Belmont Terrace, 18 & 18a Downshire Road, Newry, Co Down, BT34 1EE

This is a three-storey, three-bay house with basement, standing on the west side of Downshire Road. An additional bay extends the building to the north. The double-pile roof is hipped and covered with natural slate. Several painted render chimneys rise from different points of the roof. Cast iron rainwater goods serve the building throughout.

Main Façade (East Elevation)

The east-facing façade is three openings wide and rendered with line render. A broad smooth base course extends across the ground floor, which features banded rustication. A raised render platband separates the ground and first floors, with a continuous render sill course at first floor level. A thin platband runs between the first and second floors. At second floor sill level, a projecting moulded cornice extends across the façade, with a further cornice at window head level topped by a blocking course. Modern scalloped lead flashings protect both the second floor sill and blocking course.

Central Entrance Porch

The main entrance occupies the central bay at ground floor within a bow-fronted porch supported by four fluted Tuscan painted cast iron columns. Three granite steps form a semicircular plinth supporting the columns, with plinth blocks integral with the top steps. The front two columns are free-standing, dividing the plinth into three equal openings, while the remaining two are partly attached to the façade with the doorway between them. The porch canopy features a smooth render frieze divided by an astragal and capped by a projecting roll moulded cornice with blocking course above. A semicircular-headed block breaks through the blocking course in line with each column. The porch floor is paved with granite.

The front door has six panels, each raised and fielded with a bolection mould, beaded muntin, and a central vertical Victorian letterbox. The door jamb has reeded reveals. On either side of the door stands a pair of granite pilasters with projecting granite plinth and moulded heads, supporting a moulded granite entablature. Between each set of pilasters is a plain fixed sidelight with projecting granite sill and coffered apron panel. Above the entablature is a wide, shallow segmental-headed fanlight with a symmetrical glazing pattern: a large hoop over the door with small rings at cardinal points, repeated three times on either side with each hoop diminishing in size as the fanlight tapers.

Ground Floor Windows and Bay

To the right of the porch at ground floor is a margin-paned 6/6 sliding sash window with horns and painted granite sill. To the left of the porch projects a one-storey bay with painted lined render walls and base course matching the main façade. It has a projecting roll moulded cornice with blocking course above (matching the porch), and raised semicircular-headed blocks on the blocking course at left, centre and right. The bay contains two 1/1 sliding sash windows with horns to the front, with similar single windows to each cheek, all with painted granite sills.

First Floor

Three equally spaced 6/6 sliding sash windows without horns align with the ground floor openings. Each window has a moulded architrave continuing down from the sill course to the platband between ground and first floors, forming a panelled apron moulding between. Each architrave head has a plain frieze with projecting moulded cornice.

Second Floor

Three modern two-paned recessed casement windows are positioned in line with the windows below but are less than half their height. A raised panel appears on each wall section.

End Porticos

Flanking either end of the façade is a pedimented single-storey distyle in antis portico (with two columns between pilasters). Three granite steps with granite retaining blocks to either side lead up to each granite-paved portico. On either side of each portico are smooth rendered piers with raised base courses and coffered panels to the shaft, topped with a moulded cornice and semicircular-headed block with similar coffered inset panel. Pilasters with raised bases resting on the top step and moulded heads abut the pier reveals and support an entablature. The entablature has a stepped astragal to the frieze and a moulded cornice (continuing those of the side piers), additionally supported by two fluted painted cast iron Tuscan columns resting on the top step. A shallow pediment sits over the entablature between each coffered pier cap.

The left portico is in poor repair with spalling render and damaged slate lean-to roof abutting the back of the pediment. It is currently undergoing repair. Its inside walls are rendered with raised base course and a blind doorway at centre with tapering eared moulded architrave and head. The right portico now forms the entrance to a later first floor extension abutting the right elevation of the main house. Its inside walls are line render, with a doorway at centre detailed as the main entrance but with four-paned sidelights with margins to top and sides.

Right Extension

The first floor façade of the extension rises from the pediment and is slightly stepped back from the main façade. The wall is lined render with projecting moulded cornice and blocking course above. At the centre is a 6/6 sliding sash window with horns. Its sill continues the sill course on the main block, and it has a moulded architrave as others to the first floor but without an apron panel.

To the immediate right of the extension is a smooth rendered single-storey yard wall with a tongue-and-groove sheeted door with granite step at centre. At the right of this wall, and also flanking the left portico, is an ashlar granite wall containing a semi-elliptical arch with rendered head and projecting rendered coping above. Both contain a pair of sheeted timber doors.

Left Elevation (North)

The left elevation is painted lined render. The middle section is three openings wide and projects from the general wall line. Its gable is pedimented and now flashed with scalloped lead. Flanking sections at left and right are both blank and topped with a cornice and blocking course continued from the front elevation. This gable is abutted at ground floor left by a single-storey extension which rises to a two-storey return at centre.

The exposed section of the main block has granite steps at ground floor right leading down to a basement passage running below the abutting extension. Here is a single 2/2 paired casement window with granite sill and security bars at right. At the centre of the basement is a large opening where building work is currently in progress. Much of the basement render has gone, revealing granite blocks with brick snecking. The ground floor wall is raised slightly at right to accommodate an internal niche and is blank.

