Cabra Towers, Convent Road, Cabra, Rathfriland, Newry, Co Down, BT34 5EU

Cabra Towers is a medium-sized late 19th-century country house with turn-of-the-19th-century additions, set in mature grounds on the west side of Convent Road. The house comprises a two-storey entrance block, a service block to its west, and a later double-pile house to its east and south.

Entrance Block (North-Facing)

The entrance block was the original house. It is two-storey and three-bay in size, with a hipped natural slate roof featuring a flat leaded top. The left end side is abutted by the gable of the later addition. A cement-rendered, decoratively coped two-pot chimney stack rises from the rear left. The building has cyma-recta cast iron gutters on an advanced painted eaves course. The walls are painted lined render with an advanced base course.

The main entrance is in the central bay, contained within an open porch. The door is four-panelled, flush moulded and chamfered, circa 1900, with decorative brass furniture but no letterbox. It is flanked by sidelights with diagonally sheeted apron panels, and above is a large glazed transom. All glazing is decorative etched glass depicting shamrocks. The transom is a single vertical pane that has been rotated 90 degrees, so the "JM" etched in its central panel is on its side. The doorway is set on an ashlar granite plinth with advanced jambs, also of ashlar granite; the right jamb has the remains of a bell pull.

The porch consists of two stout free-standing square pillars, one on either side of the doorway, with moulded plinths, dado, and moulded capitals. They support a moulded and dentilled cornice and a turned balustrade around a flat roof. A cast iron downpipe with decorative hopper sits at the left. The porch cheeks are infilled to the dado height of the pillars.

Each remaining ground floor bay contains two 1/1 sliding sash windows with horns, stooled cills, and one-piece advanced granite lintels. The left and right bays at first floor have identical windows, diminished in height, with lintels at eaves level. At first floor centre is a pair of plain glazed French windows with an advanced granite lintel and plain mullion.

Service Block

To the right of the entrance block, continuing flush with its walls, is a three-storey, one-bay service block. It has a flat modern felted roof with broad timber eaves and semicircular gutters to the front. Its walls match the previous block, but the right corner and left corner of the second floor have advanced chamfered quoins. Each floor on this elevation has two 1/1 sliding sash windows with horns.

Main House (North Elevation)

To the left of the entrance block is the north front of the main house, which is double-piled and two-and-a-half storeys high (each storey appreciably higher than those of the entrance block). The walls have an advanced base course and are painted smooth rendered.

Attached Tower

Advancing forward at the join with the entrance block is a three-storey, two-thirds attached tower. It has a conical natural slate roof with an ornate wrought iron weathervane, and moulded cast iron rainwater goods on a deep, decorated Gothic Revival eaves cornice. At ground floor to the front is a pair of casement windows, each with a transom over. They have slightly advanced granite cills and share a one-piece granite mullion. Each casement has curved glass that follows the line of the tower. The transoms have cusped heads with three-piece ashlar granite heads and contain fixed leaded lights. There is an identical pair of windows on the right cheek of the tower.

Between the first and second floors is an advanced cavetto moulded stringcourse. At first floor, in line with each of the front ground floor windows, is a pair of 1/1 sliding sashes (again with curved glass and horns). There is a single similar window on the right cheek, above the pair of ground floor casements. At second floor there are four individual 1/1 sliding sashes, each with a chamfered transom (obscuring the meeting rail) and a cusped top sash (detailed and leaded like the ground floor transoms). All share a slightly advanced cill course.

Main Block Continuation

To the left of the tower is the rest of the main block. It is in two sections at roof level, the right one with a gabled wall-head dormer. The first floor stringcourse and second floor cill course continue from the tower, and its left corner has advanced chamfered quoins. Filling the ground floor is a single-storey canted bay window, with walls matching the main block. It has a slightly advanced canted cill course, an advanced eaves course, and a flat masonry roof with a pierced (arcaded) parapet. The parapet has a cavetto moulded coping that continues the stringcourse running between the ground and first floors. Erected on the parapet is a decorative Celtic cross.

The bay window front is three openings wide. The left and right openings contain large 1/1 sliding sashes with horns and leaded top sashes. The central opening is of similar dimensions and contains a modern glazed timber door with a transom over (matching the top sashes of the window). It is accessed from the front drive by a single concrete step, with chamfered dwarf walls terminated in pedestals (on which stand broken terracotta urns). Each cheek of the bay window has a single window matching the others.

Above the bay window at first floor are two 1/1 sliding sashes with horns (as those to the tower at this floor). Above, at the left side, is a chamfered eaves cornice. Rising to the right is the gabled wall-head dormer, which is tied into the tower at right. It has chamfered kneelers and a moulded coping raised to a box at the gable head. It has two 1/1 cusp-headed sliding sashes matching those at this stage of the tower.

East Elevation

The east elevation of this block is divided into two equal gabled bays, the left one advancing forward. They share a common projecting base course, and the right bay has chamfered quoins to exposed corners. Both are inset with small semicircular-headed vents and chamfered kneelers; their moulded copings are raised to a box at the gable head.

At ground floor of the right bay there are two tall 1/1 sashes matching those on the canted bay window of the north elevation. In line at first floor are two 1/1 sashes, diminished in height, with Gothic relieving arches over their granite lintels. Above and between them (in the apex) is a small cusp-headed window (its head infilled) containing a modern top-hung timber casement window.

