Charlemont Place, Armagh
| Charlemont Place, Armagh | |
|---|---|
 Charlemont Place, Armagh | |
| Location | Armagh, County Armagh |
| Coordinates | 54°20′59″N 6°39′00″W / 54.3497°N 6.6500°W |
| Built | c.1830 |
| Architect | William Murray |
| Architectural style(s) | Georgian style |
Listed Building – Grade A | |
| Official name | 1 Charlemont Place |
| Designated | 30 April 1975 |
| Reference no. | HB 15/17/010A |
Listed Building – Grade A | |
| Official name | 2 Charlemont Place |
| Designated | 30 April 1975 |
| Reference no. | HB 15/17/010B |
Listed Building – Grade A | |
| Official name | 3 Charlemont Place |
| Designated | 30 April 1975 |
| Reference no. | HB 15/17/010C |
Listed Building – Grade A | |
| Official name | 4 Charlemont Place |
| Designated | 30 April 1975 |
| Reference no. | HB 15/17/010D |
Listed Building – Grade A | |
| Official name | 5 Charlemont Place |
| Designated | 30 April 1975 |
| Reference no. | HB 15/17/010E |
  Shown in Northern Ireland | |
Charlemont Place is a row of terraced houses in Armagh, County Armagh, Northern Ireland. The buildings served as the headquarters of Armagh County Council from 1945 to 1973. They are all Grade A listed buildings.[1][2][3][4][5]
History[edit]
The buildings, which were designed by William Murray (1789-1849) in the Georgian style, were built between 1827 and 1830.[6][7] The design for each of the buildings involved a main frontage of three bays facing onto Charlemont Place; they were faced in ashlar limestone and each building featured a round headed doorway in the left bay flanked by pilasters supporting an entablature with a fanlight above; there were sash windows with cast iron balconies on the first floor.[6] The cornice was decorated with dentils and modillions.[8] Archiseek has described the row of houses as "one of the best Georgian terraces in Ireland outside of Dublin".[9]
The street was named after the Lord Lieutenant of Tyrone, Francis Caulfeild, 2nd Earl of Charlemont.[10] The buildings were initially occupied by senior military officers from Gough Barracks but later became the home of nuns from the Sacred Heart Convent in Armagh.[10] After the Second World War, the county leaders at Armagh County Council, who had previously held their meetings in Armagh Courthouse,[11] decided that the courthouse was too cramped to accommodate the county council in the context of the county council's increasing administrative responsibilities, especially while the courthouse was still acting as a facility for dispensing justice, and therefore chose to acquire additional premises: the location they selected was Charlemont Place, conveniently located on the opposite side of College Hill to the courthouse, and the acquisition was completed in 1945.[12]
After the county council was abolished in 1973, the buildings became the regional office of several government departments.[13] As a government office the buildings became a target for potential terrorist attacks and they were damaged by a car bomb in 1989.[8]
References[edit]
- ^ "1 Charlemont Place, The Mall East, Armagh". Department for Communities. Retrieved 1 November 2020.
- ^ "2 Charlemont Place, The Mall East, Armagh". Department for Communities. Retrieved 1 November 2020.
- ^ "3 Charlemont Place, The Mall East, Armagh". Department for Communities. Retrieved 1 November 2020.
- ^ "4 Charlemont Place, The Mall East, Armagh". Department for Communities. Retrieved 1 November 2020.
- ^ "5 Charlemont Place, The Mall East, Armagh". Department for Communities. Retrieved 1 November 2020.
- ^ a b "Armagh Conservation Area" (PDF). Planning Northern Ireland. Archived from the original (PDF) on 22 July 2019. Retrieved 23 November 2019.
- ^ "1-5 Charlemont Place, The Mall, Armagh". Royal Institute of British Architects. Retrieved 1 November 2020.
- ^ a b "1-5 Charlemont Place, The Mall East, Armagh". Stone Database. Retrieved 1 November 2020.
- ^ "1827 – Charlemont Place, Armagh, Co. Armagh". Archiseek. 28 September 2009. Retrieved 1 November 2020.
- ^ a b Campbell, Maureen (1997). Armagh, City of Light and Learning: Paintings and Stories from the Orchard County. Cottage Publications. p. 18. ISBN 978-1900935050.
- ^ "Belfast - Dublin - Cork Telephone Directory". 1913. Retrieved 23 November 2019.
- ^ "No. 1239". The Belfast Gazette. 23 March 1945. p. 69.
- ^ "Education Authority - Armagh Office". Northern Ireland Direct. 13 October 2015. Retrieved 24 November 2019.