18 A&B Upper Water Street, (formerly 18 A&B Abbey Way), Newry, Co Down, BT34 1DJ

18 A&B Upper Water Street, Newry

A three-storey rendered building forming the left portion of a terrace of three properties, situated on the west side of what was formerly known as Abbey Way and is now again called Upper Water Street. The building is divided into two separate properties: 18A (left, two windows wide on upper floors) and 18B (right, three windows wide on upper floors).

The roof is pitched with natural slate, topped by a cement rendered chimney with raised skew to the left gable and a red brick chimney (shared with number 20) to the right gable. The walls are painted lined render with a raised render eaves course.

Number 18A features a modern rendered shop front at ground floor with a door to the right and two square windows to the left, all spanned by a long transom. The upper floors have two windows each, all modern with top hung casements set within exposed boxes. The windows to the second floor are reduced in height. The rear elevation is abutted by a two storey return and shares an alley with 18B. The rear return is two storey with a pitched roof, finished in painted cement render with modern windows.

Number 18B has a modern shop front at ground floor with a mosaic of racehorses filling the wall to the right of the door, covered by a three panelled transom above. A plastic fascia advertising the current occupant is mounted above, with a doorway to the left. The upper floors have three windows each, all 1/1 PVC with top hung casements and granite cills, those to the second floor reduced in height. The rear elevation is smooth rendered and abutted to the right by a two storey return. To the left of this return is an alley opening (shared with 18B) leading to the street. At first floor is a 6/3 sliding sash window within a slate hung projection over the alley. At second floor is a 6/6 sliding sash window, with the bottom sash missing and boarded up from within. At third floor is a 3/3 sliding sash window. The rear return is two storey random rubble with mostly modern windows to the first and second floors.

The building is shown on the 1835 Ordnance Survey map and is described in the 1838 valuation as two houses valued at £18 and £22 respectively. By the 1863 valuation both were described as three and a half storeys, seemingly erected as a block together with numbers 20 and 22. The shop frontages appear to have been added around 1912.

Modern alterations have substantially compromised the building's character. The property is situated within a conservation area. The street address was originally 18 A&B Abbey Way before being changed to Upper Water Street, then realigned again to the present designation.