47 Downshire Road, Newry, Co Down, BT34 1EE

47 Downshire Road is the centre building of a terrace of three two-storey structures with semi-basements and attics, arranged in three bays. The building was designed by Thomas Duff and erected in the early 1820s as part of the Downshire Road development, forming an early example of town planning by a well-known local architect. It remains in virtually original condition.

The main façade faces west and is constructed of unrendered, regularly coursed squared granite rubble with a raised brick eaves course. A pitched artificial slate roof covers the building, with three modern skylights to the rear pitch. Rendered chimneys project to each gable, shared with the adjacent properties.

The principal entrance is positioned to the middle of the ground floor, accessed by four granite steps rising to a granite-paved vaulted platform over the basement passage. Cast iron railings with simple decorative spikes (inset into the stone) enclose each side of the steps and platform, with three uprights to each step and four grouped on the bottom step; these railings appear to have once enclosed the basement passage as well. The front door is painted timber with six raised and fielded panels featuring bolection moulding. The muntin, frieze rail and lock rail are all beaded, with modern furniture fitted. The door sits within a pair of painted pilasters supporting a painted timber entablature, above which is a rectangular leaded transom with hoops, anthemion and a Grecian-revival centre panel displaying symmetrical scrolling with anthemion. The door surround is rendered with a moulded render architrave and scrolled foliated brackets supporting a cornice. Modern electric lighting is affixed to the cornice underside.

All window openings in the façade have rendered heads, stepped rendered jambs, painted granite cills and no horns. To the left and right bays on the ground floor are single 6/6 sliding sash windows. The middle bay of the basement, below the front steps, contains an infilled doorway. To the left and right bays of the basement, in line with the ground floor windows, are single 6/3 sliding sashes with vertical security bars. The first floor features three 6/6 sliding sashes, diminished in height and aligned with the ground floor openings. The left and right gables form party walls with the adjacent buildings.

Due to the sloping topography of the site, the basement to the rear elevation is at ground level. The rear walls are lined with cement render and feature a raised eaves course. At the centre of the basement is a modern metal sheeted door. Rear windows match those of the façade except for unpainted cills. The left and right bays of the basement have single 6/3 sliding sash windows with metal bars. Each upper floor has three equally spaced 6/6 sliding sash windows, with those on the first floor slightly diminished in height. Half-round metal rainwater goods with downpipes to left and right on the front elevation are shared with adjacent properties.

The front garden is enclosed to the front and left by a low rendered wall. Single one-piece granite gate posts flank the path to the front door, but no gates or railings are present. The garden contains small patches of lawn and mature shrubs, with a modern signpost advertising the current occupant. The rear yard is enclosed by rendered rubble walls to left and right and open to the rear. Former outhouses at the rear are now gone.

The building is shown on the 1834 Ordnance Survey map and was cited as Paternoster Row in the 1838 valuation, at which date it was occupied by Duff himself. The building has since been converted to office use.