Portaferry Castle

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

Ruined, tower house, probably dating from the later 15th century. The building is situated to the W side of Castle Street, close to Portaferry town centre

This castellated split-stone rubble three storey structure is square in plan with a (square) turret to the south west, and measures roughly 10.5 x 10m. The turret, including stone spiral stair, is largely intact. Curiously, this stairway rises in an anti-clockwise direction, making defence difficult. The interior of the main tower no longer remains, with the exception of some door and chimney openings, and traces of supports for floor joists. Brickwork to fireplace and other openings is not original. Traces of original pitched roof gable to north west. Large section of north east corner, above ground floor, has collapsed. Traces of gable of adjoining building (probably James Montgomery’s 17th century ‘fair slated stone house’- see historical information) on this side also.

Sympathetic modern landscaping, with shrubbery, around castle.

Historical information

This castle was built by the Savage family, probably in the late 15th or early 16th century. It is typical of many of the tower houses constructed by such local lords within the area of Strangford Lough at this time (and indeed the whole of Ireland beyond The Pale), and reflects the diminishing power of crown government and the subsequent growth in localised disorder.

In 1635, Patrick Savage’s brother-in-law, Sir James Montgomery, ‘repaired the old castle, by roofing and flooring it, and by striking out longer lights, with free-stone and window cases: and also building a fair slated stone house’. The castle continued to be occupied by members of the Savage family until 1765.

According to the OS Memoirs, the building ‘was much ruined by an officer’s family who was quartered in it in the first three years after the Irish rebellion’ (c.1798-1801).

References- Primary sources
1 Ordnance Survey Memoirs of Ireland Vol.7: Parishes of County Down II, ed. Angelique Day and Patrick McWilliams
(QUB 1991), p.12

Secondary sources
1 G.F. Armstrong, 'The Savage Family in Ulster' (London 1906).
2 'Archaeological Survey of County Down' (Belfast, HMSO 1966), pp.245-46 [This survey provides a detailed description and plans of the castle.]
3 G. Philip Bell, C.E.B. Brett, Sir Robert Matthew, 'Ulster Architectural Heritage Survey: Portaferry & Strangford'
(Belfast UAHS 1969), p.14.
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

Not listed

Criteria for listing: historic interest

Not listed

Evaluation

Ruined tower house, probably dating from the later 15th or early 16th century.