5-7 Ferry Street

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

Relatively large, two storey terrace house with shop, probably originally c.1850. To the front there is a large carriage arch. The property is set in the terrace on the W side of Ferry Street, to the S of Portaferry town square.

The front façade faces E and is asymmetrical. To the right is a panelled timber door (to house) with rectangular fanlight with unusual ‘brick bond’ arrangement of panes. Large coachway with elliptical arch and timber sheeted double door to left, to the right of which is large timber shop front with three pane windows on either side of glazed andouble sliding sash and case window. To the first floor are four, unevenly spaced, sash windows, on stone cills. Satellite dish to right. Projecting street lamp in centre.

The small exposed sections of the gables to both N and S each have a tiny attic window.

To the centre at rear is a large two storey flat roofed extension which appears to be of relatively recent construction The W face of the extension has a modern door and window to the first floor and two windows to the second floor. On the main rear façade there is a window to far left on the first floor, with another to far right. To the left on the ground floor there extends a long single storey outbuilding with mono-pitched roof.

The front façade is finished in lined render and painted, the gables and rear in plain render (with rear unpainted).

The gabled roof is covered with Bangor blue slates and three rendered chimney stacks with an assortment of pots. Eaves course. PVC gutter and down spout. Exposed gables rendered with small square window to east side of each gable. Three Velux windows to rear.

Historical information

The valuation returns of c.1835 record that much of the the west side of Ferry Street was made up of modest single storey dwellings. Moreover, the accompanying valuation map shows that this site and much of the ground to the immediate south was taken up with a single, long property, which we are told consisted of a single storey house and 'office' (i.e. outbuilding) belonging to one Henry Smith, with a small dwelling to the north side which was 'exempt' (that is, a small-probably single storey- dwelling below rateable value).

On the valuation map of c.1861 the plan of the site is shown much as today, (along with the carriage arch), suggesting that the present house is mid 19th century. At this point the property belonged to a Peter Brown but was unoccupied. According to the present owners, part of the ground floor was converted to a shop in the early 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

Not listed

Criteria for listing: historic interest

Not listed

Evaluation

Relatively large, two storey terrace house with shop and carriage arch, probably originally c.1850. Much of the ground floor is believed to have been converted to a shop in the early 1900s. This building has had many alterations and is not of listable quality.