36b & 37 Merchant's Quay, Newry, Co Down, BT35 8HF

A four-storey building arranged symmetrically about a central arch set in a terrace fronting the west side of Merchant's Quay. Pitched artificial slate roof with rendered chimney on left gable; skylight to rear pitch. Asbestos rainwater goods over moulded eaves course. Facade walls are cement rendered, painted green. At ground floor is a cement pilaster at each end, which terminates at bottom of first floor in a scroll surmounted by mini gablet. Above are painted stepped quoins. Moulded string courses delineate each floor and also run between window openings. On first and third floors, the stringing continues around openings as hood moulds. In middle of ground floor facade is a coach arch with ashlar granite jambs and semi-elliptical head over projecting spring stones. To left of arch is entrance to shop. The door is modern within a plastic pilastered entablature. To its left is a modern one-pane window within an original hood moulded opening with fascia over. To right of coach arch is another shop front, the mirror image of that to left; however the corresponding window to its right has been enlarged and its hood moulding removed. Each of the upper floors is four windows wide, with all openings in line. All these upper floor windows are modern timber 1/1 top hung casement with stop-end chamfered reveals. The left and right gables are abutted by slightly lower buildings to each side (HB16/28/073B to left); the exposed sections above are rendered with lined cement. The rear elevation is of coursed random rubble with dressed quoins. All window openings have one-piece granite jambs, lintels and cills. The rear of the coach arch has a semi-elliptical brick voussoir. Abutting at left and right of this arch are modern monopitched one-storey sheds which obscure ground floor openings. There are three window openings on each of the upper floors, all in line. Modern single or double-paned timber frames survive in some, others are boarded over; several have metal bars. At right on landings between upper floors are 2/2 sliding sash windows (the lower without cill).