Old doorway in NW boundary wall of priory bawn (to rear of 37 Court Street)

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

Remains of a doorway (or gateway) set within the (N) boundary wall of the BT complex, to the W of Canal Row, S of Newtownards town centre. The doorway is now blocked with rubble, but the moulded architrave is still discernible with semicircular arch with impost stones and carved decoration to the ‘spandrel abutments’. Dressed stones beyond jambs.
On the opposite side of the wall (at the rear of No.37 Court Street), is the gateway outline consists of a cruder looking arch with stone dressings.
Further to the E of the doorway are the remains of what appear to be two square-ish gate piers with moulded pedestal course and entablature, with moulded architrave and cornice surmounted by a blocking course. The space between the pillars (c.3m) is now filled in with rubble and brick.

Historical information

This former doorway is set within a wall enclosing land acquired by Hugh Montgomery in the early 1600s, land which belonged to the medieval priory of Newtown, the ruins of which Montgomery repaired and adapted for use as the parish church. He also built himself a ‘princely mansion’ (c.1611-18) out of the ruins just to the south of the church and either repaired or built this boundary wall (around his ‘Castle Garden’), adding the flanking towers. This doorway presumably dates from this period as it bears a resemblance to the doorway on the tower added to the newly repaired church.
The whole plot, along with all other Montgomery holdings within Newtownards, was acquired by Captain Robert Colvill in 1675, who remodelled the house (which had been badly damaged by a fire in 1664) and built a chapel next to the church. The Colvill lands in the area were bought by Alexander Stewart in 1744 , but this site was gradually abandoned by the new owner. The old church served as a court house between 1817 and 1850 and by the latter date (?or shortly afterwards) a large flax mill was sited within the former Castle Garden itself, with the rear gardens of the recently built houses in Court Street to the north of the wall. The doorway may have been blocked up around this time.
The larger gateway to the E of this doorway appears to have been the main entrance to the bawn. To the NE of this gateway there appears to have been a tower house (presumably of late medieval origin) which was in ruins by the early 1600s, but was reused by Montgomery whilst the old priory buildings were being refurbished.

References- Primary sources
1 Rev. George Hill ed. 'The Montgomery Manuscripts' (Belfast 1869), pp.58-59, 61, 87.
2 ‘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 is undoubtedly belongs to the Colville estate maps contained within to the Londonderry Papers [PRONI D.654/M1A].
3 Walter Harris 'The ancient and present state of the County of Down' (Dublin 1744), p.58.
4 PRONI OS Maps 1st ed. 1834, Co. Down 6.
5 PRONI OS Maps 1st rev. 1858-60, Co. Down 6.

Secondary sources
1 'Archaeological survey of Co. Down' (HMSO 1966), pp.260, 284-87.
2 Trevor McCavery 'Newtown: a history of Newtownards' (Dundonald 1994), pp.34-37, 40, 54-56, 78.

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

Not listed

Criteria for listing: historic interest

Not listed

Evaluation

Remains of a now blocked doorway set within a boundary wall to the west of the ruins of a (originally medieval) priory church. The doorway itself probably dates from the early 17th century, when Hugh Montgomery repaired, extended and adapted the old priory buildings. This structure is afforded protection by monuments legislation.