Historic Building Details

HB Ref No:
HB24/13/007

Address :
Old Cross Bar 4 Castle Place Newtownards Co. Down BT23 3JF

Townland:
Newtownards

---

Survey 2:
Record Only

Date of Listing:

Date of De-listing:

Current Use:
Public House

Former Use
House

Conservation Area:
No

Industrial Archaeology:
No

Vernacular:
Yes

Thatched:
No

Monument:

Derelict:
No

---

OS Map No:
131/16

IG Ref:
J4918 7403

---

Owner Category

Private

Exterior Description And Setting

Two storey, gabled public house (originally built as a house in 1735), set on the E side of Castle Place, at the corner of Greenwell Street. Front (W) facade has a slightly left of centre doorway with timber sheeted door, and plain stone surround with simple cornice. To the left of this is a sash window with horizontal glazing bars. To the right of the doorway is large three pane window with adjacent doorway (to right with timber sheeted door) with simple surround and cornice to whole grouping. To the first floor are two windows with modern frames. Between these windows is a small-ish moulded (and naively decorated) plaque which is inscribed ‘This house was built by John Bell in ye year 1735’. Traditional style projecting sign to right of 2nd window along with a period style lamp also hanging from wall. The front facade is finished in lined painted render. To the right on the S gable is a squat looking ground floor window with modern frame. Directly above this to the first floor is another window opening, now with modern frame. Internally illuminated projecting PVC sign to left of gable. This gable merges with a large two storey gabled return which faces into Greenwell Street and has two windows to the ground floor (with modern frames) with a large elliptical arch carriage entrance to the far right with relatively simple pilaster surround and archivolt. Modern double doors to carriage entrance. This facade is also finished in lined painted render. There was no access to the rear, but the rear facade appears to be completely dominated by the two storey return. The roof is covered in asbestos free slates with some asbestos slates to the eastern section of the return roof and a Velux window to the S side of the return roof. Rendered parapet to S on roof of main building. Two rendered chimney stacks to main building. Mixture of PVC and cast iron rw goods.

Architects

Not Known

Historical Information

Prior to the building of the new market house and the laying out of Conway Square in c.1765-70, Castle Place was the de facto ‘centre’ of Newtownards, based as it was around the original market house and market cross. Walter Harris, writing in the early 1740s, refers to many ‘neat houses’ within the town with builders’ name plaques on the front. Undoubtedly this was one of the dwellings he was referring to, its front facade proclaiming that it was built in 1735 by a John Bell. The building is shown much as today on the OS maps of 1834 and 1858-60. At what stage the property became a public house is unclear; the 19th century valuation records give no clue, but it seems to have housed at pub during the 20th century at least. References- Primary sources 1 ‘The town and tenements of Newtown in the County of Down...1720’ reprinted in Trevor McCavery 'Newtown: a history of Newtownards' (Dundonald 1994) p.79. Though the author of this book gives no reference as to this map, the original undoubtedly belongs to the Colvill estate maps contained within to the Londonderry Papers [PRONI D.654/M1A]. 2 Walter Harris 'The ancient and present state of the County of Down' (Dublin 1744). 3 PRONI D.654 Londonderry Papers 4 PRONI OS Maps 1st ed. 1834, Co. Down 6. 5 PRONI VAL 1B/34 1st valuation Newtownards parish, Newtownards, c.1836 (see also associated town plan). 6 PRONI OS Maps 1st rev. 1858-60, Co. Down 6. 7 Ordnance Survey Memoirs of Ireland Vol.7: Parishes of County Down II, ed. Angelique Day and Patrick McWilliams (QUB 1991), pp.105-106. 8 PRONI 2nd valuation, Newtownards parish, Newtownards 1863. Secondary sources 1 Trevor McCavery 'Newtown: a history of Newtownards' (Dundonald 1994), pp.78-80.

Criteria for Listing

Architectural Interest

Not listed

Historic Interest

Not listed

Evaluation

Apart from the priory and the market cross, this building appears to be the oldest in Newtownards, its front facade still betraying something of its early 18th century origin. Two storey public house with large return. The front facade has been altered over the years (with large pub window inserted), but retains the irregular fenestration indicative of its age. The interior has witnessed greater changes than the exterior and little original remains in terms of layout or detail. The building does not meet the test for listing but is of significant local interest.

General Comments

Date of Survey

15 September 1998