14-26 North Street

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

Two storey terrace on the W side of North Street containing 7 houses, all of which have witnessed some alteration in recent years. The ground rises from S to N with the result that in real terms, no.14 is the tallest with each house decreasing in height thereafter.

No.14 is set on the corner of North Street and East street and is much larger than any other house within the terrace. The front (E) facade has a right of centre entrance with modern panelled and glazed door encased with plain pilasters, decorative brackets and cornice. To the left are two windows with modern frames and to the right is a similar window. To the first floor are four evenly spaced windows. The S gable has two windows (as before) to the ground floor and two to the first floor (these window openings do not look original).
The writers were not able to get a close look at the rear but they were able to observe two upper level windows with modern frames and a gabled return (to the left) which appeared to be shared with no.16.
The facade is finished in pebbledash with chamfered quoins to the SE corner. The gabled roof is covered in artifical slates. Two rendered chimney stacks. Rendered parapet to S with corbel on SE corner with moulded urn on top. Mixture of cast iron and PVC rw goods.

No.16 has an entrance to the right similar to no.14 but with plain sheeted door. To the left is a small-ish window with modern frame and to the first floor are two similar windows. The rear could only be observed at a distance and, as well as the return shared with no.14, there is a single storey flat roofed extension. Facade is finished in painted render (lined to front). Eaves course to front. Artifical slates to roof. Rendered chimney stack and parapet to S. Mixture of cast iron and PVC rw goods. Tall rendered chimney stack to N.

No.18 has a similar front facade to no.16 only handed. To the rear there is a single storey flat roofed extension and two modern windows to the first floor. Facade is finished in plain render, painted at the rear, unpainted at front. Eaves course to front. Artifical slates to roof (some stray slates from neighbouring properties at roof edges). Mixture of PVC and cast iron rw goods.

No.20 has a front facade identical to no.16. To the rear is a full height gabled return (shared with no.22) and a modern window to the first floor of the main rear facade (the lower half of the facade could not be seen). Front and rear facades finished in plain painted render, return finished in rough cast. Eaves course to front. Artifical slates to roof. Rendered chimney stack to S (shared with no.18). Mixture of cast iron and PVC rw goods.

No.22 has a similar front facade to no.20 but handed. To the rear, the two storey return is shared with no.20. Modern window to ground and to first floor of main rear facade Front and rear facades finished in plain painted render, return finished in rough cast. Artifical slates to roof. Rendered chimney stack to N. Mixture of PVC and cast iron rw goods.

No.24 has a similar front facade to no.22 otherwise stable door with small glazed panel, diamond leaded panes to upper pane of windows. Rear is similar to no. 22 only handed and with differing shaped modern windows. The rear is unpainted. Artifical slates to roof. Rendered chimney stack to S. Mixture of PVC and cast iron rw goods.

No.26 has a sheeted door, with small glazed panel, to the left with enlarged PVC window to the right of this. Two small windows to the first floor, now with PVC frames. The writers could not gain access to the rear. The property appears to share a full height gabled return with no.24. Front facade finished in rough cast. Artifical slates to roof. Two Velux windows to front. PVC rw goods to front. The property to the N of was demolished in the 1960s (to make way for the entrance to the new Strean Church Hall), but its (taller) gable survives, as has the brick chimney stack still used by no.26.

Historical information

North Street was laid out in the 1760s-70s as part of Alexander Stewart’s grid like street pattern centred around the new market house. By the 1830s both sides of the thoroughfare between Orchard Place and East/West Streets had been thoroughly developed. By the proportions of this terrace it could date from the later 18th or early 19th century, with the door surrounds looking like later Victorian additions.
The whole terrace appears to have been refurbished recently.
The owner of no. 24 stated that he belived that the houses were originally built for weavers who would carry out their weaving in the rear room.

References- Primary sources
1 PRONI D.654 Londonderry Papers.
2 PRONI OS Maps 1st ed. 1834, Co. Down 6.
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 VAL 1B/34 1st valuation Newtownards parish, Newtownards, c.1836 (see also associated town plan).
5 PRONI OS Maps 1st rev. 1858-60, Co. Down 6.
6 PRONI 2nd 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 properties.]

Secondary sources
1 Trevor McCavery 'Newtown: a history of Newtownards' (Dundonald 1994), p.88.

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

Not listed

Criteria for listing: historic interest

Not listed

Evaluation

Attractive two storey intact terrace containing seven dwellings of late 18th or early 19th century date with likely late Victorian decorative additions. Whilst external changes to the fenestration and internal alterations mean that the houses do not merit protection through listing, the whole terrace, possibly originally weaver's houses, is of local significance particularly by virtue of its age.