‘Folly’

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

Circular ‘folly’ built from the remains of a former windmill tower of possible mid 18th century origin. The building has a rectangular stairwell extension, all with various ‘gothic arch’ openings and situated within the former pleasure grounds within the Portaferry House demesne, S of the house itself and less than half a mile N of Portaferry.

Measuring roughly 18ft in diameter and 22ft in height and constructed in random rubble, there is a ‘gothic’ entrance to a small ground level dome shaped vaulted chamber and another gothic entrance to extension, leading to a stairway. The stairway is spiral and leads to a, now overgrown, upper level, (the walls of which have been reconstructed recently using loose stone found at the base) with ‘gothic’ openings of various sizes. No trace of roof. Stone bridge close by.

Historical information

This building is not indicated on the OS map of 1834, but given the more limited scope of this map (compared to its successors), this does not preclude the structure's existance. On the more comprehensive revised map of 1860 the building is marked, as a 'corn mill in ruins'. As most windmills in the upper Ards area date from the 18th and early 19th centuries, it is probable that this building was standing in 1834, and (as it is not indicated) was probably in ruins at that date. It is possible that the mill originally dated form the mid 1700s, or earlier.

The structure's current appearance, with pointed arch openings etc. may be a deliberate mid 19th century attempt to transform what remained of the shell into a romantic gothick ruin.

1 PRONI D.552/B/3/1- Savage/Nugent Papers
[This section of The Savage/Nugent Papers contains plans and elevations by architects Charles Lilley and William Farrell showing their proposals/alterations to Portaferry House. There are also other drawings relating to further improvements to the house and outbuildings.]
2 PRONI OS/6/3/32/1 OS maps, 1st ed., 1834, Down sheet 32
3 Ordnance Survey Memoirs of Ireland Vol.7: Parishes of County Down II, ed. Angelique Day and Patrick McWilliams
(QUB 1991), p.14
4 PRONI VAL/1B/36 1st valuation, Ardquin, c.1838
5 PRONI OS/6/3/32/2 OS maps, 1st rev., 1860, Down sheet 32
6 PRONI Second ('Griffith's') valuation, 1861 [In print.]
7 PRONI OS/6/3/32/3 OS maps, 2nd ed., 1899-1900, Down sheet 32

Secondary sources
1 G.F. Armstrong, The Savage Family in Ulster (London 1906)
2 'Archaeological Survey of County Down' (Belfast, HMSO 1966), pp. 379-381
3 Dick Oram, "Some Notes on the Evolution of Portaferry House and its Household" in 'Journal of the Upper Ards Historical
Association No.13' (1989), pp. 8-13.
4 G. Philip Bell, C.E.B. Brett, Sir Robert Matthew, Ulster Architectural Heritage Survey: Portaferry & Strangford
(Belfast UAHS 1969)
5 Karen Patterson, "To the manor reborn- Portaferry House survives"
[Newspaper article from 27th December 1990- actual paper unknown. Copy available in EHS.]

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

Not listed

Criteria for listing: historic interest

Not listed

Evaluation

Romantic gothick folly ruin, probably built in the mid 1800s from the remains of a windmill of possible 18th century origin.