Former Employment Exchange

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

Single storey former employment exchange of the 1940s set on the NE side of the Portaferry Road adjacent to the Court Street junction. The building is hipped roof and brick built with a high parapet and possesses an intangible, vaguely William & Mary/Queen Anne appearance.
The foot print is formed with two adjoining rectangles each with a Rosemary tiled hipped roof, that to the rear being slightly wider. The external wall rises above eaves level to form a high parapet with Portland stone parapet. The wall rests on a 600mm deep Portland stone plinth.
The front SW elevation is symmetrical with a central, recessed, timber panelled double front doors ( now unused) with rectangular plain fanlight and with Portland stone surround and dentilled cornice. To either side is a single sliding sash and case window (Georgian panes- 6 over 6) with matching Portland stone surrounds and cill. The far left and right are square cast iron downspouts with rain water hoppers.
The SE elevation has three windows as before to the left hand side. Between the first and second windows is a rain water hopper as before. To the right of this the wider rear rectangle projects forward and to its SW face is a door as that to the front, but with a small key stone in place of the cornice and without as deep a recess. To the SE face of this portion is a central mullioned three bay window with modern uPVC frames. To the left and right are rain water hoppers as before.
To the left of the NE rear facade is a small square projecting porch with flat brick arched flat panelled door (SE) and window (NE) with uPVC window with small panes. To the right of the porch is a enlarged window opening with uPVC frame and recent large concrete lintel over. To the right of this is a sliding sash and case window as before. To the far right is an unusual small square louvered opening. Both have flat brick arches and Portland stone cills.
The NW face has a door to the far left with two sliding sash and case windows to the right. The right again are two smaller windows with uPVC frames and to the far right is one further sliding sash and case window and surrounds as the front elevation.. All other window openings have flat brick arches and Portland stone cills. To the far left and between the second and third windows are rain water downspouts and hoppers as before.

Historical information

The building was probably constructed in late 1940s as Newtownards Employment Exchange. In the early 1960s the building was abandoned. For the next 25 years the building had short term tenants and for long periods lay derelict. In 1995 the Dept. of Agriculture possession and refurbished the building for use by their Agriculture Services Department.

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

Not listed

Criteria for listing: historic interest

Not listed

Evaluation

Single storey, brick built, hipped roof former employment exchange of c.1945 with a William & Mary/Queen Anne influencce and unusual high parapet. Not of sufficient special interest to merit listing, but clearly an important component of the streetscape - incorporating pleasant detailing and having the strong, somewhat domestic architectural style adopted for these type of public service buildings immediately post-war.