42 Shore Road

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

Two and a half storey terrace house of probable mid 19th century construction, but with some Edwardian alterations to front including two gabled ‘half dormers’ and a decorated doorway.

The front façade faces roughly W and is asymmetrical. To the left of centre on the ground floor is the entrance doorway, with timber panel door and sidelights, all encased with plain pilasters and entablature with cornice supported on decorated brackets. Plain sheeted timber door, leading to lane way, to left of house door. Double sliding sash window to right of house door. Two similar sliding sash windows to first floor, but slightly shorter. Two single sliding sash windows to second floor with semi-circular arch heads. Both second floor windows set within gabled ‘half dormers’ with decorative barges and finials.

Dentilled ogee gutter course below second floor windows and similar gutters to eaves with cast iron down spouts from eaves to lower gutter course. Front facade finished in line render and painted, with low relief panelled pilasters to either side of elevation.

To the rear there is a two storey return, largely open at ground level, with upper level partly supported on large cast iron column. Recently renovated out houses to rear. Unusual water pump at rear.

The roof is gabled roof with Bangor blue slates and yellow brick chimney, with bracketed corbelling, to east side.

Historical information

Site with building shown on Patrick O’Hare’s 1799 map, in possession of Robert McNabb. The present owner believes that Rev. William Steel Dickson, the one time minister of Portaferry Presbyterian Church and United Irishman, lived for a time in this house or a house on this site, whilst local folk memory has it that the lane at the west side of the building was used by him as a means of escape when pursued by government troops.

For this particular stretch of terrace, it is difficult to match the 1838 valuation plan with modern maps and therefore difficult to give details of the building recorded in the former year. It is possible that this site was occupied by an old low two storey house noted by the valuers as belonging to one John McDowell. If this is the case then the present building is either a later rebuild, or the same dwelling later raised in height.

The rear of house appears to have been extended some time during the late nineteenth or early twentieth century. Photographic evidence suggests the ‘half dormers’ were added sometime after c.1910 (see primary source ref. No.4). This house was purchased by Rev Patrick McKillop in 1939 and was used for at time as the residence of the curate of St. Patrick’s RC Church, Ballyphilip.

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 [The
Savage/Nugent Papers contain many documents relating to Portaferry and the surrounding area]
2 Linen Hall Library ‘Pigot & Co.’s Dublin and Hibernian Provincial Directory’ (Manchester 1824)
3 'Ordnance Survey Memoirs of Ireland Vol.7: Parishes of County Down II', ed. Angelique Day and Patrick McWilliams (QUB 1991)
4 PRONI OS/6/3/32/1 OS maps, 1st ed., 1834, Down sheet 32
5 PRONI VAL/1B/37 1st valuation, Ballyphilip, c.1835-38
6 PRONI VAL/1D/3/4 Valuation town plan of Portaferry, c.1838
7 Linen Hall Library ‘Slater’s National Commercial Directory of Ireland’ (Manchester 1846), p.520-23
8 PRONI and Linen Hall Library ‘Belfast and Province of Ulster Directory’ Vols.1-21, 1852-1900, (Belfast, Henderson [1852-65], Belfast News-Letter [1865- ])
9 Linen Hall Library ‘Slater’s Royal National Commercial Directory of Ireland’ (Manchester 1856), p.592-95
10 PRONI OS/8/23/1- OS town plan of Portaferry, 1859
11 PRONI Second ('Griffith's') valuation, 1863 [in print]
12 PRONI VAL/12E/112/1- Valuation maps of Portaferry, c.1863, with revisions of 1902
13 Linen Hall Library ‘Slater’s Royal National Commercial Directory of Ireland’ (Manchester 1870), pp.341-43
14 PRONI OS/8/23/2 OS town plan of Portaferry, 1874
15 George Henry Bassett ‘County Down Guide and Directory’ (Dublin 1886)
16 PRONI OS/8/23/3 OS town plan of Portaferry, 1900
17 UFTM WAG 609, 611, 612 W.A. Green Collection, photographs of Portaferry Quay, harbour, Shore Road etc.
18 UM W05/82/3 Welch Collection, photograph of the shore front, Portaferry etc.
19 PRONI VAL/12E/112/2- Valuation maps of Portaferry, 1902, with revisions of 1935

Secondary sources
1 St. Patrick’s Church Ballyphilip 1762-1962 [Souvenir booklet] (Portaferry, 1962), pp.32-33, 39
2 G. Philip Bell, C.E.B. Brett, Sir Robert Matthew, 'Ulster Architectural Heritage Survey: Portaferry & Strangford'
(Belfast UAHS 1969)
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.9' (1986), p. 23
4 Dick Oram, "The Buildings of Portaferry" in 'Journal of the Upper Ards Historical Society No.16' (1992), p. 24

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

Well detailed two and a half storey terrace house of probable mid 19th century construction, but with some Edwardian alterations to front including two gabled ‘half dormers’ and a decorated doorway.