27 Drumfad Road

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

Attractive one and a half storey gabled house on the N side of the Drumfad Road c.2 miles S of Millisle.

Front S facade has a right of centre gabled porch of recent construction, with panelled door, sidelights, and glazing to its E and W facades. Within the porch is a glazed inner door. To the left of the porch are two sash windows with vertical glazing bars, with a similar window to the right. To the upper level is a central gabled half dormer with semicircular headed window opening, now with PVC frame.

The E gable has a window (as ground floor front) to the right on the ground floor, with two similar, but slightly smaller, windows to the upper level.

The W gable has a similar arrangement, except that ground floor window is to the left.

Placed over the ground floor window, and continuing around the corner to the far right side of the rear, is a lean to conservatory. Within the rear portion of the conservatory is the partly glazed rear door. To the far left on the ground floor rear is a set of French doors, with two windows (as ground floor front) between these doors and the conservatory. To the left of centre on the upper level is a segmental arch headed window opening with sash frame with vertical and horizontal glazing bars.

The facade is finished in rough cast render, with smooth render to wall edges. The windows to the front and gables all have plain render surrounds with simple moulded keystones. Eaves course.

The roof is pitched with Bangor blue slates and two (centred) rendered chimney stacks. Roof overhang at gables and half dormer. Plain barges. PVC rw goods.

Historical information

A house is indicated on this site on the Dunbar estate map of 1797, in the then possession of one William Adams. A building is also shown on the OS Maps of 1833/4 and 1858-60. It is probable that this house is substantially that present in 1797, however, the roof has been slightly raised a some point, an alteration which, which judging by the gabled half dormer, overhang at the gables and window frame style, may have been carried out in the latter decades of the nineteenth century. The porch and conservatory are recent additions (c.1990s).

References- Primary sources
1 PRONI T.1242 Map of the estate of George Dunbar Esq. by J.A. Williamson 1797. [This map shows the townlands of Ballyrolly and Drumfad. A copy was held by PRONI but is at present missing. A much reduced reproduction of the map is shown on p.35 of 'Christ Church Carrowdore' by Susan E. Pack Beresford (1994).]
2 PRONI VAL 1B/32 Valuation records for the townland of Drumfad (Parish of Donaghadee) 1830s.
3 PRONI Ordnance Survey Maps 1st Edition 1833/4, Down 7.
4 PRONI Ordnance Survey Maps 1st Revision 1858-60, Down 7.
5 PRONI ‘Griffith’s’ valuation for the townland of Drumfad (Parish of Donaghadee) 1863.

Secondary sources
1 Grace Seymour 'Echoes of Millisle and District' (Rathfriland ?c.1980), p.138-139, 145-146 [Notes on the history of Drumfad Td.].

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

Not listed

Criteria for listing: historic interest

Not listed

Evaluation

One and a half storey gabled house of possible eighteenth century origin, somewhat altered in the later nineteenth century, but whose interior layout still betrays something of its age.