12 College Square North, Bessbrook, Co.Armagh

Two-storey two-bay late-Victorian mill workers end terraced dwelling, built of local stone around 1890 to designs by an unknown architect, though possibly designed by civil engineer Mr John Hardy. The building forms part of a twelve-house terrace row that comprises the northern side of College Square, a formally designed late-Victorian square of 53 dwellings in total, arranged on three sides around a central bowling green and playground.

The house is of L-plan form facing southeast, with a single-storey rear return. It is built of generally random-coursed rock-faced local Newry Granodiorite walling with stepped red brick dressings to jambs and stone cills. Door and window openings are square-headed with gauged brick surrounds. The pitched roof is covered with fibre cement tiles and topped with roll-top black clay ridge tiles. There are two chimneys: one to the southwest with three buff clay pots and one terracotta pot, and one to the northeast with three buff clay pots. The eaves are flush with separate red and buff brick eaves courses and an alternating red and buff brick corbel course above. Rainwater goods are generally uPVC half-round guttering discharging to circular section downpipes.

The principal elevation faces southeast and is flush with the rest of the terrace, arranged in near symmetrical fashion with regular fenestration. Two windows at first-floor level align with openings at ground-floor level; all windows are top-opening timber casements. A modest-sized front garden is laid to lawn and enclosed by red brick dwarf walling topped with hooped painted metal railings and a matching foot gate hung on slim posts. A paved path from the gate leads to a painted panelled timber door with two glazed upper panels, brass furniture and a square-headed fanlight above, with a window to the southwest side of the door.

To the southwest, the building is attached to No. 11 College Square North. The northwest elevation consists of a single-storey flat-roofed rear return projecting northwest into an enclosed rear yard. The yard boundary walling is of random-coursed rock-faced local stone with concrete coping and a painted sheeted timber door. The rear return has original stone walling visible at ground-floor level with timber casement windows, both top-opening, with concrete cills. Evidence of an original brick window head remains between the windows, now altered and blocked with modern blocks. The visible part of the rear return has a smooth cement render finish and painted timber facia. A single-storey outbuilding in the western corner of the rear yard has a flat concrete roof.

The northeast elevation forms the northeastern end of College Square North. It displays original stone walling and a red brick chimney with three buff clay pots at the gable apex, with an area of red brick walling at ground-floor level rising to the chimney.

The house forms part of a planned arrangement of 53 mill workers dwellings comprising 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 with a modest-sized front yard typically enclosed by dwarf walling topped by hooped metal railings. The rear yard to each dwelling is typically enclosed by random-coursed rubble stone walling with a square-headed door opening onto a wide rear access route. The terrace to the east comprises 23 dwellings arranged in stepped groups respecting the site's subtle relief, terminating at its southeastern end with the village Town Hall. The terrace to the west comprises 18 dwellings, arranged mostly in pairs and built in similar style with some significant differences in detailing. The central area of the square is divided into three sections: the northwest has 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 lies to the southeast; and an open children's playground with three granite monuments occupies the centre. One monument records the 1911 dedication to George Wright, Head Mason, John McClelland, Head Millwright, Michael Boyle, Flax Buyer and Robert Ross, Mill Manager, who each served Bessbrook firm for nearly fifty years, and Austin Kennedy, Rougher. Another records the garden created in memory of James N. Richardson in November 1927 as a playground for Bessbrook's children, and notes this was the last stone cut from Bessbrook quarry. A third monument, recently moved from Bessbrook Mill's grounds, details the mill's history from its ownership by the Pollock family in 1760 to Bessbrook Spinning Co Ltd in 1878.