12-14 Irish Street, Downpatrick, Co Down, BT30 6BP

A mixed two and three storey terrace block on the east side of Irish Street in Downpatrick, containing two shops. No.12 is a two storey property, probably dating from the mid to later 18th century (possibly around the 1750s or earlier), whilst No.14 is a three storey property, probably dating from around 1790, though it may originally have formed part of a larger property that also included the now almost identical No.16. Both buildings are recorded in the 1838 valuation as the homes of John Rowan (No.12) and Dr Hutton (No.14), with the latter shown on the 1838 valuation town plan as part of a larger property. By 1859, as shown on the Ordnance Survey town plan, this larger property had been split into the present Nos.14 and 16. Photographic evidence suggests the ground floor of No.14 has functioned as a shop since at least around 1914.

No.12 has an asymmetrical south-west facing front façade. The ground floor is dominated by a broad period style shop front in two sections. The left section features a panelled and glazed door with large flanking semicircular headed sidelight windows set in flat arch openings, and a narrow rectangular fanlight. The right section has a large window with three lights. Both sections are flanked by rusticated piers. A narrow signboard sits above each section, with a much larger plastic signboard spanning the whole shop front, topped with a hood supported on curved brackets. To the far left of the ground floor is a flat arch doorway leading to a narrow entry giving access to the rear. The first floor contains three tall sash windows with Georgian panes (6/6), with a period style projecting signboard between the second and third windows. The front façade is finished in lined render with in-out bevelled quoins. To the ground floor far right of the rear elevation is the rear of the side entry. Directly above this on the first floor is a narrow sash window (4/4). A long two storey return extends to the left. The north-west face of this return has two doorways at ground floor level: the left door is partly glazed, whilst the right is panelled with narrow sidelights with sash frames (2/2). On the first floor to the left is a small sash window (4/4), and to the right is a much larger tripartite sash window (2/2, 6/6, 2/2). To the far right, set at an intermediate level, is a tall semicircular headed sash window (8/6). The rear elevation is finished in lined render and painted. The steeply pitched gabled roof is slated, with cast iron and PVC rainwater goods.

No.14 has a ground floor entirely occupied by a large shop front with mainly glazed double door to the right and large area of modern style glazing. The shop front features a traditional surround with narrow timber edge pilasters and timber signboard with gabled edge piers supported on curved brackets. The first floor contains two sash windows with Georgian panes (6/6), and the second floor has two similar but slightly smaller windows. The front façade is finished in painted lined render. The exposed section of the north-west gable is finished in plain unpainted render and is blank. The rear façade is almost completely covered by a large two storey return. The gabled roof is slated and has a large red brick chimney stack to the north-west.