36-42 Main Street, Greyabbey, Newtownards, Co. Down, BT22 2NG

36-42 Main Street, Greyabbey is an originally uniform group of four single-fronted two-storey dwellings dating to around 1865, situated on the north-west side of Main Street. The group is relatively plain in design, though now substantially altered with modern returns to the rear and modern window frames throughout.

Each house follows the same front south-east facing arrangement: a door to the left with plain pilasters, lintel frieze and cornice, a window to the right, and two similarly sized windows to the first floor. The main gabled roofs are covered with thick concrete tiles, and similar tiles cover the extensions. Five yellow brick chimneys serve the whole terrace. Cast iron rainwater goods are fitted to the front facade, with PVC fittings to the rear.

Numbers 36-38 are finished in plain render, while numbers 40-42 have lined render. The end buildings at numbers 36 and 42 feature chamfered quoins, and a chamfered plinth runs along the whole terrace. The front elevation of the entire terrace is painted uniform black and white.

Individual variations are evident. No. 36 has a timber and glazed door with PVC windows made to resemble sash and case with Georgian panes, and its exposed gable is rendered and blank. No. 38 has a similar door and PVC windows with a modern diamond leaded lattice pattern. No. 40 matches No. 38's door and window style but without the lattice patterning. No. 42 has a timber sheeted stable door with its ground floor window opening greatly enlarged, now featuring a timber multi-pane window with gothic arch heads to the uppermost panes and diamond leaded lattice pattern throughout.

All properties have modern rear extensions. No. 36 has a two-storey lean-to extension with modern windows. Numbers 38-40 have two-storey gabled extensions with PVC windows. No. 42 has been extended with a lean-to two-level extension to the rear, rendered in part, with one modern timber window with coloured glass to the ground floor and two smaller modern timber windows to the first floor on the right side. There is also a modern timber window to the rear of the partly rubble-built extension to No. 42. All extensions are rendered, with that to No. 42 only partially so.

According to the owner of No. 38, who discovered a piece of plaster etched with a date within the property, these houses were constructed in 1865. The terrace appears to have been built upon an earlier grouping of probably single-storey dwellings, evident from the 1834 and circa 1860 Ordnance Survey maps.