114-116 Irish Street, Downpatrick, Co Down, BT30 6BT

114–116 Irish Street, Downpatrick

This is a grand three-storey, double-fronted Georgian terrace townhouse of 1778, with a stucco façade and classical doorcase, joined to a more informal two-storey, rubble-fronted neighbouring wing of around 1840 that includes a carriage entrance. Together they occupy a prominent position at the southern end of the east side of Irish Street, with their front elevations facing west. Although at first glance they read as two separate properties, they form a single listed unit, comprising the houses, their steps and railings.

The original house (No. 114) dominates the right and centre of the front elevation. A single flight of steps with decorative railings rises to the main entrance, positioned almost centrally on the raised ground floor. The doorcase takes the form of a flat portico supported on two projecting fluted Doric columns with two respondent pilasters, and the door itself is a distinctive eight-panel timber door. Above it is a segmental arch-headed fanlight with chrysanthemum tracery. To the left of the entrance are two closely spaced sash windows with Georgian-pane glazing (six-over-six); to the right are two similar windows, slightly more widely spaced. Below the windows on the right, two six-over-six basement windows look onto a basement well area, which is guarded at pavement level by a decorative cast iron rail matching the stair handrail. All windows throughout have sash frames.

At first-floor level a projecting moulded string course runs across the façade. The five windows at this level are slightly shorter than those below, with moulded dressings, and their sills are connected by a plain projecting string course; above is a blocking course and cornice. At second-floor level there are five shorter three-over-three sash windows with moulded dressings, again with sills connected by a projecting string course. The eaves course carries the gutter. The basement is finished in plain render with a bevel to create a plinth effect; the ground-floor render is rusticated; and the first- and second-floor render is lined. The entire façade is painted.

To the rear (east) of No. 114 is a wide but relatively shallow three-storey hipped-roof return. To the right of this return is a further single-storey gabled return, which has a panelled door to the left and a tripartite sash window — each light glazed four-over-four — to the right. The south face of this single-storey return has a six-over-six sash window. To the left of the single-storey return is a semicircular arch-headed sash window with ten-over-six glazing. At first-floor level on the return is a six-over-six sash window, and at second-floor level there are two six-over-six sash windows, with a shorter version to the right. The south face of this return has a sheeted door opening. On the rear façade of the main building itself, the ground floor to the left of the three-storey return has a six-over-six sash window. The first floor has an eight-over-eight window to the left and a small six-over-six window to the right. At second-floor level there is a small three-over-three window to the left. The exposed north face of the three-storey return overlooks the rear yard of the adjoining property; it is largely blank except for a six-over-six window at first-floor level. This north face merges with the north gable of the main building, most of which is obscured by the neighbouring property at No. 112. Where the north gable is visible at first- and second-floor level, there are six-over-six windows. The south gable is largely obscured by No. 116; a small fixed-light window survives at second-floor level, and the lower right-hand portion of the gable edge is bevelled.

The later wing (No. 116) is set back slightly from No. 114 and has a noticeably more informal character. Its front is finished in rubble stonework with brick dressings to the openings. At the far right of the ground floor is a decorative classical doorway with three-quarter Tuscan pilasters flanking a six-panel door and supporting a projecting, though narrow, canopy. The semicircular fanlight has radial tracery. To the left of the doorway is a large flat-headed coach arch with an elliptical-headed relieving arch above it. At ground-floor level to the left of the coach arch are two six-over-six sash windows, set at the same floor level as those of No. 114 but higher than the doorway to the right. At first-floor level there are four similar sash windows. At basement level to the left of the coach arch are two further six-over-six sash windows, with a wrought-iron handrail guarding the drop to the basement well. To the rear (east), No. 116 has a two-storey gabled return. The east gable of this is blank, while the north face has a timber door to the left at ground-floor level and a small window with a modern frame to the right; within the coach arch itself there is another timber sheeted door. At first-floor level on the north face of the return, two six-over-six sash windows are set to the left of centre, with the right side of the face splaying inward slightly, narrowing the overall width of the return. On the rear façade of the main part of No. 116, the ground floor has a flat-headed coach arch to the left; to the right of this is a small modern two-pane window, and at the far right is a panelled door at the head of a short flight of steps, with a further short flight descending from the left of the steps to basement level, where there is an additional door. The small basement yard has a wrought-iron guardrail matching the stair handrail. At first-floor level on this rear elevation are three six-over-six sash windows, the left-hand one being slightly larger.

The rear elevation of the entire building — both No. 114 and No. 116 — is finished in plain unpainted render. All sections of the roof across the whole block are slated. There are four large rendered chimney stacks: two to the original No. 114 section and two to the later No. 116 addition. The rainwater goods appear to be mainly cast iron.

The original portion of the building was constructed in 1778 by William Trotter, who was the Downpatrick agent for Lord de Clifford. Trotter lived there until around 1790, when, following his second marriage, he built a new villa called Frankville overlooking Quoile Quay. Around 1806 the property was acquired by Aynsworth Pilson, a prominent Downpatrick merchant who became locally celebrated for his writings on the history of the town. His eldest son, Conway, went on to found the Downpatrick Recorder newspaper. In 1813 Pilson sold the house to John Craig for £1,100 and moved to his newly built residence, Rathdune House, in Bridge Street.

The building appears on the valuation town plan of around 1838 and was recorded in the valuation returns with a substantial rateable value of £34 14s. At some point shortly after this — probably around 1840 — the neighbouring two-storey wing (No. 116) was added. In 1855 the property was acquired by the Roman Catholic diocese and used as a convent for the Sisters of Mercy until 1875, when a larger new convent was built on the other side of the street next to the Roman Catholic church. The building remained in Church hands thereafter, serving as a monastery for the De La Salle Brothers from 1892 to 1963. Between 1934 and 1937 the Brothers used the two-storey wing as a school, St Patrick's High. In more recent years the building has passed into private hands and has been used as an office.

The building is situated within a conservation area. The listing covers the houses, steps, and railings.