Ards Arena Youth Centre, 60 South Street, Newtownards, Co. Down, BT23 4JU

Substantial former Presbyterian church of 1859, now a youth centre. The building is situated on the E side of South Street, to the S of Newtownards town centre. Front W gable has a pair of central doorways with plain sheeted double doors each set in a semicircular arch recess. The ‘fanlight’ above each door is filled with timber panelling and the recess has a moulded archivolt with keystone and impost course. Above the doorways are three tall windows with small (Georgian-like) panes. The windows share a cill. Above the central window is a small moulded trefoil date plaque- ‘Built A.D. 1859’. The doors and windows are all set in a large (slightly recessed) semicircular arch with moulded archivolt and keystone. To either side of this large central arch is a smaller arch containing semicircular headed first floor window with Georgian panes. The arced recesses are separated by plain pilasters with outer pilasters. The N and S facades are largely identical with seven segmental arch head recesses each with a semicircular headed window set in modern frames to the first floor, and a segmental arch head window to the ground floor. The arch recess to the W end on both facades has a small square window to the ground floor, with modern frame, and the central recess on the N facade has a doorway to the ground floor. The rear gable has a modern extension to much of the ground floor, which links to a large modern building to the rear. The exposed upper section and left section of the facade is covered in plain cement render with a ground and first floor window (as N and S facades) to the left. The front, N and S facades are finished in lined render and painted. Chamfered plinth. Eaves course. The roof is gabled and covered in Bangor blue slates. Slight overhang to front gable. Rendered chimney stack to E gable. Cast iron rw goods. Section of original low wall with gate pillars and spear headed wrought iron railings, to front.