Ards Arena Youth Centre

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

Substantial former Presbyterian church of 1859, now a youth centre. The building is situated on the E side of South Street, to the S of Newtownards town centre.

Front W gable has a pair of central doorways with plain sheeted double doors each set in a semicircular arch recess. The ‘fanlight’ above each door is filled with timber panelling and the recess has a moulded archivolt with keystone and impost course. Above the doorways are three tall windows with small (Georgian-like) panes. The windows share a cill. Above the central window is a small moulded trefoil date plaque- ‘Built A.D. 1859’. The doors and windows are all set in a large (slightly recessed) semicircular arch with moulded archivolt and keystone.

To either side of this large central arch is a smaller arch containing semicircular headed first floor window with Georgian panes. The arced recesses are separated by plain pilasters with outer pilasters.

The N and S facades are largely identical with seven segmental arch head recesses each with a semicircular headed window set in modern frames to the first floor, and a segmental arch head window to the ground floor. The arch recess to the W end on both facades has a small square window to the ground floor, with modern frame, and the central recess on the N facade has a doorway to the ground floor.

The rear gable has a modern extension to much of the ground floor, which links to a large modern building to the rear. The exposed upper section and left section of the facade is covered in plain cement render with a ground and first floor window (as N and S facades) to the left.

The front, N and S facades are finished in lined render and painted. Chamfered plinth. Eaves course.

The roof is gabled and covered in Bangor blue slates. Slight overhang to front gable. Rendered chimney stack to E gable. Cast iron rw goods.

Section of original low wall with gate pillars and spear headed wrought iron railings, to front.

Historical information

This building was built in 1859 as the church for Newtownards fourth Presbyterian congregation. The congregation itself had been founded in 1854 and had originally met in premises near by Court Street. The building ceased to be used as a church in the mid twentieth century [?c.1950-60] and was acquired by the SEELB in the 1960s. The property has served as a youth centre since at least 1972.

The building has gone through many major alterations and renovations since the 1960s, with a new modern section built to the rear. The property last underwent major renovation in 1994.

References- Primary sources
1 PRONI 2nd Valuation, Newtownards parish, Newtownards (Corporation Nth), 1863.

Secondary sources
1 Trevor McCavery 'Newtown: a history of Newtownards' (Dundonald 1994), p.146.

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

Not listed

Criteria for listing: historic interest

Not listed

Evaluation

Substantial, plainly detailed, former Presbyterian church of 1859, now comprehensively remodelled internally and used (2018) as a youth centre. This building does not meet the test for listing, largely as a consequence of the internal alterations. It is however an impressive historic building of local interest.