Entrance block

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

The entrance block of Ards District Hospital is the former ‘front building’ of the Newtownards Poor Law Union workhouse, built in 1841.

The building is long and part two and part three storey and built of dark basalt rubble with sandstone quoins. It stands to the E side of the hospital complex, with the rest of the former workhouse buildings to the W and S and many other more recent structures to the N, S and W. In front of the building is the main driveway, which is flanked to the N and S by expanses of lawn with some trees.

The building has three main sections and its front facade is still largely symmetrical. The central section is long and two storeys with a Bangor blue slated gable roof. In the centre of the front facade of this section is a fairly recently built large two storey projection with a flat roof. This section covers the original entrance and has flat arch windows with chamfered painted stone reveals and a central doorway with similar reveal and modern glazed double doors. First floor string course. To either side of this projection (on the original facade) are two gabled bays which project marginally. Each bay also has a first floor string course and a single window to each floor, as previous, but with label moulding to that on first floor. To the gable apex has a pointed arch recess which painted chamfered stone surround. The ‘outer’ portions of the front facade of this central section have four first floor and four ground floor windows, much as before, but without stone reveals to first floor openings.

To both the N and S ends of the building is a double gabled section of three storeys. The gables of this section follow the same the N to S line of the main roof of the central section. The W gable of the double gable is in line with the roof of the central section, with the E gabled portion projecting beyond the front facade of the central section. There is a two storey flat roofed projection attached to the ‘inner’ gable of each end section and to the front facade of the main central section. The windows throughout the front facades of each end section all have flat arches and sash frames. Undoubtedly the original openings on these sections were once symmetrically ordered but other openings have been inserted, probably in the mid 1900s.

The rear of this building has been greatly altered and extended during the mid to late twentieth century. In the centre of the facade there is now a jumble of extensions and a corridor which links this building with the administrative block further to the W. The main section of the extension is constructed in a charcoal coloured engineering brick, has a gabled roof and is roughly ‘L’ shaped in plan form.

Extending from the rear (W) gable of this section is a single storey flat roofed linking corridor, also in engineering brick. To either side of this extension (on the original facade) is a projecting gabled bay. Each bay is similar to that at the centre of the front but with a different arrangement of window openings. The bay to the N now has a large red brick single storey extension attached. The outer sections of the rear facade also have large single storey red brick sections attached. The windows throughout the rear are all flat arch with painted sandstone lintels and most have sash frames. The spacing of the openings is not regular and some are obviously not original (e.g. the first floor doorway to the far N is particularly noticeable).

The main N and S double gables of the building also have irregular window and door openings which have also been altered.

Chimney stacks have been removed.

As with many other of the earliest (i.e. c.1840) workhouse ‘front buildings’, this structure once possessed a symmetrical plan, with mild ‘Tudor’ styling. As with many others that have been converted to modern hospital use, however, formality has, by necessity, had to be largely dispensed with. Thus though some of the original plan of this building is still discernible it has been upset with the inclusion of twentieth century extensions. Some attempt has been made to blend in these modern additions with the original, as with the rubble construction of the projection to the centre of the front facade and (to a much lesser degree) with the charcoal coloured brick and the gabled roof of the ‘L’ shaped extension to the rear, but all jar to a greater or lesser degree, especially the front projection whose rubble facade almost achieves harmony with the original but is ultimately up staged by a totally inappropriate flat roof.

Historical information

The Poor Law came into operation in Ireland in 1838. It was intended to cater for the needs of those unable to support themselves by providing what was termed ‘in-door’ relief. The whole country divided up into 130 Poor Law Unions (based on various market towns), and within each union a workhouse was built in order to provide relief. The basic plan of the workhouses built during the 1840s were based on designs by Oxford architect George Wilkinson and consisted of a ‘front building’ which mainly contained offices and rooms for administration, a block to the rear of this which contained the workhouse proper and an infirmary linked to the workhouse. Together the workhouse and the infirmary formed an ‘H’ shaped plan. Separate buildings such as fever wards were also included in many workhouse complexes. The designs of some of the early buildings incorporated some elements from late mediaeval/Tudor styling, perhaps taking inspiration from the alms houses of centuries past. After the reform of local government in 1898 provision was made for the conversion of union infirmaries to district hospitals intended to treat rich and poor alike. In Northern Ireland the workhouse legislation continued until 1948, when it was superseded, by the new health and welfare provisions, however, long before this many workhouses had been converted to district hospitals.

The Newtownards Union workhouse was built in 1841 and admitted its first inmates at the beginning of the following year. It was designed to house 600 paupers. A fever block was added in 1845. In common with many other unions, the infirmary and fever block had begun to treat the sick of the area by the early 1900s and by 1932 the Ards District Hospital officially came into being. This block was the original ‘front building’ of the workhouse. During the twentieth century with the conversion of most of the complex to a purely medical function the building was altered and adapted. Extensions were successfully added to the rear and a linking corridor build to link to the former infirmary block. In late 1960s the flat roofed entrance porch was added.

References- Primary sources

1 PRONI D.654/E2/78 Londonderry Papers- conveyance of site for Union workhouse (Marquis of Londonderry to the Poor Law Commissioners, 1st April 1840.)
2 PRONI Ordnance Survey Maps 1st Revision 1858-60 Co. Down 6.

Secondary sources
1 Michael H. Gould 'The workhouses of Ulster' (UAHS 1983).
2 Trevor McCavery 'Newtown, a history of Newtownards' (Dundonald 1994), pp.118-20, 123-25, 128, 129, 131, 149, 163, 196.
3 Cahal Dallat 'Caring by design- The architectural heritage of the health & social services in Northern Ireland' (DHSS, 1985), pp.22-29.

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

Not listed

Criteria for listing: historic interest

Not listed

Evaluation

Former ‘front building’ of Newtownards Poor Law Union workhouse, built in 1841. This basalt built block with its (now largely obscured) mildly Tudor overtones was once a fine example of a ‘front building’ of the first generation of Irish workhouses of the early 1840s. However, in common with the fate of many others of its kind, the building’s adaptation for use as a hospital has resulted in significant yet necessary changes to the original structure, with the addition of extensions and the insertion of openings whose functions did not necessarily include to harmonisation with the aesthetics of the original structure. The rubble facade of the late 1960s entrance projection shows a degree of deference for the original building, yet the effect of this is totally negated by the same projection’s inappropriate flat roof.