53-63 Frances Street, Newtownards, Co Down, BT23 3DX

Two storey terrace of five houses and shops, dating from c.1835, situated on the south side of the east end of Frances Street in Newtownards. The terrace is now much altered, though most properties have largely retained their original front facades despite many windows now having modern frames.

No.53 was entirely rebuilt c.1990. Its front facade, finished in lined render, replicates much of the previous arrangement with a Gibbsian-like 'Ards' doorway to the left and a large shop front to the right, though the upper floor window openings have been altered in size. The west gable is blank and finished in rough cast render, with a high wall projecting from it. To the rear is a large two storey flat-roofed return with modern windows and door. The roof is covered in Bangor blue slates with PVC rainwater goods and a rendered chimney stack shared with No.55.

No.55 is smaller than No.53. Its front facade, finished in lined cement render and unpainted, has a doorway with a window to the right and two windows to the first floor, all with modern frames. To the rear is a large two storey gabled return with modern windows and door. The ground floor rear facade has a window with a modern frame and a smaller window with a similar frame to the first floor, which appears to be cut into by the roof of the return. The roof is covered in Bangor blue slates with cast iron and PVC rainwater goods. The chimney stack shared with No.57 has largely collapsed.

No.57 has a similarly arranged front facade to No.55 but with a modern partly glazed door and sash window frames. The ground floor window has a simple moulded surround, and the upper floor windows are set on a cill course with brackets. The lower two thirds of the facade is covered in rusticated render, with plain render above. The building possesses a two storey gabled return, brick built, with much of its gable end and east face covered in greenery. At least one window with a sash frame is visible to the first floor on the west face. The roof is covered in Bangor blue slates with a rendered chimney stack shared with No.59 and PVC gutter to the front.

No.59 is similar to No.57 but with a panelled door to the front and without the moulded surround to the ground floor window. The ground floor window has a fixed light frame. To the rear, the return, which is longer than No.57's, has modern windows and door with a further store door opening near the gable end, and is finished in rough cast render as is the rest of the rear facade. The gable of the return is largely covered in greenery. The rear facade of the main house has windows to both ground and first floors with modern frames. The roof and chimney stack are as No.57, with cast iron and PVC rainwater goods.

No.61 is similar to No.55 but with sash windows and a painted front facade. The house is currently vacant and the rear facade and return are obscured by rampant greenery.

No.63 is the largest property within the terrace and now serves as a take-away restaurant. To the right of centre on the front facade is a doorway with modern glazed door. To the right of this is a window with a modern frame. Above the doorway and window is a laminated signboard. To the left of the doorway is a very large modern shop window with a moulded relieving arch over. This arch follows the line of the head of a carriage arch which was blocked at some point (by at least 1972). The first floor has three sash windows with an internally illuminated PVC projecting sign between the second and third windows. The front facade is finished in lined render and painted. The east gable is blank and finished in plain render and painted. The gable merges into the west facade of a large single storey flat-roofed return with modern windows and door. To the first floor are three windows with modern frames. The far left of the rear facade is in line with the rear of the rest of the terrace but the remainder projects slightly. The rear is finished in plain render and painted. The roof is covered in Bangor blue slates with a low rendered chimney stack to the gable, a stone parapet, cast iron and PVC rainwater goods.

The terrace does not appear on the Ordnance Survey map of 1834 but appears on the Newtownards town plan accompanying the valuation survey of c.1836, when four dwellings belonged to a group of seven houses exempt. The Ordnance Survey Memoirs of c.1834-7 reference the erection of new houses by the Marquis of Londonderry at this time, with leases granted for sixty years or three lives at one shilling per foot, at which rate houses could be erected for one shilling per foot. The whole terrace appears on the revised Ordnance Survey map of 1858-60. The two storey returns were probably added in the early 1900s. No.59 was a shop until fairly recently.