Historic Building Details

HB Ref No:
HB24/01/065

Address :
Folly Castle Bankmore Hill Bar Hall Road Tullyboard Portaferry Co Down

Townland:
Tullyboard

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Survey 2:
Record Only

Date of Listing:

Date of De-listing:

Current Use:
Watch tower

Former Use
Watch tower

Conservation Area:
No

Industrial Archaeology:
No

Vernacular:
No

Thatched:
No

Monument:
No

Derelict:
Yes

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OS Map No:
206/16

IG Ref:
J6000 4910

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Owner Category

Private

Exterior Description And Setting

Split stone rubble ruins of a small (c.6m square) building set on top of Bankmore Hill c.1.5 miles S of Portaferry, with a spectacular and commanding view of the entrance to Strangford Lough and the towns of Portaferry and Strangford. The highest standing section of wall is c 3m tall with evidence of holes in wall [?for a floor] roughly 2m up. Recently constructed small but highly incongruous ‘Celnet’ relay station next to ruin.

Architects

Not Known

Historical Information

A tower is shown on Bankmore Hill on George Johnston's 1755 map of Strangford Lough, which probably corresponds to the ruin we see today. The building is not marked on the OS Map of 1834, but is shown on the revised map of 1860 ‘in ruins’. Though the tower is now termed the 'Folly Castle', its prominent position suggests it may have been built as a coastal watch tower of some kind. References- Primary sources 1 PRONI D.671/P10/1 'Strangford River from an accurate survey by George Johnston of Portaferry, pilot, 1755' 2 PRONI OS/6/3/32/1 OS maps, 1st ed., 1834, Down sheet 32 3 PRONI OS/6/3/32/2 OS maps, 1st rev., 1860, Down sheet 32

Criteria for Listing

Architectural Interest

Not listed

Historic Interest

Not listed

Evaluation

Ruins of small tower or folly of probable early pre 1755 construction, possibly built as a coastal watch tower.

General Comments

Date of Survey

08 August 1997