5-6 The Square

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

Plain, two storey smooth rendered terraced shop with apartments above; possibly all early nineteenth century, but much altered over the years and now with modern window frames. The property is situated in the centre of the N side of The Square, in Portaferry town centre. Dimensions- 12.5m frontage.

Front (S elevation) of No.6, is asymmetrical. To the ground floor there is an off centre doorway with six panel door and fanlight. Vestibule door screen with sidelights, including three panel door with acid-etched floral pattern in upper panel and sidelights. PVC shop front, with centre mullion to right, framed with simple timber pilasters.

The ground floor of No.5 (to right) has a large single opening which incorporates a PVC door and shop front framed with simple timber pilasters.

To the first floor of No.6 are three windows with modern frames (top hung, bottom pane fixed). No.5 has two similar windows.

The front façade is rendered and painted.

The gabled roof is covered with Bangor blue slates and yellow brick chimney stacks with decorative brick band and matching chimney pots. No.5 has a smooth cement render chimney stack. Smooth cement rendering parapets between No.4 and No.5 and No.6 and No.7. Cast iron guttering and down spout.

Historical information

A building(s) is shown on this site on Patrick O’Hare’s map of 1799, (then was in possession of a Robert Chermside), and all other maps thereafter. The valuation records of c.1835 tell us that the buildings on the site at that point were two storey and were regarded by the valuers as relatively old, probably 18th century. It is possible, therefore, that the buildings we see today may date from the later 1700s.

The building remained in the Chermside family until some time prior to 1851, when a Henry Dougherty acquired the property. Dougherty is listed as the occupant of what became no.6 in the valuation returns of 1861, with a Hugh Magrath renting no.5. In the later 1800s (post c.1870) the whole concern was sold to the McFadden family, who by the early 1900s had converted the ground floor to a post office and drapery shop.

References- Primary sources
1 Walter Harris, 'The Ancient and Present State of the County of Down' (Dublin 1744), p. 44. [ Harris describes Portaferry as ‘a market town, but irregularly built, and few other than thatched houses in it’.]
2 'Taylor's and Skinner's Maps of the roads of Ireland' (Dublin 1777)
3 PRONI D.552/B/3/3/1 Savage/Nugent Papers: ‘A Plan or Map of the Town of Portaferry’ by Patrick O’Hare, 1799 [The
Savage/Nugent Papers contain many documents relating to Portaferry and the surrounding area]
4 Linen Hall Library ‘Pigot & Co.’s Dublin and Hibernian Provincial Directory’ (Manchester 1824)
5 'Ordnance Survey Memoirs of Ireland Vol.7: Parishes of County Down II', ed. Angelique Day and Patrick McWilliams (QUB 1991)
6 PRONI OS/6/3/32/1 OS maps, 1st ed., 1834, Down sheet 32
7 PRONI VAL/1B/37 1st valuation, Ballyphilip, c.1835-38
8 PRONI VAL/1D/3/4 Valuation town plan of Portaferry, c.1838
9 Linen Hall Library ‘Slater’s National Commercial Directory of Ireland’ (Manchester 1846), p.520-23
10 PRONI and Linen Hall Library ‘Belfast and Province of Ulster Directory’ Vols.1-21, 1852-1900, (Belfast, Henderson [1852-65], Belfast News-Letter [1865- ])
11 Linen Hall Library ‘Slater’s Royal National Commercial Directory of Ireland’ (Manchester 1856), p.592-95
12 PRONI OS/8/23/1- OS town plan of Portaferry, 1859
13 PRONI PRONI VAL/2B/3/14 Second valuation, 1863
14 PRONI VAL/12E/112/1- Valuation maps of Portaferry, c.1863, with revisions of 1902
15 Linen Hall Library ‘Slater’s Royal National Commercial Directory of Ireland’ (Manchester 1870), pp.341-43
16 PRONI OS/8/23/2 OS town plan of Portaferry, 1874
17 George Henry Bassett ‘County Down Guide and Directory’ (Dublin 1886)
18 PRONI OS/8/23/3 OS town plan of Portaferry, 1900
19 PRONI Laurence Collection: Photograph of The Square, Portaferry c.1900. [Reprinted in Journal of the Upper Ards Historical
Society, No.10 (1986), p.24.]
20 PRONI VAL/12E/112/2- Valuation maps of Portaferry, 1902, with revisions of 1935
21 UFTM WAG 613 W.A. Green Collection: Photograph of the Nugent Arms and motor bus c.1910
22 UFTM WAG 614 W.A. Green Collection: Photograph of the Nugent Arms, Portaferry c.1930s

Secondary sources
1 G. Philip Bell, C.E.B. Brett, Sir Robert Matthew, 'Ulster Architectural Heritage Survey: Portaferry & Strangford'
(Belfast UAHS 1969)
2 PRONI Portaferry: Sources for Local History (PRONI ?1970s)
3 Jack Orr, "The Postal Service in Portaferry" in 'Journal of the Upper Ards Historical Society No. 11' (1987), pp. 2-4
4 'Journal of the Upper Ards Historical Society No.15' (1991)- Reprint of two photographs of the Market Square, Portaferry and the old Post Office c.1910. [These photographs undoubtedly belong to one of the major local collections but unfortunately no
references are provided alongside these particular reprints.]
5 R. Oram, "The Buildings of Portaferry" in 'Journal of the Upper Ards Historical Society' No.16 (1992)

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

Not listed

Criteria for listing: historic interest

Not listed

Evaluation

Plain, two storey smooth rendered terraced shop with apartments above; possibly all pre 1834, but much altered in the late 19th and 20th centuries. It is of little architectural unterest.