Historic Building Details

HB Ref No:
HB24/01/166

Address :
Site of former Primitive Methodist Church Meeting House Street Portaferry Co Down

Townland:
Ballyphilip

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Survey 2:
Record Only

Date of Listing:

Date of De-listing:

Current Use:
Demolished

Former Use
Church

Conservation Area:
Yes

Industrial Archaeology:
No

Vernacular:
No

Thatched:
No

Monument:
No

Derelict:
Demolished

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OS Map No:
206/12

IG Ref:
J5940 5090

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Owner Category

Local Govt

Exterior Description And Setting

Site of former Primitive Methodist hall/church of 1830, situated between the rear of No.36 The Square, and the Portaferry Presbyterian Church, now completely demolished with the site used as a small car park. This building was described in a survey of 1978 as ‘A single cell hall pitched gabled approximately 45ft by 25ft. Two lancets west end, four lancets north end, damaged by inserting a wagon door. Blank south side. Rubble blackstone with brick dressings to windows. Harled and white washed inside.’

Architects

Not Known

Historical Information

Built in 1830 by the Primitive Methodist congregation of Portaferry at a cost of £130, this church was described in the Ordnance Survey Memoirs (c.1834) as being ‘of the plainest architecture...41 feet 9 inches by 24 feet 6 inches’ with a congregation of 40-50. The church remained in use until 1868, at which date the Primitives re-amalgamated with the Wesleyans. The building was later used as a store and was demolished in 1978. References- Primary sources 1 PRONI OS/6/3/32/1 OS maps, 1st ed., 1834, Down sheet 32 2 PRONI VAL/1B/37 1st valuation, Ballyphilip, c.1835-38 3 'Ordnance Survey Memoirs of Ireland Vol.7: Parishes of County Down II', ed. Angelique Day and Patrick McWilliams (QUB 1991), p. 12. 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) 2 'Journal of the Upper Ards Historical Society No.3' (1979), p.iv. [Photo of ‘the ancient Methodist Church in Meetinghouse Lane...taken by Mr. Ernest Elliot before the structure was demolished’.]

Criteria for Listing

Architectural Interest

Not listed

Historic Interest

Not listed

Evaluation

Site of former single storey Primitive Methodist meeting house of 1830, now demolished.

General Comments

Date of Survey

06 August 1997