8 William Street & 2 Corry Street

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

Part of a two storey gabled terrace of shops, offices and flats set of the W side of William Street with a return into Corry Street. The entire terrace is built of squared Scrabo sandstone rubble the main roof has Bangor blue slates with four main rendered chimneys. The terrace is generally in good condition, but there has been significant alterations to some of the properties.

The ground floor of this end of the terrace block belongs to No.8 William Street. The upper floor belongs to No.2A Corry Street. The front facade of this building has a flat arch doorway with plain surround, glazed door and fanlight, to the right with a large shop window, with margin panes to the left. Laminated sign board above shop window. To the first floor are two window openings, now with PVC frames.

The N gable of this building is odd and appears to have been altered. The gable merges with a two storey return, however the pitch of the roof to the rear has been altered at some point , and the gabled itself broadened, in order to join with the return. To the ground floor of the gable is a doorway to the far right with ‘Ards’ surround (including Gibbs-like ‘blocked’ pilasters) with keystone, plain fanlight and panelled door (giving access to No.2A Corry Street). To the left of the window were once two window openings, but both are now blocked. The right had former opening had a shallow segmental arch head and brick ‘lintel’ (both of these former window openings belong to No.8 William Street). To the first floor of the gable are three unevenly spaced window openings with PVC frames, with two smaller PVC attic windows above (all of which belong to No.2A Corry Street).

The stonework to the immdiate right of the doorway on this gable has a quoin-like coursing, suggesting that the wall originally ended here and that the return is not original.

The return has a single storey section attached to its W gable. This section contains a modern glazed door with plain fanlight (the entrance to No.2B Corry Street). The stonework to the immediate right of the door opening has been patched in unsuitable dark rubble. To the left of the doorway (on the ground floor of the return proper) are two Georgian paned sash windows, the right of which has a red and yellow brick ‘lintel’. To the first floor are two window openings with brick ‘lintels’ and now with PVC frames (these windows appear to belong to No.2A Corry Street). To the W side of the single storey section on the return gable, is a sandstone carriage arch with segmental arch head with Masonic symbol on keystone.

The exposed sections of the E gable and S face of the return section are finished in rough cast render. The gable has two modern windows to the first floor and two tiny attic windows.

The roof of the main terrace house and the return both have Bangor blue slates. There is a small cast iron skylight to the S side of the return roof.

Historical information

Only part of this terrace is shown on the revised OS Map of 1858-60, possibly Nos.2-4 William Street. The return to Corry Street does not appear to have been built at this date, nor does No.8 William Street.

References- Primary sources.
1 PRONI D.654/LE36A Londonderry Papers- Leases concerning properties with Newtownards, 1674-19[?].
2 PRONI D.654/M36/1-101 Londonderry Papers- Maps of Newtownards, c.1770-c.1940.
3 PRONI Ordnance Survey Maps 1st rev. 1858-60 Co. Down 6.
4 PRONI 2nd (‘Griffith’s) valuation, parish of Newtownards, Corporation North, 1863.

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

A. Style
B. Proportion
H-. Alterations detracting from building
K. Group value

Criteria for listing: historic interest

X. Local Interest

Evaluation

Substantial two storey terraced block of c.1860, in Scrabo stone, with late Georgian appearance. To the ground floor (facing into William Street) there is a shop front, which may be original but has been somewhat modernised. The upper floor has modern window frames and some gable openings (facing into Corry Street) have been blocked. To the rear is a large two storey return.