4 Bridge Street, Comber, Co. Down, BT23 5AT

A relatively large two storey terrace house of possible pre-1834 origin, positioned at the western end of the terrace on the north side of Bridge Street in Comber. The building has been substantially renovated in recent times, with the original stone door surround removed and PVC window frames installed throughout.

The south-facing front façade features a PVC door to the left with a plain rendered surround incorporating a keystone, this surround having been altered recently. To the left of the door are two windows with similar rendered surrounds, fitted with two-pane top-hung timber frames. The first floor contains three largely evenly-spaced windows, similar in style to those on the ground floor but resting on a cill course. The west gable is largely blank except for a tiny attic window near the verge. The left-hand edge of the ground floor of this gable is chamfered to allow vehicles to pass.

To the rear is a large full-height hipped roof return, which appears to have been greatly extended in recent times. The return projects to its southern end (the original return section) with a PVC door to the ground floor and a window, whilst the first floor has a single window. The western face of this end of the return is blank. The extended portion of the return has three windows to both ground and first floors, of varying size and shape. This portion links to a large, modern-looking two-storey outbuilding, now used as a small engineering works. The eastern façade of the entire return is blank. The exposed rear façade of the main house to the west of the return contains a PVC door to the ground floor and a window to the first floor. Both the return and this section are finished in lined and painted render. The eastern façade of the return is finished in unpainted cement render.

The entire roof is covered in asbestos-free slates with red clay ridge tiles. The main gabled roof contains at least one Velux window to the rear and two to the front. There are two small rendered chimney stacks on the main roof. PVC rainwater goods are present throughout. Vehicle access to the west is provided with modern metal gates.

Historical evidence suggests this site was occupied as shown on the 1722 map of Comber and on all subsequently available maps. The 1834 valuation returns record a house on this site whose dimensions appear to match those of the present dwelling, excluding the return, making it possible that this building dates from before 1834. However, the presence of a late Victorian or Edwardian staircase suggests that the interior may have been altered circa 1890–1900. The current owner's family acquired the property around 1961, and the owner was once told that the house served as a manse, though this would have been prior to the 1860s, as all local Presbyterian churches had manses elsewhere from that date onwards. It is perhaps more likely that the house served as the residence of the minister of the Methodist church, which was itself sited in Bridge Street. Until recently, the front façade featured a single large picture window of circa 1970 on the ground floor to the left, now replaced by two smaller windows, a change that probably reflects the original arrangement of the front façade.