2-4 Church Street

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

Three storey terrace house with 'urban vernacular' appearance and relatively recently inserted shop front. This building may represent an 18th century structure which was raised a storey c.1840. The property is situated at the south end of Church Street leading into the Square. Finished in rough cast render and painted.

Front (E) elevation is asymmetrical. To the left on the ground floor is a shop window with modern door with decorative lights. Wooden sign with frame above shop window. Gateway to alley with timber sheeted double door at left side (south gable). To the left of the shop front is a timber doorway with panels taken out and replaced with glazing. Sash window to right of doorway with Georgian panes. Doors and windows on entire ground floor all noticeably low.

First and second floors have three windows on each floor, all as ground floor right. The front façade is finished in rough cast render and painted. Eaves course.

Small two pane window high in south gable. Gable finished in plain render.

To the right at the rear of No. 2 is a shallow two storey, flat roofed extension. To the ground floor is a long single storey, flat roofed return. To the left is a single storey mono pitch return. This appears to contain out houses. Between the returns, to the main rear façade, there is a timber sheeted and glazed door and a sash window. To the first floor are two windows of differing size, both with modern frames. To the second floor is a single window with modern frame.

Roof- Pitched roof with Bangor blue slates to Nos.2 & 4. Two yellow brick chimney stacks, one at south gable of No.2 and another between No.4 and No.6. No pots on either stack. Cement parapet to south gable of No.2. PVC gutters.

Historical information

A building, in the possession of ‘Widow Moore’, is shown on this site on Patrick O’Hare’s map of 1799. The valuation returns of 1838 tell us that the building on site at that stage was an old two storey house in possession of a James Porter. Given the irregular 'urban vernacular' appearance (and slightly awkward internal layout) of the present property, it is possible that this building is actually that of 1838 raised a storey.

In 1863 the resident is listed as an Elizabeth Little.

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/1B/37 1st valuation, Ballyphilip, c.1835-38
4 PRONI VAL/1D/3/4 Valuation town plan of Portaferry, c.1838
5 Linen Hall Library ‘Slater’s National Commercial Directory of Ireland’ (Manchester 1846), p.520-23
6 PRONI and Linen Hall Library ‘Belfast and Province of Ulster Directory’ Vols.1-21, 1852-1900, (Belfast, Henderson [1852-65], Belfast News-Letter [1865- ])
7 Linen Hall Library ‘Slater’s Royal National Commercial Directory of Ireland’ (Manchester 1856), p.592-95
8 PRONI OS/8/23/1- OS town plan of Portaferry, 1859
9 PRONI Second ('Griffith's') valuation, 1863 [in print]
10 PRONI VAL/12E/112/1- Valuation maps of Portaferry, c.1863, with revisions of 1902
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 PRONI OS/8/23/3 OS town plan of Portaferry, 1900
15 PRONI VAL/12E/112/2- Valuation maps of Portaferry, 1902, with revisions of 1935

Secondary sources
1 G. Philip Bell, C.E.B. Brett, Sir Robert Matthew, 'Ulster Architectural Heritage Survey: Portaferry & Strangford'
(Belfast UAHS 1969), p.11
2 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.10 (1986), pp. 21-24

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

A. Style
B. Proportion
C. Ornamentation
D. Plan Form
H-. Alterations detracting from building
I. Quality and survival of Interior

Criteria for listing: historic interest

X. Local Interest

Evaluation

Three storey terrace house with 'urban vernacular' appearance and relatively recently inserted shop front. This building may represent an 18th century structure which was raised a storey c.1840. It is little altered and has special architectural interest.

General comments

Previously part of HB24/01/038.