20 Victoria Avenue, Newtownards, Co Down, BT23 3EB

20 Victoria Avenue, Newtownards

A relatively plain late Victorian two storey town house dating from around 1887, situated on the west side of Victoria Avenue just north of Newtownards town centre. The building was originally detached but is now linked to its neighbour to the south via a modern glazed corridor and large rear extension, and has been converted to office accommodation.

The front east facade is symmetrical. At ground floor level, a timber sheeted entrance door with plain fanlight and moulded architrave is set centrally, topped by a pediment supported on brackets. To either side of the doorway stands a flat roofed canted bay containing sash windows set on a cill course, each bay finished with a cornice and blocking course. The first floor features outer paired sash windows with a single central window, all on a cill course with brackets. Each window opening is surmounted by a segmental arch head with moulded 'shouldered and heeled' architrave.

The north gable contains a sash window to the right on both ground and first floor levels. The first floor window sits on a cill course with a segmental arch head, and the eaves course above is carried through to form a pediment at the gable apex. This gable merges with the north facade of a two storey gabled return, which displays two sash windows to the first floor and a modern ground floor window opening to the right. The return's gable contains two sash windows to the centre right on the first floor and three ground floor windows of varying sizes with modern frames, with a sheeted doorway between the second and third windows. The south facade of the return is blank.

Attached to the rear of the main house and return is a large single storey flat roofed extension, which also connects to the adjoining building to the south. The right half of the rear facade's first floor retains a sash window. The south gable is blank and features the modern glazed corridor linking this building to its neighbour.

The facades are finished in lined render and painted. Both the main roof and return roof are covered in Bangor blue slates, with yellow brick chimney stacks to each main gable and one to the return. Cast iron rainwater goods are present. A large car park occupies the rear of the building, and the former front garden has been partly paved in brick.

Victoria Avenue was laid out in 1887 to mark Queen Victoria's golden jubilee, though it was originally intended to be named Railway Avenue. The houses and villas were erected in that year or shortly afterwards, with contemporary reports from 1891 noting that construction was proceeding faster than anticipated. This property was converted to office accommodation during the 1980s as part of its linkage to the adjoining building.