Strangford Arms Hotel

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

The Strangford Arms Hotel is a large two storey block at the W end of Church Street. The western portion of the building dates from c.1850 and probably began life as a simple hipped roof building with a rectangular plan and front facade facing W, but much of the portion facing into church street is later and at the eastern extremity incorporates two terraced houses of c.1880s.

The front N facade has a right of centre double timber sheeted door (with small glazed panel to each leaf), with large modern looking porch hood above doorway with hotel name. To the right are three sash windows, with horizontal glazing bars. Each window opening is surrounded with panelled pilasters with deceptive brackets supporting a cornice, there are brackets to cills also. Grills to windows. There are three similar windows to the left of the doorway, the middle of which is double with a pilaster mullion between both lights.
To the left of this is the facades of the former terraced houses, both of which now serve as a restaurant attached to the hotel. The arrangement to the ground floor of this portion is door, window , door window. Both doors have plain pilaster surrounds with plain frieze and cornice and both contain glazed double doors. Each of the windows have segmental arch heads and simple surrounds, and both now have modern frames made to resemble sash with horizontal glazing bars. There is a timber restaurant sign above the window to the left. To the first floor of this ‘terrace’ portion are four windows similar to the ground floor but with actual sash frames with horizontal glazing bars. There is a projecting timber sign between the first and second windows, and a clothe banner-like projecting sign above the third and fourth windows.

The rest of the first floor facade (of the older looking building) has seven windows with simple surrounds, brackets to cills and sash frames with horizontal glazing bars. The second window is double. There is a projecting laminated sign between the fifth and sixth windows and a projecting timber sign to the right of the seventh window.

The N facade is much shorter than that to the W. To the ground floor are four windows, with a doorway between the third and fourth window. The windows are all similar to those on the ground floor right of the N facade. The central double window was undoubtedly once a door, however, and the doorway to the right of this was a window. The doorway has a modern glazed door and plain fanlight. The windows to this floor all have iron grills. To the first floor of this facade are five windows, as first floor right of N facade.
To the left of the S elevation is the short S facade of what was probably the original building. This facade now has a modern two storey, flat roofed extension attached, with a modern window to the right of this (on the main building). To the right of this the original facade merges into a large flat roofed extension which extends S from the rear of the long ‘Church Street’ portion. The rest of this has elevation is now dominated by massive modern extensions which stretch even further to the S. None of these extensions resemble the original building in any sense as all are modernist in concept.

The N and W facades are finished in lined render and painted. The W facade has quoins as does the N facade, but the facade of the former terraced houses to the E end of this elevation do not. Chamfered base.

The roof is hipped and has Bangor blue slates to the N and W elevations, with concrete pan tiles to the S and E. The roof has a slight overhang and rests on corbels (but not to the former terrace house section). Modern yellow brick chimney stacks to former house section. Mixture of cast iron and PVC rw goods.

Historical information

The oldest section of this building is probably the extreme western portion, which is shown on the OS map of 1858. This potion, which was apparently built c.1850 as the headquarters of the North Down militia, probably had a hipped roof and was undoubtedly entered through a central front door on the W facade. The section facing into Church street was added some time after 1858 (?c.1860s), and the former terrace houses now integrated into the E end of the hotel, probably date from the 1880s. Between 1902 and the 1930s the (western portion) of the building was home to one of the Dickson family, the famous local horticulturists, and from the 1930s to 1971 the premises housed a knitwear factory. In 1971 the building was converted to a hotel and has remained so ever since. Since the 1960s (at least) extensions have been added to the south of this structure, with the large modernist sections added after 1971. At some point after this date also the hotel, incorporated the two terrace houses to the east.

References- Primary sources
1 PRONI Ordnance Survey Maps 1st Revision 1858-60 Co. Down 6.
2 PRONI 2nd (‘Griffith’s’) valuation, parish of Newtownards, Corporation North, 1863.

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

Not listed

Criteria for listing: historic interest

Not listed

Evaluation

Large rambling two storey hotel, the western (hipped roof) portion of which probably dates from c.1850, with the remainder of property (facing into Church Street) of later nineteenth century origin. To the south large modern extensions have been added and the interior as a whole had been drastically altered. The eastern section of the building now incorporates two former terrace houses of c.1880s. The nineteenth century front façade has largely retained its original appearance.