‘Grace Neill’s Bar’

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

Grace Neill’s is a small two storey (but low level) inn, in the middle of the terrace in High Street, which may have been built in 1611 and therefore claims to be Ireland’s oldest pub. But though the building is of undoubted great age, both the available evidence and its present facade appear to suggest an early eighteenth century date.

The front (NE) facade has a central recessed doorway with recent but sympathetic timber sheeted and glazed double doors (with an outer wrought iron security gate). To the left is a square fixed light window with Georgian panes. To the far left is a timber sheeted door. To the right of the central doorway is a sash window with Georgian panes. To the far right is a timber sheeted door. Above the central door and the square window to its left is a timber sign board. The lower half of the facade is finished in lined render with a moulded course which follows the line of the tops of the ground floor openings.

To the first floor are five evenly spaced sliding sash windows with Georgian panes. This upper half of the facade is finished in render.
The original rear facade has now largely disappeared due to the addition of a large modern extension, however, the line of the original rear wall (and probably some of the original fabric) still stands and has been incorporated into the layout of the bar. There is a small fixed light Georgian paned ‘window’ to the NW side of this wall which may have been a real window at some point.

The roof is gabled with shaped fibre cement slates, which are probably of early twentieth century origin. Central rendered chimney stack.

Historical information

The Guinness Book of Records states that Grace Neill’s is the oldest pub in Ireland, having reputedly been in business since 1611. However, whilst there has probably been a building on this site since the early seventeenth century, which may have served as an inn, the current facade suggests that the present pub was either substantially renovated, or possibly even rebuilt, in the early 1700s. This suggestion is supported by a pictorial map of Donaghadee, probably drawn up in 1700, which indicates that the structure on this site was single storey, thus implying that the roof was later raised (and the facade remodelled) or a totally new building constructed at some point after this. It must be said, however, that a distinct lack of available evidence concerning this building ultimately makes dating very difficult.

The building is noted in the valuation records of c.1836 as one of ‘two houses under value’ (i.e. below rateable value) an indication of the lowly status of the property. Grace Neill herself was a former owner of the bar, who died in 1916 aged 98. She may have been responsible for the present unsuitable render to the front facade.

The pub claims to have been patronised by some notable personages including Tsar Peter the Great, who is reputed to have stayed there whilst on his way to study Irish ship building techniques at Warrenpoint. If indeed true, this visit must have taken place during Peter’s eighteen month tour of western Europe in 1697/98.

References- Primary sources

1. Map of Donaghadee [?1700]. [This map is curious. It belongs to the owner of the Manor House, Donaghadee, and was believed to have been drawn up by one James Dillon for Daniel De la Cherois in 1780. However, the overall crude style of the piece and the fact that the representations of the buildings (especially the Church) contradict what we know of them at this stage, suggests it is much earlier . This theory appears to be borne out by the fact that the actual date on the map is probably ‘1700’ rather than ‘1780’, a stroke from the ‘7’ passing through the first ‘0’ giving it the appearance of a figure 8. The map has been reproduced for several publications (notably John Stevenson’s Two centuries of life in Down 1600-1800 republished by White Row Press in1990) each of which have accepted the date of 1780 at face value, yet questioned the contradictions in the style and positioning of the buildings.]
2. ‘A map of the town of Donaghadee...’ [c.1771-90]. [This map was prepared for Daniel De la Cherois, who inherited much of the town and its hinterland in 1771. As Daniel died in 1790, the map can thus be dated to some time between 1771-90. At some point someone has written on the map ‘about 1780’, a date which may be accurate.]
3. PRONI VAL 1B/32 p.3 1st valuation, Donaghadee parish, Donaghadee., c.1836. [See also accompanying town plan.]
4. PRONI OS Maps 1st rev. 1858-60, Co. Down 3.
5. PRONI 2nd (‘Griffith’s’) valuation Donaghadee parish, Donaghadee, 1863. [The town plan for the 2nd valuation is not available at PRONI and therefore it is difficult to match the properties listed in the valuation with actual buildings.]

Secondary sources

1. Hugh Dixon et al Historic buildings, groups of buildings, buildings of architectural importance in Donaghadee and Portpatrick (UAHS 1977), p.15.
2. W.G. Pollock Six miles from Bangor: The story of Donaghadee (Belfast 1975). [This book contains many photographs dating from the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, some of which show High Street.]

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

A. Style
B. Proportion
C. Ornamentation
H-. Alterations detracting from building

Criteria for listing: historic interest

X. Local Interest
Y. Social, Cultural or Economic Importance

Evaluation

Important early 2-storey public house , which may date from 1611, but may be largely early eighteenth century. The interior of the original section still maintains a quaint small scale snugness, but a large airy modern section has been added recently to the rear.