Credit Union, 74 Hill Street, Newry, Co Down, BT34 1BE

This is a narrow, three-storey, two-bay rendered building situated in the centre of the west side of Hill Street, Newry. It was constructed between 1820 and 1839 and is located within the Carneyhough townland. Originally part of number 76 Hill Street, it was shown on the 1835 Ordnance Survey map and, according to the 1863 valuation, may have been a warehouse associated with that building. From 1866 onwards, the valuation records describe it as a licensed house and store belonging to Duncan Alderdice & Co Ltd, suggesting subdivision in the mid-1860s.

The building’s front facade is finely proportioned and embellished, exhibiting high-quality detailing. The roof is pitched and natural slate, with part of the left gable exposed, and joins the roof of the adjacent property to the right. A cement-rendered chimney with projecting coping is located to the right of the roof. Rainwater goods are positioned behind a projecting eaves course, and a painted metal semicircular downpipe is visible. The façade's wall is smooth cement render with stepped v-jointed quoins to the left and right; the left quoins are painted to resemble granite, while the right are painted render. A ground-floor arched doorway features v-jointed granite piers, voussoirs, projecting impost blocks and a keyblock. An alarm box is positioned to the left of the arch. Within the doorway are modern timber doors with sidelights and a transom light. Timber pilasters flank the doors, supporting a moulded timber lintel, which is surmounted by a decorative leaded fanlight. First-floor windows are a pair of 6/6 sliding sash windows with painted granite cills and shared moulded render hood moulds. A modern projecting sign displaying “Credit Union” sits between the windows. The second-floor windows are also 6/6 sliding sash, but diminished in height compared to the first-floor windows, each with a separate moulded hood mould. The rear elevation forms a party wall with a rear extension. The first and second floors have single 6/6 sliding sash windows with granite cills; one window is located to the left between the first and second floors, and two are on the second floor. The building is currently used as a bank and is owned by a financial institution. It was delisted on March 29, 2006, and conservation area protection is considered more appropriate than listing. Although it has some surviving minor internal features, the façade and doorcase are the most significant surviving elements and the building does not merit listing.