4-8 Court Street, Newtownards, Co. Down, BT23 3NX

4-8 Court Street, Newtownards

A two-storey gabled terrace block of approximately 1860s date, originally built as three dwelling houses and now converted to shops. The block stands on the north side of Court Street, south-east of Newtownards town centre.

The terrace comprises three properties, each significantly altered in their conversion to retail use. No. 4 has a modern glazed door to the left of its front facade with a large fixed light picture window to the right, topped by a timber sign board. The first floor features two sash windows with horizontal glazing bars. The front is finished in painted lined render. The west gable is plain rendered with an internally illuminated PVC sign. A two-storey return projects to the rear with two first-floor windows on its east face and a ground-floor doorway; a recent single-storey extension has been added to the gable of this return. The main rear facade contains a first-floor sash window whose opening has been bricked up behind the frame, and the former ground-floor window opening is completely blocked. The rear is plain rendered. The roof is covered in Bangor blue slates with two yellow brick chimney stacks. Cast iron and PVC rainwater goods are present.

No. 6 has a similar arrangement to No. 4, with a ground-floor sash window at the rear but without the extension to its return.

No. 8 has a modern door to the left of its front facade with a modern-framed window beside it. The first floor contains two similar windows. Between the first-floor windows is an internally illuminated projecting PVC sign. The east gable has two windows on each floor, matching the front. This gable merges with the east face of a greatly enlarged two-storey return that completely covers the former rear facade; all openings in the return are recent. The entire facade is covered in lined painted render. The main roof is covered in Bangor blue slates with two yellow brick chimney stacks.

Historical evidence from Ordnance Survey maps of 1858-60 indicates the site was vacant at that time. The 1863 valuation records refer to houses "in progress" on the north side of Court Street, suggesting this block dates from 1863 or shortly afterwards. All three properties were still dwelling houses with traditional "Ards" doorways when first surveyed in October 1972.