Historic Buildings Record · Northern Ireland
Entrance Gates for Portaferry House
Ballymurphy, Ards and North Down, Northern Ireland
The record
- Designation
- Listed building, Grade B2
- Grade
- B2
- Type
- Gates/ Screens/ Lodges
- Date of listing
- 7 September 1976
- Date of construction
- 1840 - 1859
- Address
- Entrance Gates for Portaferry House, Deerpark Road, Portaferry, Co Down
- Townland
- Ballymurphy
- Council
- Ards and North Down
- Country
- Northern Ireland
- Coordinates
- 54.38978, -5.54161
- Date of survey
- 01 July 1997
- HB reference
- HB24/01/103 A
Slide toward Today to fade the historical sheet and see the modern map underneath.
David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford LibrariesDavid Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford LibrariesDavid Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries
Shown on 3 historical map sheets, the earliest the 1794 "Sheet 55. (Cary's England, Wales, and Scotland)." (David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries).
The Department's description
Exterior description and setting
Relatively plain gate screen, of possible mid 19th century construction, fronting the main (NE) entrance to Portaferry House. The screen is located on the W side of Deerpark Road, a short distance to the N of Portaferry.
Overall the screen is relatively simple. It has decorated wrought iron gates with cross work and ball heads (painted gold). Uneven coach gates in centre with pedestrian gate to left all set between low line render plinth walls and similar square piers, with ball pinnacles and caps in sandstone.
Historical information
Though this entrance to the Portaferry House Demesne is shown on the OS map of 1834, the actual drive leading from it headed in a southwards direction, until curving west and north-westwards towards the house itself. At this stage the gate lodge (and possibly the original gates), where set not at the roadside (now Deerpark Road), but further along the original drive to the south. By 1860 the drive had been reorientated in a south-westerly direction and the present lodge built. The gate screen was presumably also erected at this stage also.
References- Primary sources
1 PRONI OS/6/3/32/1 OS maps, 1st ed., Parish of Ardquin, 1834, Down sheet 32
2 PRONI OS/6/3/32/2 OS maps, 1st rev., 1860, Down sheet 32
3 PRONI Second ('Griffith's') valuation, 1861 [In print.]
4 PRONI OS/6/3/32/3 OS maps, 2nd ed., 1899-1900, Down sheet 32
Secondary sources
1 G. Philip Bell, C.E.B. Brett, Sir Robert Matthew, 'Ulster Architectural Heritage Survey: Portaferry & Strangford'
(Belfast UAHS 1969)
2 Dick Oram, "The Buildings of Portaferry" in 'Journal of the Upper Ards Historical Society No.16' (1992), p. 24
3 J.A.K. Dean, ‘The Gatelodges of Ulster- A Gazetteer’ (Belfast UAHS, 1994), p.89
Criteria for listing: architectural interest
A. Style
B. Proportion
C. Ornamentation
D. Plan Form
J. Setting
K. Group value
Criteria for listing: historic interest
X. Local Interest
Evaluation
Gate screen, of possible mid 19th century construction, fronting the main (NE) entrance to Portaferry House. Group value with the other listed buildings in the demesne.
General comments
This record was previously numbered HB24/01/103.
Nearby in the register
- Gate LodgeGates/ Screens/ Lodgesunder 1 mi
- ‘Rose Cottage’Houseunder 1 mi
- The RectoryRectories/ Manses etcunder 1 mi
- Portaferry HouseCountry Houseunder 1 mi
Other entries of the same register within about three miles of this one, by straight line.