1-5 Railway Street, Comber, Co. Down, BT23 5HG

Two storey public house and dwelling of circa 1875–80, set on the corner of a terrace at the northern end of Railway Street, Comber.

The building is a large two storey block with attic, containing a public house (Nos. 1–3) and a house (No. 5). The pub entrance is positioned within the chamfered north-east corner of the building, comprising a recent panelled and glazed door with sidelights and fanlight. A roller shutter is built in above the door. The door screen features plain pilaster jambs with a lintel sign board, entablature and dentilled cornice topped with a stylised pediment. Directly above the doorway is a painted panel bearing the pub's name "Brownlow Arms" and an image of the greyhound "Master McGrath", with a heeled surround and keystone.

The ground floor of the east façade includes a window to the far left with similar surround, modern frame and wrought iron cheval de fris. To its right is a doorway to No. 5 (the house) with modern glazed door and plain fanlight, enclosed by plain pilasters and curved brackets supporting a flat hood. Further right are another window and doorway belonging to No. 3, now part of the pub, with the same treatment but featuring a sash frame with margin panes and a panelled door with three-pane fanlight. To the right is a larger square-ish fixed light pub window with panelled pilasters, moulded cill and entablature with dentilled cornice above. The window frame is topped with a decoratively pierced inner frieze and originally had frosted glazing. Modern metal railing is attached to the wall beneath the window. The north façade has a pub window to the left and another window to the right with a fixed light frame.

The first floor of the east façade has five windows on a cill course. The first two (left, belonging to the house) have modern frames; the remainder (No. 3's) have sash frames with margins. Two similar windows appear on the first floor of the north façade. Small corbels are set below the cill to each first floor window. A corbelled eaves course and chamfered quoins mark the north and east façades. Both are finished in lined render and painted.

The rear façade has been greatly altered in recent times. At the rear of No. 5, a large modern two storey flat-roofed extension has been added. Above it on the main façade are three small windows at different levels; only the central window at stairwell level near the eaves appears original, with a sash frame. This façade is finished in lined render and painted. The rear of the pub (south façade) is largely covered by another large modern flat-roofed extension of circa 1970s construction, built in grey and brown brick. The west façade is lined rendered with a ground floor doorway and two modern looking upper level windows.

The gabled roof is covered in Bangor blue slates with four yellow brick chimney stacks. The east side of the roof features two small gabled dormers, all glazed with decorative barges and finials. Two further similar dormers (one to the north-east corner and another to the north) have been removed and replaced with Velux windows. Two small cast iron skylights are set to the rear of No. 5. The rainwater goods comprise a mixture of cast iron and PVC.

Railway Street was laid out following the arrival of the Belfast and County Down Railway line in 1850. By 1858, the northern half of the street had appeared as far as the present No. 45, but no building had yet occurred. Most (if not all) of the construction work took place after 1870, and with the exception of the semi-detached supervisors' dwellings of Andrew's mill at the south end, was complete by 1901. This block dates from circa 1875–80. The present owner's family acquired the property around 1946; prior to this it belonged to a Mr. Patton. Either Mr. Patton or a relation was a friend of the Brownlow family, formerly of Lurgan and later of Ballywhite House, Portaferr, in whose honour the pub was named. The Brownlow family's champion greyhound, "Master McGrath", is still pictured above the entrance. No. 3 was undoubtedly once the publican's residence but has now become part of the pub itself.