33 Main Street, Kircubbin, Newtownards, Co. Down, BT22 2SR

Two storey terrace block of possible late 18th century origin, large sections of which have been much altered in fairly recent times.

33 Main Street is located at the right-hand side (north-west) of a varied two storey terrace containing shops and dwellings set within the northern half of Main Street in the village of Kircubbin, positioned on the corner of Church Avenue. The building is slightly shorter than its neighbours.

The structure is a formal composition double-fronted building. The ground floor features a central timber door with plain fanlight, flanked by two sliding sash and case windows with horizontal astragals. The first floor has five similar windows evenly spaced. A modern laminated bookmakers sign is mounted above the entrance. The north-west gable is blank except for a large modern painted steel bookmakers shop sign at upper level and a small street sign below. Guttering continues across this gable.

The rear elevation has three small sliding sash and case windows to the first floor. The ground floor contains two modern-looking windows of varying size and a plain timber sheeted door. To the far right on the ground floor is a lean-to extension with a sliding sash and case window, next to which is a large satellite dish. A ground floor window to the right appears to have been substantially reduced in size recently.

The entire facade is finished in lined render, with the rear unpainted. The pitched roof is covered with asbestos slates to the front and Bangor blues to the rear. Two brick chimney stacks are positioned at the north-east end, with a concrete block stack shared with No.35. PVC rainwater goods are fitted throughout.

A terrace is shown on this site on the Ordnance Survey map of 1834. The owner of Nos.35-37 holds deeds dating back to 1784, though the facade of this section, with its large upper floor windows, may have been altered or the roof raised around 1840-50. Both properties belonged to William Herron, a member of the locally important Herron family, in the middle decades of the nineteenth century, and have been in the possession of the Maxwell family since 1899. Photographs from around 1910 show the shop and house much as they appear today, though they also reveal that No.33 once had what appears to be a small shop or office front where two windows to the left of the entrance are now located, and two further chimney stacks which have since been removed. This building once served as the local RIC station, though locals claim that No.65 Main Street also fulfilled this purpose.

The building has been plain and altered in fairly recent times, with a modern interior.