8 William Street & 2 Corry Street, Newtownards, Co Down, BT23 4AE

8 William Street and 2 Corry Street, Newtownards

A substantial two-storey terraced block dating from around 1860, built of squared Scrabo sandstone rubble with a late Georgian appearance. The building forms part of a larger two-storey gabled terrace of shops, offices and flats set on the west side of William Street with a return into Corry Street. The main roof is finished with Bangor blue slates and has four main rendered chimneys. The terrace is generally in good condition, though significant alterations have been made to various properties.

The ground floor facing William Street contains a shop front, which may be original but has been substantially modernised, with a glazed door and fanlight alongside a large shop window with margin panes and a laminated sign board above. The upper floor has modern PVC window frames.

The north gable, facing Corry Street, shows evidence of alteration. It merges with a two-storey return, and the roof pitch to the rear has been altered at some point, with the gable itself broadened to accommodate the junction. A doorway at ground floor level on the gable has an 'Ards' surround with Gibbs-like blocked pilasters, keystone, plain fanlight and panelled door providing access to No.2A Corry Street. To the left of this doorway were once two window openings, now blocked; these had shallow segmental arch heads and brick lintels. The first floor of the gable has three unevenly spaced window openings with PVC frames and two smaller PVC attic windows above. Quoin-like coursing to the right of the doorway suggests the wall originally ended here, indicating the return is not original.

The two-storey return has a single-storey section attached to its west gable, containing a modern glazed door with plain fanlight serving No.2B Corry Street. Unsuitable dark rubble patching appears to the right of this doorway. To the left are two Georgian paned sash windows on the ground floor, with the right window having a red and yellow brick lintel. The first floor has two window openings with brick lintels, now with PVC frames, appearing to belong to No.2A Corry Street. A sandstone carriage arch with segmental arch head and Masonic symbol on the keystone is located on the west side of the single-storey section. The exposed east gable and south face of the return are finished in rough cast render, with two modern first-floor windows and two tiny attic windows to the gable. The return roof is finished with Bangor blue slates and has a small cast iron skylight on its south side.

Only part of this terrace is shown on the revised Ordnance Survey map of 1858-60, possibly numbers 2-4 William Street. The return to Corry Street and No.8 William Street do not appear to have been built at that date, suggesting they were added after 1860.