44 High Street

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

Two storey terraced block containing two shops at ground floor, with offices over. Modern shop fronts with picture windows and glazed doors. Original fenestration pattern to upper floor, with modern windows. Painted render.

Large modern extension to rear.

Modern roof covering. No chimney stacks. PVC rw goods.

Historical information

This site is shown occupied on all maps of Newtownards from Colvill’s plan of 1720 onwards. This building housed a solicitors office only when surveyed in October 1972 and had a late 19th century appearance with moulded architraves, margin panes to window frames and V-jointed render, but the building itself could be much older.

References- Primary sources
1 ‘The town and tenements of Newtown in the County of Down...1720’ reprinted in Trevor McCavery 'Newtown: a history of Newtownards' (Dundonald 1994) p.79. Though the author of this book gives no reference as to this map, the original undoubtedly belongs to the Colville estate maps contained within to the Londonderry Papers [PRONI D.654/M1A].
2 PRONI D.654 Londonderry Papers.
3 Ordnance Survey Memoirs of Ireland Vol.7: Parishes of County Down II, ed. Angelique Day and Patrick McWilliams (QUB 1991), pp.105-106.
4 PRONI OS Maps 1st ed. 1834, Co. Down 6.
5 PRONI VAL 1B/34 1st valuation Newtownards parish, Newtownards, c.1836 (see also associated town plan).
6 PRONI OS Maps 1st rev. 1858-60, Co. Down 6.
7 PRONI 2nd (‘Griffith’s’) valuation, Newtownards parish, Newtownards 1863. [The town plan to accompany the 2nd valuation does not appear to be held at PRONI thus making it difficult to match the information contained within the written record with actual buildings.]

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

Not listed

Criteria for listing: historic interest

Not listed

Evaluation

Two storey terrace block containing two shops with offices over, likely to date from before 1830. Whilst retaining its original form, little original fabric remains. This building does not meet the test for listing.