Former J.A. MacDonald's shop, 44-46 Mill Street, Comber, Co. Down, BT23 5EQ

Former J.A. MacDonald's shop, 44-46 Mill Street, Comber

A large two-storey Edwardian shop built in 1913 in Free Style, constructed to house three shop units at ground floor level and a restaurant on the first floor. The building sits within a terrace on the south side of Mill Street, with its front façade facing north.

The ground floor façade is divided into four unequal bays separated by polished red granite pilasters. These pilasters have chamfered dark granite plinths and capitals finished in green coloured glazed brick. The façade between and around the shopfronts is entirely faced in green glazed brick.

The leftmost bay contains a large shop front set within a segmental headed arch, featuring a central glazed door with fixed light windows to either side and a large multi-pane fanlight. To its right, separated by a pier, is a panelled door with a segmental six-pane fanlight leading to the rear via a narrow passage. The second bay from the left is narrow and contains a segmental headed arch filled with a glazed door screen serving as a shop front. The third bay is the largest, comprising a full shop front with a central recessed doorway and extensive glazing on either side. The recess now has panelled timber sides (formerly glazed) and contains a glazed and panelled door with acid etching. Above this entrance is a recent internally illuminated sign board. The rightmost bay mirrors the second bay in design.

Above each bay is a polished dark granite sign board with incised and gilded lettering reading, from left to right: "Cartage Contractor, Funeral Furnisher, Posting Master, Continental Kitchens, J.A. MacDonald, General Merchant". The pilasters continue up through the sign boards to the first floor, where they are constructed in brick and topped with squat red clay caps.

The first floor façade is similarly divided into bays by the continuation of the pilasters. The left bay contains two four-light mullioned and transomed windows. The second bay from the left has one such window, and the rightmost bay also has one. The large central bay is gabled and features a grouping of three sash windows with panes in typical Edwardian fashion (4 over 1, 6 over 1, 4 over 1), set within a single cill. Above this grouping is a plain rendered panel with a central semicircular arch, creating the appearance of a Venetian window. A date panel inscribed "1913" with moulding sits above this arrangement. The left bay carries up as a parapet, while the roof overhangs slightly in Oriental fashion over the neighbouring bays. Banner-like projecting signs are attached to the pilasters framing the gabled bay. The first floor façade is finished in pebbledash, recently painted.

The rear façade is entirely covered in cement render with all former openings blocked except for the rear of the passage. A large two-storey gabled return on the west side connects to an open outbuilding to the south, with several modern windows on its east face. A modern fire escape rises from an inserted upper-level doorway in the main rear façade. The main roof is gabled and covered in natural slate with large roof lights to the rear, red clay parapets, ridge tiles, and two brick chimney stacks positioned at each main gable. The return roof also features natural slates and a large roof light on its east side. Metal rainwater goods with square down spouts to the front.