Convent of the Sisters of Charity — Gardiner Street Upper

Corner-sited pair of four-bay thee-storey houses over exposed basement, built c.1828, now combined to form convent, with doorway of southern house now blocked up to form window, and with further storey to northern three bays of front elevation. Attached chapel to rear. Flat roof to four-storey section and pitched roof to remainder, hidden behind raised parapet wall with granite coping. Cast-iron and replacement uPVC rainwater goods breaking through parapets to front and south gable. Yellow brick walls laid in Flemish bond with rusticated granite quoins to either end and continuous granite sill band to first floor. Granite plinth course above rusticated cement rendered basement walls. Masonry name plaque to south gable: "GARDINER-St/CONVENT NATIONAL SCHOOLS". Gauged brick flat-arched window openings having render reveals, granite sills and replacement uPVC windows. Steel grilles to basement windows. Gauged brick round-headed window openings to rear stair hall. Gauged brick three-centred arched door opening with moulded masonry surround and painted masonry doorcase, with original timber door with four flat panels, bolection mouldings and brass furniture. Door flanked by paired plain pilasters each surmounted by over-sized scrolled console brackets supporting plain frieze and lintel cornice with original cobweb fanlight. Door opens onto granite platform with cast-iron bootscraper and four granite steps bridging basement area. Platform and basement area enclosed by original wrought-iron railings and cast-iron corner posts on moulded granite plinth wall. Interior retains polished timber panelled doors and architrave surrounds, dog-leg open-string timber stair with turned balusters and continuous polished handrail, and some slate and cast-iron fire surrounds. Chapel has pitched slate roof with copings and carved stone cross finials, red brick walls with yellow brick bands at sill, impost and eaves levels, paired pointed-arch windows with ashlar block-and-start stone surrounds, mullions and sills, doorway with shouldered flat-headed doorway, and with lower two-storey link to convent building proper with similar details, and paired round-headed windows to upper gable with margined one-over-one pane timber sliding sash windows.