1 Corry’s Square, Newry, Co Down, BT35 6AW

1 Corry's Square, Newry

This is the right-hand one of a pair of late Georgian semi-detached houses, dating from the early 19th century (1800–1819), located at a conspicuous position on the north side of Corry's Square. The building has since fallen into dereliction and no longer merits listing protection.

The house is three storeys tall with a basement, and three bays wide. The south-facing façade is constructed of coursed squared rubble granite with a raised chamfered base course extending up to ground floor level. The roof is hipped, though now devoid of slates. The parapet features projecting ashlar coping (partly missing) and is drained by cast iron pipe discharge to the left of the entrance. Two rendered chimneys with four red circular pots each align to the ridge—one to the right and one to the left, the latter being shared with the adjoining property.

The main entrance sits at ground floor in the middle bay, accessed by four granite steps from the street. These steps are flanked by plain spearheaded railings with ramped detailing that meets decorative urn-topped posts set on a rendered plinth with chamfered granite coping. The door opening itself has stepped render jambs and a rendered semi-elliptical head over brick, but is now infilled with concrete blocks.

All façade windows have rendered brick jambs (stepped) and heads, with granite cills. All openings are now infilled with concrete blocks. The ground floor contains two blocked window openings to the right of the door and two to the left. The first and second floors each have five windows in line with those below, whilst the top floor windows are diminished in height. The basement contained two windows on either side of an infilled doorway beneath the vaulted entrance steps, now infilled but still visible internally. The basement area to the front is enclosed by railings matching those of the front steps, set upon a finely-dressed chamfered granite plinth.

The right gable (to Catherine Street) is lined with render and features a coped parapet matching the façade, with no openings. The left elevation is a party wall shared with the adjoining property. The rear (north) elevation is six windows wide, with smooth rendered walls. On this elevation, the first opening from the left (as viewed from the rear) contains a two-paned timber-framed casement with an overlight on each floor. The second opening has a pair of metal-framed French windows at ground floor and similar casements above. The third opening matches the first, whilst the fourth is abutted by a single-storey lean-to leading to the back door of the hall. Half landings at the ground-first and first-second floor levels feature semicircular-headed windows. The fifth bay has a casement at ground floor with upper floor windows gone. The sixth bay has no ground or first floor windows remaining, though a 2/2 sliding sash survives on the top floor with exposed box. This last set of openings is shared with the adjoining house.

Internally, a passage runs across the basement, with walls that are wet dashed. Several rooms in the left bay are shared with the adjoining property.

The rear garden contains a modern rendered garage and miscellaneous ruined outbuildings, bounded by a random rubble wall.

Historical Development

The building is depicted as "Cavalry Barrack" on the 1835 Ordnance Survey town map. At that time, this building and the adjoining property (HB16/25/004B) functioned as a single unit—explained by the interconnecting rooms between each block. The 1838 Valuation describes the combined structure as measuring 95 feet by 41 feet by 33 feet, plus cellar, and notes: "This [building] belongs to the government. Had been intended for a Cavalry barracks" following the 1798 rebellion. By that date, however, the army was stationed at the nearby former white linen hall, and this building became surplus to requirements.

By the time of the 1861 town map, the building is shown as two separate units. The 1863 valuation identifies this particular unit as a police barracks, measuring 11.75 yards by 13.5 yards by 3 storeys plus basement. The constabulary moved to Canal Street around 1865, and from 1870 the building operated as a private house.

In more recent times, the building was vested by the Police Authority as a security measure to counter terrorist attacks on the nearby police station. By October 1975, the house was boarded up, as recorded in a Historic Monuments and Buildings survey slide, and has since fallen into dereliction.