32 The Square

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

Large, formal, two storey terrace house of c.1820, with distinctive James Gibbs style doorway, now incorporating a small shop. The property is set (1m) back behind wrought iron railings in the centre of the terrace on the E side of Portaferry town square. Dimensions- 15m frontage.

The front (W) façade faces W and is now asymetrical. To the centre of the ground floor is the main entrance doorway with a panelled timber door encased with James Gibbs style surround with semi-circular arch, keystone and gothick fanlight. Flight of three steps to landing at door. Eleven panels in all to door. Splayed steps to door. To the left of the doorway are two sash windows, with another to right. To the far right is another doorway (which leads to a small shop) with plain timber sheeted double door with fanlight. This second door was originally a window. 2 flat5 modern plastic signs- one over the door and one to the side. Also plastic projecting illuminated sign.

To the first floor are five windows as before. Projecting eaves course with cast iron box gutter.

The gables rise slightly above the neighbouring properties to both N and S. Both are blank.

The front façade is finished in unpainted lined render.

The gabled roof is covered with Bangor blue slates. Three cast iron skylights to front. Fireclay copestones to gable parapets. Yellow brick decorative chimney stacks with matching pots.

Historical information

This site is shown occupied on Patrick O'Hare's map of 1799 and all other maps thereafter. Significantly, the 1799 map indicates a building in what appears to be exactly the same position as the present structure (i.e. set slightly back from the line of the main terrace). The valuation returns of c.1835 tell us that the house present at that stage was two storey and was possibly over 30 years old (it was graded 'B'), it is possible that this is the same building we see today.

The occupant in 1835 was a William Warnock. By 1863 a Sarah Anne Watson is recorded as the tenant. In the early 1900s the property came into possession of a Mr. Wilson who appears to have been responsible for converting part of the ground floor to a shop, which originally sold hardware and farming implements.

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 Sr. Mary Mercy (nee Isobel Cummings), "Memories of Portaferry in the early years of this century" in 'Journal of the Upper Ards Historical Society, No.10' (1986), pp. 21-24
4 R. Oram, "The Buildings of Portaferry" in 'Journal of the Upper Ards Historical Society' No.16 (1992)

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Criteria for listing: architectural interest

A. Style
B. Proportion
C. Ornamentation
D. Plan Form
H-. Alterations detracting from building
I. Quality and survival of Interior

Criteria for listing: historic interest

X. Local Interest

Evaluation

Relatively large and impressive, two storey terrace house of perhaps c.1790-1800, with distinctive doorway in the style of James Gibbs. The building now incorporates a small shop.