Former orphanage, Comber Road, Ballygowan, Newtownards, Co. Down, BT23 5TN

Former Orphanage, Comber Road, Ballygowan

This large, austere and angular orphanage dates from around 1885 and stands prominently to the north of Comber Road, on the north-west side of Ballygowan village. It is a four-storey building (comprising ground floor basement, plus three storeys above) constructed in semi-coursed basalt rubble with a central five-storey bell tower and crow-stepped gabled end bays. The mannerist late medieval styling and basalt façade bear resemblance to some of George Wilkinson's workhouse 'front buildings' of the 1840s, though this building is considerably larger in scale, dominating its domestically-sized rural village setting.

The front façade faces south. At its centre is the projecting five-storey tower. The main entrance at first floor level (the entrance floor) is accessed via a flight of stone steps and comprises a large timber-panelled double door with a crow-stepped shaped fanlight. Above this door is a narrow window with a fairly recent frame and matching basalt in and out dressings. A projecting course above this window supports a projecting crow-stepped diamond panel containing a clock face. Above the clock is a triangular crow-stepped shaped window opening with a fixed five-pane frame. Just below this opening the phrase 'The time is short' appears in raised lettering. The tower is topped with a castellated parapet and flagpole. To the east and west faces of the tower are tall, narrow window openings to each floor except the ground floor, with a variety of frames—some sash, some more recent, and a few now partly louvered. At ground floor level on the west side is a doorway, and on the east side is a broader square-ish window with a recent frame. Slightly projecting courses occur between the first and second floors and between the third and fourth floors on both sides. To either side of the tower at ground floor are five square-ish windows with a mixture of recent timber and PVC frames, all covered with security grills. The two outer windows on each side are contained within four-storey outer bays. The front façade projects slightly at ground floor level in the form of a tall chamfered base on the front, north and south façades. At first floor level are three taller windows to either side of the tower with modern frames and dressings matching those to the tower itself. The outer bays each contain two additional windows, each a double sash with a sandstone mullion and dressings. At second floor level are windows matching those at first floor, with those to the outer bays slightly shorter. The outer bays contain a third-floor window of triple sash separated by sandstone mullions, with the centre light taller. The outer bays are topped with crow-stepped gables.

The short north and south façades are identical. At ground floor are two windows like those on the front façade ground floor, with a sheeted door between. At first and second floors are outer windows matching the corresponding floors on the front façade of the bays, but with an extra single sash window to the centre. The third floor has a similar arrangement but with much smaller openings. The rear façade is less formal than the front and has been altered and added to over the years. At either end is a full-height gabled bay with a chimney stack to the apex, facing outward. To the inner sides of both bays are gabled stairwell bays with small sash windows to their inner faces. The gables of the main bays have sash windows to the first and second floors, with two much smaller windows to the third floor. At the centre of the rear is the main three-storey stairwell projection, which also has a gabled roof. To the rear of this projection are two sash windows with a much larger sash window above featuring margin panes. To the right of this central stairwell projection is a second-floor sash window, below which another opening has been blocked. A similar second-floor window appears to the left of the stairwell projection. The rear façade is finished in roughcast. Attached to the ground floor left at the rear is a large modern single-storey hall, added around 1993–94, with a shallow pitched gabled roof and random rubble basalt cladding to the gables.

The roof is covered in Bangor blue slates with four matching basalt chimney stacks. Cast iron and PVC rainwater goods are present. To the south and east of the building is a large car park.