Garage, 2 The Square, Strangford, Co Down, BT30 7ND

Garage at 2 The Square, Strangford

This two and single storey garage dates to around the 1920s and is located on the southeast corner of The Square, Strangford, at the junction with Stella Maris Street. It comprises two distinct sections reflecting different construction approaches and purposes.

The main front section is two storeys high and features an overtly modernist design typical of the 1920s. Both the western front and southern elevations are roughcast rendered. The front elevation displays a characteristic 1920s stepped parapet with various window and door openings, though the doors are now missing and window frames are in dilapidated condition. Large raised sans serif letters spelling 'J ELLIOTT & CO LTD' are partly set within the parapet. The southern elevation contains a variety of window openings and doorways; the windows are boarded up, but the doorways (including one at upper level) retain timber-sheeted doors. The roof has collapsed, though broken remains of Belfast trusses are visible within the structure. The front section has a rectangular plan with a small outshot to the rear.

The rear section is more utilitarian in character and appears to present only one exposed elevation, facing south towards Stella Maris Street. This elevation is dominated by a large vehicle doorway with sliding timber double doors; the remainder is clad in corrugated metal. This section retains its curved felt-covered roof. The rear portion has an irregular rhomboid plan form and is significantly broader than the front section. The combined exposed dimensions of the southern and western elevations are approximately 24 metres by 11 metres.

Only the façade was retained during redevelopment of the site around 1996. At the time of survey in 2002, the building was recorded as badly dilapidated. The structure is of industrial archaeological interest, being an example of Belfast truss construction—a timber bowstring truss system developed in the mid-nineteenth century to provide efficient, lightweight, long-span roofing. The Belfast truss design, where internal bracing members meet on the top curved member rather than the bottom, was pioneered by Belfast felt-makers including McTear & Co. (first referenced in 1866) and Anderson & Co. (which began production in 1886 and launched their Mk II version in 1896). The property is located within a conservation area.