42-48 Church Street

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

Long, single storey terrace block containing four houses, probably all pre 1834, but now with various alterations to facades of each property, including PVC window frames and doors, and large modern extensions to rear. The terrace is set on the W side of Church Street, to the S of the former Church Street entrance to the Portaferry House demesne.

The front elevation of the block faces E. No.42 (to the S end) is adouble fronted bookmaker’s shop with off centre plain timber sheeted door with plain fanlight and (possibly original) and a modern square fixed light shop window to left, sash indow to right. Painted timber bookmaker’s sign above door. Stone cill to right window.

No.44 is a single fronted house with modern panel and glazed door to left and two pane top hung window to right. Window frame may be original. Stone cill. Both Nos.42 & 44 finished in lined render and painted cream with brown paint to simulate plinth.

The rear of Nos. 42 & 44 are obscured by what appears to be a modern dwelling.

Nos.42-44 have a gabled roof with Bangor blue slates. Two chimney stacks, both cement rendered but not matching with that to No.42 smaller and with decorative pot. Cast iron down spouts, PVC guttering. Shallow cement parapet between No.44 & 46.

No.46 is a double fronted house finished in modern rough cast render. Central timber panelled and glazed door. Modern square mullioned and transomed window to left (four pane with two upper panes top hung), with similar window to right. Cement window bands and modern slim cills to both windows.

The rear of No. 46 has a full width flat roofed extension . The extension is mainly obscures by a further ¾ width flat roofed extension which is set at a slightly lower level. The additional extension has modern full ‘strip’ glazing. To the left of centre is a large flat roofed dormer with slate cladding. It has two modern windows

The gabled roof of No.46 is covered with fibre cement slates with a N of centre Velux window to front. Cement parapets at gables. Red brick chimney stack to south (left) with no pots, rendered chimney stack with two matching pots to north. Timber eaves course. Cast iron down spout. PVC guttering.

No.48 is a single fronted house finished in modern rough cast render. Doorway with sheeted timber door and plain fanlight to left. Sash window, with horns, to right. Cement plinth.

To the rear is a large, gabled, full width and two storey return with decorative barge boards. To the left of the ground floor is a modern timber (half glazed) door while to the right is a modern two pane timber window. To the centre of the gable is a window as before.

Gabled roof with Bangor blue slates and two Velux windows. One cement render chimney stack with two matching pots (shared with No.46). Cement parapet between Nos.46 & 48. Decorative barge boards on north gable.

Historical information

Buildings, in possession of a John Ferguson, James McKee, Widow Mahood, Thomas Stitt and John Hardy, are shown on this site on Patrick O’Hare’s 1799 map. The properties are recorded as exempt from rating in the 1838 valuation returns (not unusual for dwellings of this size). In 1863 the occupiers are listed as (from south), John Covington, Thomas Caldwell, Christina Gordon 'and another' and Mary Anne McDonnell.

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, single storey terrace block containing three houses and a shop, probably all pre 1834, but now with various alterations to facades of each, including PVC window frames and doors, and large modern extensions to rear.