22 The Square

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

Large, plain and informal, two storey terrace house of probable part pre 1834 and part mid 19th century construction, now with with dry dash facade. The property is located at the southern edge of the terrace on the W side of The Square, in Portaferry town centre, and is built on the squint and set on a slope. Dimensions- 14m frontage.

The front (E) façade is asymetrical. To the right of centre on the ground floor is the main entrance, which has a panelled door and smooth cement surround. Beyond the front door is a vestibule screen with glazed acid-etched floral pattern to door and sidelights. Plain three pane fanlight. To the left of the entrance are three evenly spaced sash windows. To the right are two similar windows. All the windows have surrounds as doorway.

To the first floor are six unevenly spaced windows, which are largely in line with the ground floor openings, but not exactly so. These windows have surrounds as before.

The front façade is finished in a recent dry dash with a plain cement render to the recessed base and to wall edges. Eaves course with prominent surface mounted electricity cables below.

The gabled roof is covered in natural slate. Two yellow brick chimney stacks with projecting capstones. PVC guttering.

Historical information

A building is shown on this site on Patrick O’Hare’s map of 1799, in the possession of a Mrs. Galway. The valuation returns of c.1835 mention a two storey dwelling belonging to a Sarah Bailie, but from the demensions given it appears that this building was much smaller than that we see today. The valuation records of c.1863 tell us that the property had assumed its present dimensions by that stage and was believed by the valuers to have been relatively newly built (grade A-). The occupant in 1861 is listed as an Eliza Warnock, with the property including a long line of outbuildings and warehouses stretching into Castle Street (and including the large former corn store).

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 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 VAL/12E/112/2- Valuation maps of Portaferry, 1902, with revisions of 1935

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 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

Large, plain and informal two storey terrace house of mid 19th century construction, with the façade now finished in a dry dash.