18-20 Church Street

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

Two storey terrace block containing two small houses of possible mid 19th century construction. The block is set on the W side of Church Street.

The front façade faces E and is symmetrical. To the ground floor No.18 has a modern timber six panel door to right, with a window to left with modern frame. To windows to first floor as ground floor. Cill course and plinth. Banding around windows and door. Pebbledash (limestone chips) render to front facade.

The front façade of No.20 is as No.18 but with smooth line render and no window bands and an eight panel door. Simple moulded and painted keystone above window and door. Eaves course to both houses.

Rear of No.18 has a two storey flat roofed extension to the left. The extension has a modern PVC window each to ground and first floors. To the right, the original façade has one modern PVC window (set in the original openings) each to ground and first floors.

The rear of No. 20 has a modern full width single storey extension with a modern door to the left and a modern window to the right. To first floor are two modern windows, while to the roof is a full width, flat roofed, timber clad dormer with large modern steel framed windows.

Both houses have gabled roof with fibre cement slates to No.18 and Bangor blue slates to No.20. Three chimney stacks two built in red brick (with matching pots) and the third (between Nos.20 & 22) rendered with no pots.

Historical information

A building(s), in possession of an Edward Shaw, is shown on the this site on Patrick O’Hare's 1799 map. The valuation records of 1838 state that at that stage the site was occupied by two modest dwellings (possibly single storey) which were exempt from rating. This suggests that both properties are post 1838, but possibly (judging from their rubble construction) built not long after this.

The reisdents in 1863 are recorded as Matthew McCreedy (No.18) and Charles Dodd.

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

Not listed

Criteria for listing: historic interest

Not listed

Evaluation

Plain two storey terraced block with two houses, probably originally mid nineteenth century, renovated in recent times with both now with modern window frames.