At first floor, flanking the two-storey extension, is a window opening (possibly once 6/6) now infilled with lined render and with painted granite sills. At second floor middle is a 6/6 sliding sash with horns and painted granite sill. To its right, in line with the blind opening below, is a single 3/3 sliding sash window without horns. To its left is a similar opening infilled with concrete blockwork.

The abutting extension has painted smooth render walls with broad base course (appears to have been the retaining wall of the basement). The single-storey section has a hipped natural slate roof with semicircular metal gutters on plain projecting fascia boards. Its south-facing wall and left cheek each have horizontally divided 2/2 sliding sash windows with horns. The two-storey middle section has a monopitch natural slate roof. At ground floor left is a door with a pair of narrow two-panelled leafs (top glazed) and eight-pane transom. To the right of this door is a 2/2 sliding sash window as those to the one-storey section but with obscured glass. At first floor are two 2/2 sliding sashes, the left one being narrower. The remaining cheeks to the extension are all blank.

Rear Elevation (West)

The rear elevation wall is painted lined cement render, with unpainted similar basement across which a passage runs. A chamfered platband separates basement and ground floor. Between ground and first floor is a broad raised platband. At first floor is a continuous sill course, and there is a raised eaves course without blocking course above. Five nearly equally spaced openings on each floor are all in line with each other.

The left basement window has been enlarged to form a pair of modern French windows. The remaining four basement windows are 3/3 sliding sashes without horns with painted granite sills; the three at right have security bars. Ground floor left and right windows are 6/6 sliding sashes. The remaining three at centre are French windows. The second from left is a 6/6 sliding sash with hinged apron doors providing access outside. The third from left contains a narrow pair of glazed and panelled French windows with two-paned transoms above. The fourth from left is identical and leads into an abutting link block which bridges the basement passage and leads into a free-standing games room in the rear garden. This link has a pitched glazed roof and glazed sides over a rendered base course.

At first floor are five equally spaced 6/6 sliding sashes, all without horns except the left two. At second floor are five 3/3 sliding sashes, all diminished in height and all without horns.

Right Elevation (South)

The right elevation is abutted to ground and first floors by a two-storey extension, the façade of which has been described in relation to the main block façade. The remaining section of the main gable (the right-hand sections of ground and first floors, and all of second floor) is painted lined render. The middle section of wall breaks forward slightly and has a pedimented gable as the left elevation. There are three openings to second floor, all diminished in height: those at centre and left are 3/3 sliding sashes without horns, and that at right is now infilled with concrete blockwork.

The two-storey extension has a flat roof concealed by blocking course to the façade, with painted eaves boards and semicircular rainwater goods to the side. Walls are lined render. The basement wall is raised with a chamfered platband between basement and ground floor. At basement is a 3/3 top-hung casement window to left and centre, both lit by semicircular grills set into the ground surface. There are three openings to ground floor: that at left is infilled, and the remaining two are 6/6 sliding sashes with horns and painted granite sills. Above each window is a recessed rectangular panel. At first floor, right of centre, is a 6/6 sliding sash window with horns and painted granite sill. To its right is a small narrow 4/4 sliding sash with horns and painted render sill.

Abutting the right cheek of this extension is a single-storey lean-to with natural slate roof. Its north-facing elevation is blank. Its right cheek (to the rear elevation) has a modern plywood and glass door to basement left and a 3/3 sliding sash with horizontal bars and painted granite sill to basement right. At ground floor is a modern plywood and glass door with a 6/6 sliding sash with horns to its right.

Games Room

A single-storey, single-bay building stands in the rear garden aligned parallel to the main block, with which it is linked by a glazed passage. It will be described as viewed towards the back of the main block. The hipped natural slate roof has a wrought iron finial to the right hip (the left one is missing). Overhanging eaves feature fretted bargeboards. A tall red brick chimney rises up the right gable. Semicircular metal gutters are mostly missing. The walls are unrendered red brick.

Principal Façade (West)

The principal façade faces west to the garden. At left is a canted bay with hipped natural slate roof (no rainwater goods). It has a brick base up to sill level, three 1/1 sliding sash windows (one per cant), and a timber moulded dentil course at eaves level. At right on this elevation is a 2/2 vertically divided sliding sash window with exposed box, timber sill and moulded timber architrave.

Gables and Rear

The right gable has a central projecting brick chimney and no openings. The left gable is abutted at left by the glazed linking passage to the main block. The wall at left has a four-panel painted timber door into the games room. The rear elevation is abutted at left by a single-storey return. At right is a 2/2 sliding sash as the front wall right. The return has a pitched natural slate roof. The back gable has a single 2/2 sliding sash as that to the façade. The right cheek has a tongue-and-groove sheeted door at extreme right and a small two-paned casement to its immediate left. The left elevation is plain.

Miscellaneous Buildings

On the south boundary of the premises in the back garden is a two-storey random rubble granite outhouse in semi-derelict condition. Remnants of original doors and windows survive. Behind this are two derelict lean-to outhouses within a walled enclosure. On the right boundary is a smooth rendered and much-altered two-storey outhouse of similar dimensions to that on the left, now with modern garage door and window openings.

Setting

The house has large gardens to front and rear, mostly overgrown. Entrances at each end of the front boundary provide a curving driveway up to the front façade. The rubble granite front boundary wall has simple ashlar block piers with pyramidal coping. Modern metal gates hang at the entrances. A benchmark is set in the wall to the left of the right-hand gates.