Slieve Gullion Inn, 7 Old Bridge Road, Forkhill, Newry, Co Armagh, BT35 9RP

Slieve Gullion Inn

A two-storey building with semi-basement, comprising five bays, positioned prominently along Old Bridge Road on a sloping site with its left end elevated due to topography. The building is aligned north-east to south-west.

The principal south-east elevation is cement-rendered with a contrasting painted base course. The pitched natural slate roof features tiled verges and five red brick corbelled chimneys with paired shafts—one to each gable and one between each bay except between bays 4 and 5. A slightly advanced eaves course supports half-round metal rainwater goods.

Ground floor fenestration on the principal elevation, from left to right, comprises: a modern four-panelled timber door with narrow transom accessed by a paved ramp with modern metal railings (bay 1); a 1/6 top-hung casement (bay 2); a wide 3x3 casement to the left and a pair of three-panelled timber doors forming the main entrance to the right (bay 3); and 1/6 top-hung casements in bays 4 and 5. All windows have painted stone cills and modern external shutters. The first floor has five 2/2 sliding sash windows in line with those below except at the public entrance. Between each first floor window is a modern metal lantern. Above the public entrance is a cement-rendered and painted panel bearing painted gold lettering reading "M.C. LARKIN".

The left gable is pebble-dashed with a smooth rendered and painted base course. It contains two 3/6 top-hung casements to the ground floor and two 2/2 uPVC windows to the first floor, all with cement-rendered reveals. The right gable is cement-rendered and painted with hand-painted lettering advertising the premises and no openings.

The rear elevation is lime-rendered and whitewashed. It is abutted by four single-storey returns—two to each end. The return to the extreme right-end has a cat-slide roof. The others have flat roofs and modern windows. The exposed section to the first floor contains four 2/2 sash windows. The basement level was not inspected.

Historical development: A building is shown at this location on the 1835 Ordnance Survey map. The 1836 Valuation Book records it as a dwelling measuring 56 feet 6 inches by 18 feet 6 inches by 10 feet. It first appears as a public house in the 1883 Valuation Revision Book. Its rateable value increased from £6.15.0 to £15 in 1909, probably reflecting enlargement and heightening to its present form around this period.