The left bay advances to its left. The right cheek of the advanced left bay is blank except for the base course and stringcourse at first floor level. It has moulded cast iron rainwater goods with a downpipe (square in section) to the inside corner. Its front wall has a two-storey canted bay window. It has a steep natural slated lean-to roof (abutting the gable) with an advanced chamfered eaves course supporting gutters and a downpipe matching the right cheek. Its walls match the facade with an additional blind pierced arcade below the first floor stringcourse. This arcade detail is identical to the parapet on the canted bay of the north elevation.

At ground floor there are two front windows and one to each cheek; all match those to the ground floor right bay (but the right one to the front has lost the leaded glass on its top sash). There are four 1/1 sash windows to first floor matching those to the first floor right bay but without the relieving arch. In the valley between the two bays is a tall painted cement-rendered chimney.

South Elevation

The south elevation of this block is abutted to the extreme left by a two-storey return and to the centre by a single-storey flat-roofed extension. Its walls match previous elevations with an advanced base course, first floor moulded stringcourse, and an advanced chamfered eaves course. The right corner has stepped V-channelled quoins (partially gone at ground floor). The left side of its roof has a modern skylight.

To left of centre is a gabled wall-head dormer, detailed as other gables and inset with a 1/1 sliding sash with an additional infilled transom over. To right of centre is a tall wall-head chimney with decorative mouldings and two terracotta pots. To centre, breaking the eaves, is a modern gabled dormer. It is natural slated with plain timber barges and contains an emergency exit door which leads to an escape stair. Directly below this at first floor is a second escape door (again onto stairs). To its left, between ground and first floors, in line with the dormer window, is a 1/1 sliding sash stairwell window.

There are two tall openings at ground floor right. The left one is a 1/1 sliding sash (with top sash leaded as those to the bay window on the east elevation). To its right is a modern glazed door with matching transom which formerly led into the conservatory that abutted at this point. First floor right is blank.

Former Conservatory

To ground floor right, the flooring and base course of the conservatory remain; it was rectangular, extending south, and advancing east in a central canted bay with central door. Its floor is pink and white terrazzo with black margin. Inset to the centre is a large pink and yellow floral panel in a Moorish design. To the east, the former doorway is accessed by a flight of three steps in a convex sweep, with dwarf wall and terracotta urns (right one gone).

Modern Extension and Escape Stair

Abutting the ground floor central bay is a modern flat-roofed kitchen extension, which may possibly fill a former yard. The steel escape stair stands on its roof. It is constructed in I-beams and rises to above eaves level of the main block where it carries a water tank. The east cheek of this extension has three modern high-level louvred windows with concrete cills. Its south elevation ties in with earlier outbuildings, and its west wall abuts the two-storey return.

Two-Storey Return

The two-storey return also partially abuts the rear (south) elevation of the entrance block. It has a hipped natural slated roof (the ridge of which meets the eaves of the main block), rendered walls, and moulded cast iron gutters on an advanced eaves course. At first floor of its east elevation is a modern three-paned casement window. The remainder of this wall is abutted by the one-storey extension. Its west elevation has a similar first floor window and an original 1/1 sliding sash to ground floor left. This elevation is abutted by numerous soil pipes from the first floor toilets. Its south gable has two infilled first floor windows and is abutted to ground floor by a small return.

This return has a felted flat roof which ties into the previous flat-roofed return. It has lined walls and two windows on its south wall. That to the left is a small 1/1 sliding sash and that to the right is a decorative margin-paned fixed window.

West Elevation of Main Block

Returning to the main block, its west elevation (rising over the join with the entrance block) has two gables. A chimney with moulded coping rises above the apex of the left one. There is a 1/1 sliding sash in the right gable.

Rear of Entrance Block

The rear wall of the entrance block is abutted at right by the two-storey return (described above). The remainder of its wall is lined rendered. To ground floor right is a modern door with transom and granite lintel. There is a small 1/1 sliding sash to ground floor extreme left and to its right is a larger 1/1 top-hung casement in an earlier opening. To first floor right, above the door, is a 1/1 sliding sash. To centre, lighting the stairwell, is a pair of 1/1 sliding sashes with granite mullion (same shape as those over the front porch), and to left is a modern casement window and an escape door (in an earlier window opening) leading to a modern steel escape stair.

Rear of Service Block

To the left of this elevation is the rear elevation of the service block. It has quoins to the left and second floor right (rising over the join with the entrance block). At ground floor right is a small 1/1 casement and to first and second floor left are long modern picture windows. To right, between first and second floors, is another similar modern window. Turning its left corner is its west elevation with two large picture windows to each floor.

Outbuildings

Enclosing the sides of the rear yard (to the south of the house) are various outbuildings of no particular merit.

Setting

The grounds are maturely planted to the east of the house and fall to the road. From the drive, down to the garden is a flight of steps with rock-faced granite retaining walls and copings supporting urns (of which only the bases remain). There is a disused 1970s swimming pool to the southeast of the house.

There are two gateways to Convent Road. The left (side) entrance is modern with two pairs of plain square piers, painted render with pyramidal caps. These support a pair of painted angle-iron gates, both with vertical dog-bars to the bottom half. Plain painted rendered screen walls with rendered coping and an outer pair of posts with pyramidal caps.

The main (right) entrance has a pair of highly decorative wrought iron gates circa 1900. The piers match the previous gates with a rendered and painted convex screen wall. The wall is capped with squared granite rubble blocks forming crenellations.