23-25 Frances Street

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

Large two storey terrace block of c.1873 with Newspaper office and house, on the S side of Frances Street.

Front N facade has an entrance to the far right (to No.23) with c.1950-60 partly glazed door with plain surround and cornice supported on decorative brackets. To the left are two sash windows with simple architraves and brackets and cornice as doorway. To the left of these is a central elliptical arch headed carriage arch (now with metal roller shutter). The windows and door to the left of the arch mirror the arrangement to the right, except with older looking panelled and glazed door (to No.25) and with curved blocking above cornices. The windows to this half no longer have architraves (the render around them appears to have been repaired recently).
To the first floor are 7 windows most single sash with segmental arch heads and simple architraves, except the central window which is tripartite, with flat arch head and brackets to mullions. All first floor windows rest on a cill course. The ground floor is finished in rusticated render, the first floor in lined render. Eaves course with small decorative roundel mouldings.

The E facade is blank and rendered.

To the rear is a large two storey gabled return to the far left and far right (one to each property), with modern frames to windows to the first floor of the inner faces of both. There is a single storey (mainly) flat roofed extension built to the rear of the carriage arch, which appears to span the gap between both returns. To the exposed section of the main rear facade (i.e. between the returns and above the carriage arch are three windows, with modern frames. The rear facade and returns are finished in plain cement render.

The roof is gabled and covered in Bangor blue slates. Three small cast iron skylights to rear. Single rendered chimney stack (to W). Cast iron rw goods.

Historical information

This block appears to have been built in 1873 for the newly founded Newtownards Chronicle. The house (No.23) appears to have been the editor’s residence, and appears to have remained so until the mid 20th century.

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

Not listed

Criteria for listing: historic interest

Not listed

Evaluation

Large two storey terrace block of c.1873, built to house a newspaper office (No.25), with an editor’s residence (No.23). The front facade has retained much of its original look with decorative brackets and cornice hoods to openings, but there have been successive functional-looking extensions to the rear to house printing equipment. The block does not meet the test for listing, but is of significant local interest.