Old flanking towers in south boundary wall of former priory bawn

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

Remains of two towers set at the ends of the S boundary wall of the former priory bawn, also known as Castle Gardens, off Canal Row, to the SE of Newtownards town centre. Each tower is round in plan and measures c.5m in diameter, but the SW tower is (now) slightly taller than that to the SE (c.3.5m as opposed to c.3m). The walls are now covered in rough cast and there is a flat arch doorway facing into the walled site. Both have flat roofs made from concrete slabs and the walls of both have appear to be largely brick built, suggesting both have been rebuilt at some point, though the SW tower has a thicker base of stone
The tower to the SW has a window-like opening above the door and that to the SE has small high level ventilation openings. Both have high level metal brackets supporting barbed wire. The adjacent boundary walls are in random rubble with concrete coping, brackets and barbed wire.
Both of these towers are virtually derelict and in very poor condition.

Historical information

These ‘bawn’ towers are 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’ (1611-18) just to the south of the church and either repaired or built this boundary wall (around his ‘Castle Garden’), adding the towers the south, with at least one other tower to the north.
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 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 and, by the mid 19th century, the former Castle Garden was host to a large flax mill, and more, recently to a British Telecom complex with many modern storehouses scattered over the whole plot. The site is now (2018) cleared.
Both these towers are shown on the OS maps of 1834 and 1858-60, with another tower to the NE shown on the former map, but demolished to make way for Court Street by the time of the latter. The surviving towers now appear to be of mainly brick construction, suggesting that they have been largely rebuilt at some point.

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 two, single storey 17th century ‘bawn’ towers, largely reconstructed in brick at some point and now covered in rough cast. Both towers are ruinous. These structures are protected by monuments legislation.