16 Ferry Street

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

Plain, two storey terrace house, possibly originally built in c.1861 as a police station. The block is set in the middle of the terrace on the E side of Ferry Street.

Front (W) facade is asymmetrical. To the centre left on the ground floor is a plain sheeted timber door with fanlight. To the left of this is a sash window, without astragals. To the right of the door is a window similar to before, but with lower pane now split into two with glass in top and bottom half boarded up [?possibly once the location of the post box]. Plain timber door with plain fanlight to far right. Also, to the far right is a square moulded frame between the second window and second door [?where a small notice board/stamp machine once were], is still visible. The stone cill beneath the second window is noticeably worn The façade is finished in lined render and painted. Paint used to simulate plinth.

To the first floor are four unevenly spaced sash windows, with Georgian panes.

To the centre of the ground floor at the rear there is a small single storey lean-to extension with window to E side with modern frame. To the left of this are two sash windows (covered with security bars), with a timber sheeted door to the far left. To the right of the lean-to is a window, as before. To the first floor there are three windows, as first floor front. The second window is set at a lower, stairwell, level. The rear façade is finished in white-washed roughcast.

The roof is gabled and covered with Bangor blue slates. Three rendered chimney stacks, with decorative pots to the middle stack. Eaves course. Mixture of PVC and cast iron rw goods.

Historical information

Though this site is shown is shown occupied on Patrick O’Hare’s map of 1799, the present buildings probably date from c.1861-2, for the second valuation map and the returns clearly state that the ground was in the process of being built on at that time.

No.14 was the Nugent estate office for may years and No.16 was the local police station from c.1861 to 1909 (it appears to have been built for this purpose). After this date it served as a Post Office until 1990.

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 Second ('Griffith's') valuation, 1863 [In print.]
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 Jack Orr, "The Postal Service in Portaferry" in 'Journal of the Upper Ards Historical Society No. 11' (1987), pp. 2-4
5 R. Oram, "The Buildings of Portaferry" in 'Journal of the Upper Ards Historical Society No.16' (1992)
6 Harry Murray, "Ferry Street in the 1990s" in 'Journal of the Upper Ards Historical Society No.18' (1994), p. 10

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

A. Style
B. Proportion
C. Ornamentation
D. Plan Form
I. Quality and survival of Interior
K. Group value

Criteria for listing: historic interest

Y. Social, Cultural or Economic Importance
X. Local Interest

Evaluation

Well detailed , two storey terrace house of, with an interesting history as a police station and then a post office.