building is attached to No. 2 Wakefield Terrace.

The terrace of six dwellings occupies a gently sloping site at the south-east end of Charlemont Square. Numbers 1 to 5 face north-east towards Fountain Street and are fronted by the public footpath. No. 6 faces north-west onto Church Road, set back narrowly from the public footpath. Rear yards are open to neighbouring dwellings and typically enclosed by random-coursed rubble stone walling to the south-west. A section of original yard walling facing south-east has been rendered with a tall pier with concrete capping adjacent to No. 1.

The village fountain, from which Fountain Street derives its name, is located to the north-east of No. 1. It is square-plan, built in granite ashlar with cast-iron spouts to each side and a finial to the top, surrounded by a rectangular area enclosed by dwarf granite walling topped with painted metal railings. A stone trough remains.