22-24 Ferry Street

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

Two storey house, with shop front and pedimented doorcase, possibly originally dating from c.1800, but with shop front inserted in more recent times. The building was once part of a short terrace of two, but the property to the S has been demolished, with the result that this building now stands alone on the E side of Ferry Street.

The front façade is asymmetrical and faces W. The façade is dominated by a large, off centre shop front with central recessed doorway, flanked by (now boarded) shop windows and encased with plain pilasters and simple cornice. House doorway to right with timber panel door encased by fluted pilasters on high bases, with semi-circular fanlight enclosed with broken pediment on console brackets.

To the first floor there are four sash windows with Georgian panes and moulded surrounds with 'keystone'. Cill course.

Facade of ground floor finished in line render and painted. Vermiculated quoins to north side of facade. Upper floor facade finished in rough cast render. Eaves course.

The exposed gables are finished in roughcast render. That to the N has a small attic window.

The rear façade shows signs of once having had a two storey return to the left (S) side, but this has been demolished. To the centre there is a metal sheeted doorway with a small square (frameless) window opening directly above. Set close to the eaves on the left side is a small, square window opening. This façade is partly roughcast, partly covered in ivy growth and partly exposed former interior wall (where the return has been demolished).

The gabled roof is covered with Bangor blue slates and has stone parapets, with decorative finial to W on parapet on north gable. One rendered chimney stack, with matching pots, to north gable also. Two cast iron skylights to rear.

Historical information

A building (as part of a longer terrace) is shown on Patrick O’Hare’s 1799 map, when it was in the possession of Samuel Johnston. The valuation map of c.1835-38 shows a similar picture and the valuation returns tell us that the house on the site at that stage was two storey, of relatively recent construction, and in the hands of one John Austin. This may be substantially the same building we see today. By 1861 the building was occupied by an Eliza Savage.

Judging from its design, the large shop front is probably an early 20th century insertion. The building was still in use in 1994, but was vacant by mid 1997.

The neighbouring property to the south was demolished in the mid 1900s.

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

Criteria for listing: historic interest

X. Local Interest

Evaluation

Aa two-storey house of early19th century date with later alterations, which has a pedimented front doorcase. It still retains its destinctive architectural character