Ballyvester Farm

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

Ballyvester Farm is a two storey gabled farm house of possible eighteenth century origin, now partly ‘modernised’ but whose overall shape still betrays its considerable age

It is difficult to tell which facade is the front. The NW facade has a right of centre doorway, now with modern timber and glazed door. To the left of this are two windows with plain render surrounds an now with PVC frames. There is a similar window to the right of the door, with four similar, but smaller windows (unevenly spaced) to the first floor.

The SW gable has another single storey dwelling attached to it. The writers were informed that this house built on the site of a previous single story building, which itself may once have been a blacksmith’s forge.

The NE gable as a small window (as first floor NW facade) to the centre of the first floor.

The SE facade has a left of centre gabled porch with (probably of fairly recent construction), with twinned PVC windows to its SE face and a panelled door to the NE face. To the left of the porch is a window, much as ground floor NW facade but slightly taller and with diamond leaded lattice to both panes. To the right of the porch are twinned windows, both similar to previous, with a single window to the far right. To the first floor are four small windows much as first floor front only with leaded lattice to panes.

The entire facade is finished with a recently applied limestone chip render, with smooth render to base and wall edges.

The roof is gabled and has a noticeably steep pitch. Bangor blue slates. Four unevenly spaced rendered chimney stacks. PVC rw goods.

Rubble built outbuildings to E.

Historical information

A building is shown on this site, exactly as today, on the OS Maps of 1834 and 1858-60. The house is also noted in the first valuation of c.1836 and that of 1863. The single storey dwelling to the SW side of the house may be a converted blacksmith’s forge, but the current owner suggested that this section had been largely rebuilt in fairly recent times.

In the 1976/77 UAHS survey of noted buildings in the Donaghadee area, this house was described as ‘late eighteenth century’. Strangely, however, the survey also felt that the house had ‘an intangible French feeling’.

References- Primary sources

1. PRONI VAL 1B/32 1st valuation, Donaghadee parish, Ballyvester Td., c.1836.
2. PRONI OS Maps, 1st ed. 1834, Co. Down 3.
3. PRONI OS Maps 1st rev. 1858-60, Co. Down 3.
4. PRONI 2nd (‘Griffith’s’) valuation Donaghadee parish, Ballyvester Td., 1863.

Secondary sources

1. Hugh Dixon et al Historic buildings, groups of buildings, buildings of architectural importance in Donaghadee and Portpatrick (UAHS 1977), p.32.

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

Not listed

Criteria for listing: historic interest

Not listed

Evaluation

Largely plain two storey gabled farm house with steeply pitched roof. Much altered.