Old flanking towers in south boundary wall of former priory bawn, former Castle Gardens, west of Canal Row, Newtownards, Co Down, BT23 3NU

Remains of two single-storey 17th-century towers forming the south boundary wall of the former priory bawn, also known as Castle Gardens, off Canal Row to the south-east of Newtownards town centre.

Each tower is round in plan and measures approximately 5 metres in diameter. The south-west tower is now slightly taller than the south-east tower, standing at approximately 3.5 metres compared to approximately 3 metres. The walls are covered in rough cast and appear to be largely brick-built, suggesting they have been substantially rebuilt at some point, though the south-west tower retains a thicker base of stone. Both towers have flat roofs made from concrete slabs. There is a flat arch doorway facing into the walled site on each tower. The south-west tower has a window-like opening above the door, whilst the south-east tower has small high-level ventilation openings. Both have high-level metal brackets supporting barbed wire. The adjacent boundary walls are constructed in random rubble with concrete coping, and also feature brackets and barbed wire. Both towers are now virtually derelict and in very poor condition.

These towers were set within a wall enclosing land acquired by Hugh Montgomery in the early 1600s. Montgomery had repaired and adapted the medieval priory church of Newtown for use as the parish church and constructed himself a 'princely mansion' between 1611 and 1618 just to the south of the church. He either repaired or built the boundary wall around his 'Castle Garden', adding these towers to the south as well as at least one other tower to the north. In 1675, Montgomery's holdings in Newtownards, including this plot, were acquired by Captain Robert Colvill, who remodelled the house (damaged by fire in 1664) and built a chapel next to the church. Alexander Stewart purchased the Colvill lands in 1744, but the site was gradually abandoned by the new owner. By the mid-19th century, the former Castle Garden hosted a large flax mill and subsequently a British Telecom complex with numerous modern storehouses. The site is now cleared.

Both towers are shown on Ordnance Survey maps of 1834 and 1858–60. A third tower to the north-east was shown on the 1834 map but had been demolished by the time of the 1858–60 revision to make way for Court Street. The surviving towers now appear to be of mainly brick construction, indicating they have been substantially rebuilt at some point.