‘Brewery Yard’

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

Former site of a ‘Brewery’ yard at the top of Church Street on the northern edge of the town of Portaferry, now completely demolished, with a recently built (1993) business park now in its place.

The original survey of this site, in March 1970, recorded that there were ‘two blocks among clutter of buildings of varied construction, roof slated. Walls of split rubble with some red brick, brick chimney now cracked. Buildings now used for rough storage’.

A later survey of October 1993 recorded that there were a 'Complex of buildings, one and two storey in height, and of random rubble and brick construction with later alterations. Tapered brick/stone chimney survives to full height. No[w] derelict'.

Historical information

The factory/warehouse yard formerly on this site dated originally from the latter half of the eighteenth century. In 1799, the yard was in possession of William McCleery, however, its purpose at this stage is not certain- it may have merely acted as a warehouse complex.

By 1838 the buildings were used mainly for storing grain, in the 1860s-1880, for starch manufacture and a saw mill, and in the 1890s appear to have reverted to grain storage again. Around this time also, it is probable that beer (brought by road from Newtownards) was kept here, hence the (somewhat erroneous) name ‘Brewery Yard’.

In the twentieth century the storage of grain continued, with flax scutching and corn grinding mills also occupying part of the site also. Cars were housed on the premises during the 1980s, as was a short lived tea room. The assortment of structures were demolished in 1992/93 to make may for the present business park. It is interesting that the present ‘L’ shape of the business park offices follows the plan of the buildings as they appeared when first recorded on Patrick O’Hare’s map of 1799.

[*In the original survey of this property in 1970 the site was called the ‘Old Maxwell Distillery’ when it should have been referred to as the ‘Brewery Yard’. The site of John Maxwell’s actual distillery (built c.1780s) was in the present Cuan Place, with a brewery (also owned by Maxwell) in the large buildings still standing at the rear of No.16 The Strand. Both sites are shown Patrick O’Hare’s 1799 map. This confusion over the Brewery Yard and Maxwell’s Distillery has also surfaced in at least one published article, notably "Trades and occupations of Portaferry in the Mid 19th Century" by Gerard Lennon in the 'Journal of the Upper Ards Historical Society No.1' (1977).]

References- Primary sources
1 PRONI D.552/B/3/3/1 Savage/Nugent Papers ‘A Plan or Map of the Town of Portaferry’ by Patrick O’Hare 1799
2 PRONI OS/6/3/32/1 OS maps, 1st ed., 1834, Down sheet 32
3 PRONI VAL 2B/37, p.152; VAL2B/3/8, p. 35; VAL 2B/3/14, pp. 69, 78; VAL 12B/18/20A-F [valuation books c.1864- ]
4 'Ordnance Survey Memoirs of Ireland Vol.7: Parishes of County Down II', ed. Angelique Day and Patrick McWilliams (QUB 1991)
5 PRONI VAL/1D/3/4 Valuation town plan of Portaferry, c.1838
6 Linen Hall Library ‘Slater’s National Commercial Directory of Ireland’ (Manchester 1846), p.520-23
7 PRONI and Linen Hall Library ‘Belfast and Province of Ulster Directory’ Vols.1-21, 1852-1900, (Belfast, Henderson [1852-65],
Belfast News-Letter [1865- ])
8 Linen Hall Library ‘Slater’s Royal National Commercial Directory of Ireland’ (Manchester 1856), p.592-95
9 PRONI OS/8/23/1- OS town plan of Portaferry, 1859
10 PRONI OS/6/3/32/2 OS maps, 1st rev., 1860, Down sheet 32
11 Linen Hall Library ‘Slater’s Royal National Commercial Directory of Ireland’ (Manchester 1870), pp.341-43
12 PRONI OS/8/23/2 OS town plan of Portaferry, 1874
13 George Henry Bassett ‘County Down Guide and Directory’ (Dublin 1886)
14 ‘The Industries of Ireland, Part 1: Belfast and the North, p. 166 (published 1891, reprinted by Friar’s Bush Press, Belfast, 1986).
15 PRONI OS/8/23/3 OS town plan of Portaferry, 1900

Secondary sources
1 E.R.R. Green, 'The Industrial Archaeology of County Down', (Belfast HMSO, 1963), p. 48
2 G. Philip Bell, C.E.B. Brett, Sir Robert Matthew, 'Ulster Architectural Heritage Survey: Portaferry & Strangford' (Belfast UAHS
1969)
3 Dick Oram, "The Buildings of Portaferry" in 'Journal of the Upper Ards Historical Society No.16' (1992), p. 24
4 Fred Hammond, "‘Brewery Yard' Church St., Portaferry, Co. Down" (unpublished MS, HMBB, Hill St., Belfast, 1993)
5 Sir Thomas Brown, "Portaferry Regeneration and Crisp" in 'Journal of the Upper Ards Historical Society No.17' (1993), pp. 14-15
6 Fred Hammond, "The 'Brewery Yard', Church St., Portaferry" in 'Journal of the Upper Ards Historical Society No.18' (1994),
pp.28-29

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

Not listed

Criteria for listing: historic interest

Not listed

Evaluation

Site of former warehouse/factory yard dating originally from the late eighteenth century, completely demolished in 1993 with new office/workshop complex built in place