Queen Street House, 53 Dominic Street, Newry, Co Down, BT35 8BN

Queen Street House, 53 Dominic Street, Newry

This is a three and a half storey asymmetric three-bay town house in late Georgian classical style, located on the west side of Dominic Street (formerly known as Queen Street, from which the house takes its name). One of the most imposing buildings on the street, it retains much of its original domestic character in both form and detailing.

The building is constructed with a pitched natural slate roof featuring two small cast-iron skylights to the front and rear façades and half-round metal rainwater goods. The chimneys are smooth rendered with plain overhanging copings to each gable. The principal façade is lined render with V-jointed stepped decorative quoins, a projecting eaves course, and a string course at first floor window cill level.

The central entrance, approached by two granite steps directly from the street, comprises a reproduction six-panel stained timber door with cilled sidelights, V-channel jambs, and a semi-elliptical wrought-iron fanlight with a rendered keystoned arch above. All windows are 6/6 painted timber sliding sashes with horns, except the ground floor left window which has no horns. The ground floor has a single window on each side of the door. The first and second floors each have three windows, with moulded architraves, arranged asymmetrically: the right-hand windows on the first and second floors align with the ground floor right window, while the centre-left windows do not align with the openings below.

The left gable is abutted by a two-storey building (now converted to a nursery school). The slate hanging above the roof of this adjacent building is notable for one section set diagonally to form a decorative diamond pattern. The right gable is abutted by a terrace rising to second floor level, with smooth cement rendered walls above pierced by a 6/6 window at second floor level and two small 6/6 windows at attic level, all sliding sashes.

The rear elevation is abutted at the middle by a two-storey return with a pitched natural slate roof. This return retains one original 2/2 window to the first floor, with new patio doors to the ground floor. The upper floor of the return features a conservatory with a decorative metal footbridge across to a steeply rising garden.

Most windows are modern replacements, with mostly 1/1 sashes to the upper floors and stained timber 6/6 sashes to the ground floor.

Valuation records indicate that two separate dwellings occupied this site c.1840. However, from 1875 onwards, the Valuation Revision books record these buildings as a single property under the same owner. The present structure, which measures 38 feet 9 inches long by approximately 32 feet 6 inches deep, appears externally and internally to be a single build and is likely to date to the mid-1870s, an assessment supported by the style of the internal fittings.