36-38 Church Street

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

Long, two storey terrace block of possible pre 1834 construction, now containing a house, shop and large elliptcal carriage entrance. Both the window frames and the shop front are modern. The block is set on the W side of Church Street, with large elliptical archway at N. Large yard to rear.

The front façade faces E and is asymmetrical. To the left on the ground floor is the house doorway with partly glazed door and moulded surround with keystone. Window to left of door with similar surround and modern frame. Similar window to right of doorway. To the right of this is a modern shop front with off centre glazed door between two fixed light windows. Window to right of shop front as ground floor as far left, but with single fixed pane. Elliptical archway at far right with sheeted double timber door with wicket gate and metal kick plate. Right hand opening of door wider than left. Archway rises above level of first floor giving reduced ceiling height (due to raised floor level) to room above. Small fixed window with stone cill above archway. To the first floor there are 6 windows as ground floor No.36 and a small (squat) fixed light window above archway. Entire front façade finished in rough cast render and painted. Modern illuminated plastic shop sign between 4th and 5th windows.

Access to rear not granted.

The gabled roof is covered with Bangor blue slates and three yellow brick chimney stacks with decorative corbelling. One pot stack to S. Stone parapets. Eaves course. PVC gutters and down spouts.

Historical information

A building(s), in possession of a Sam Little, is shown on this site on Patrick O’Hare’s 1799 map. In 1838 the block was made up of two two storey dwelling houses, in possession of a John Ringland and a Jane Ringland respectively. John's dwelling (to the south) was relatively newly built at this stage and possessed a 'bake house'. The dwelling to the N was considerably smaller and older, probably dating from the mid to later 1700s. The same arrangement is shown on the valuation town plan of c.1838, with the larger house and 'bakery' still in the hands of John Ringland (or a son/relative) of the same name, and the smaller dwelling occupied by a Robert Martin.

The shop front was inserted some time prior to 1975.

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

Long, plain, two storey terrace block of possible pre 1834 construction, now containing a house, shop and large elliptcal carriage entrance. Both the window frames and the shop front are modern.