31-33 Church Street

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

Single storey terrace block with house and garage, originally two small dwellings of probable pre 1834 construction. The block is set within the terrace on the E side of Church Street, to the N of Portaferry town centre.

The front façade faces W. The house is to the S end. The front façade of the house has a plain timber sheeted door to left, with plain fanlight, and a window with modern frame to right. To the left of the house doorway is a a large garge door, recently inserted. Eaves course, stone cill, cast iron gutter and down spout. The façade is finished in plain render and painted, with paint used to simulate plinth.

To the rear is a large, recent, two storey, flat roofed extension which covers the rear of the roof of the original section.

The surviving front section of the gabled roof is covered with Bangor blue slates. Single brown brick chimney stack with one pot. Exposed section of S gable finished in plain render.

Historical information

Buildings are shown on this site from Patrick O'Hare's 1799 map onwards, but unfortunately this stretch of terrace was not recorded in the 1838 valuation returns. It is possible, however, that the present building is of pre 1834 construction.

In [?]c.1980s, the dwelling to the N side of the block was converted to a garage.

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

Single storey terrace block with house and garage, originally two small dwellings of probable pre 1834 construction. To the rear there is a large modern extension.