B.I.H. Scrabo Glen [front facade], Trasnagh Drive, Newtownards, Co Down, BT23 4PD

The building is a somewhat eclectic facade, originally the front of the Ulster Print Works, now forming the front of part of ‘Scrabo Glen’, a sheltered dwelling complex located off Trasnagh Drive on the western outskirts of Newtownards. Constructed between 1900 and 1919, the Ulster Print Works was a textile factory established primarily through the efforts of local businessmen, including William James Ferguson. The factory closed around 1980 and was largely demolished around 1995/6, with its front facade being attractively restored and incorporated into the subsequent sheltered housing development undertaken by Belfast Improved Housing.

The facade is built of Scrabo sandstone and is symmetrical in design. The central two-storey section features a pediment with dentilled eaves and a dentilled cornice. This is flanked by single-storey wings with Flemish-style gables. A semicircular arched label moulding on brackets sits above the central ground floor entrance doorway, which has double timber doors. The ground floor windows are relatively large, with segmental arch heads and recent eight-pane sashes, all set on a cill course. The first floor of the central section has four similar windows, with a central Palladian window that is described as somewhat incongruous. Roundel windows are present in each gable. A series of shallow projecting ‘piers’ or pilasters punctuate the facade, with two located directly below the central pediment. Behind the facade, the original factory has been replaced by modern sheltered dwellings, although some fabric from the original building has been incorporated. Further sheltered dwellings have been built around the main building, attempting to reflect elements of the former factory facade. The building retains industrial archaeological interest and now functions as a residential home.