14 College Square West, Bessbrook, Co.Armagh

14 College Square West, Bessbrook

A two-storey, two-bay late-Victorian terraced dwelling built around 1874, constructed of local stone to designs by an unknown architect, though possibly designed by civil engineer John Hardy. The building forms part of a planned development of 18 similar houses comprising the western terrace of College Square, a formally designed late-Victorian square containing 53 dwellings in total, arranged on three sides around a central bowling green and playground.

The house is built in an L-plan form facing northeast with a two-storey rear return. The walls are constructed of random-coursed, rock-faced local Newry Granodiorite with stepped red brick dressings to door and window jambs, painted stone cills, and square-headed gauged-brick door and window openings. The dwellings are grouped into pairs along the terrace, each pair symmetrical in design with doors grouped to the centre, flanked on opposite sides by single ground floor windows, positioned between raised roof verges of red brick with clay tile coping. These verges rise to rectangular section chimneys at apex level. The vertical line of the verge is continued down the front northeast facade with stepped red brick quoins and recessed downpipes, framing each paired set of dwellings.

The roof is pitched with fibre cement tiles and roll-top black clay ridge tiles. The flush eaves are detailed with a double red brick course, a single buff brick course, and an alternating red and buff brick corbel course above. The rectangular section red brick chimney to the southeast (rebuilt) carries six buff clay pots. The front elevation is fitted with metal rainwater goods and the rear with uPVC; half-round guttering discharges to circular section downpipes with the front downpipe recessed into the stepped red brick quoins. The rear return has uPVC box guttering discharging to square section downpipes.

The principal northeast-facing elevation is flush with the rest of the terrace and features near-symmetrical fenestration with two first-floor windows aligned with ground-floor openings. All windows are double hung 1/1 sliding timber sash windows with horns. The ground floor has a stepped red brick surround and gauged brick arches with flush keystone detail to the doorhead; the window to the southeast side of the door has flush red brick detailing beneath its cill. A modest gravelled front yard is enclosed by hooped painted metal railings with a similar foot gate hung on slim posts to the northwest. A paved path from the gate leads to a panelled painted timber door with two glazed panels to its upper half, brass furniture, and a square-headed fanlight with two vertical glazing bars above.

To the southeast, the building is attached to No. 13 College Square West. The southwest-facing rear elevation has limited visibility but includes a top-opening timber casement window with stone cill to the first floor at the southeast, with a window in-line below at ground floor level, both overlooking an enclosed rear yard. A two-storey rear return projects from the northwest end of this elevation to the rear site boundary. The yard boundary walling is finished with rough cast cement render and contains a painted sheeted timber door leading to the narrow yard. The rear return shows no openings to the northwest, southwest, and first floor of the southeast side, with only a door and window opening visible at ground floor to the southeast side. The general elevation is finished with rough cast cement render. To the northwest, the building is attached to No. 15 College Square West.

The wider setting comprises College Square itself: a planned arrangement of 53 mill workers' dwellings forming a formal square composed of east, north and west terraces arranged around a central bowling green, playground and lawn. Each house is set back from the perimeter public road and footpath with a modest-sized front yard typically enclosed by dwarf walling topped with hooped metal railings. Rear yards are typically enclosed by random-coursed rubble stone walling with a square-headed door opening onto a wide rear access route, though rear facades are generally much altered. The eastern terrace comprises 23 dwellings of similar style with some differences in detailing, stepped in groups of six respecting the relief of the site, terminating at its southeastern end with the village 'Town Hall' (the old Institute building). The northern terrace is the shortest, comprising only 12 houses, though these are distinctly larger two-storey buildings. The former school building is located at the southeastern end of the western terrace.

The central area of the square is now divided into three sections laid to lawn: the northwest area contains a bowling pavilion and green enclosed by painted hooped metal railings with established trees at its northwest boundary; a lawn enclosed by hooped metal railings is located to the southeast; and an open children's playground with three granite monuments is located in the centre. One monument records those who faithfully served the Bessbrook firm for nearly 50 years. Another records 'The garden in memory of James N. Richardson is arranged by his wife as a playground for the children of Bessbrook whom he loved November 1927', with an inscription noting this was the last stone cut from Bessbrook quarry. A third monument, recently moved from the grounds of Bessbrook Mill, details the mill's history from its ownership by the Pollock family in 1760 to Bessbrook Spinning Co Ltd in 1878.