Historic Building Details

HB Ref No:
HB24/01/076

Address :
Ballyfounder House 16 Ballyfounder Road Ballyfounder Portaferry Co Down BT22 1RE

Townland:
Ballyfounder

---

Survey 2:
B2

Date of Listing:
29/03/2006 00:00:00

Date of De-listing:

Current Use:
House

Former Use
House

Conservation Area:
No

Industrial Archaeology:
No

Vernacular:
No

Thatched:
No

Monument:
No

Derelict:
No

---

OS Map No:
207/13

IG Ref:
J6161 4947

---

Owner Category

Private

Exterior Description And Setting

Large, relatively plain, two storey farmhouse of perhaps c.1850, with large modern flat roofed porch to front, single storey rear return and modern window frames throughout. The property is set on the N side of the Ballyfounder Road, c.2 miles SE of Portaferry. The front façade faces roughly S and is symmetrical. To the centre of the ground floor is a relatively large flat roof porch with timber front door to W face, a large modern three pane timber window to S (front), and a smaller modern window to W. All the windows have modern frames. To each side of porch is a single window with label moulding with lion’s head stops. Three evenly spaced windows to first floor as previous but with moulding etc. The W gable has window to left of ground floor and one to right of first floor, both as previous. E gable has a square window to right on ground floor with window as previous gable to left of first floor. Rear has windows of various sizes, with four to the first floor and two to the ground floor. To the right of centre to the ground floor is a small kitchen return with gabled roof and small PVC conservatory/rear porch to E side. The entire façade is finished in unpainted lined render with moulded chamfered quoins to front. The gabled roof is covered with what appear to be Bangor blue slates and has four evenly spaced yellow brick chimney stacks with simple corbelling and a pot each to the third and fourth stacks (to E). PVC gutters and down spouts. Extensive range of single and two storey outbuilding to N and to E, with some on opposite side of Ballyfounder Road. The largest of these, to the N has the appeaarance of once serving as rooms for farm labourers etc., having small Georgian paned windows. Low rubble wall to road and around front garden of house.

Architects

Not Known

Historical Information

This house does not appear on the OS Map of 1834, but appears to be that is shown on the revised map of 1860. The property may date from c.1850. The outbuildings to the E, however, are older, and are believed to date from the early eighteenth century, with some originally dwelling houses. Rev. James Armstrong, minister of Portaferry Presbyterian Church between 1743 and 1779 lived in one these dwellings. Ballyfounder House itself was once the home of James Shanks (1854-1912), a locally famous, geologist and antiquarian. References- Primary sources 1 PRONI OS/6/3/32/1 Ordnance Survey Maps, 1st ed., 1834, Down sheet 32 2 PRONI VAL/1B/38 First valuation, Parish of Ballytrustan, 1838 3 PRONI OS/6/3/32/2 Ordnance Survey Maps, 1st rev., 1860, Down sheet 32 4 PRONI Second valuation, Parish of Ballytrustan, 1861 (in print) 5 PRONI OS/6/3/32/3 Ordnance Survey maps, 2nd ed., 1899-1900, Down sheet 32 Secondary sources 1 James C. Rutherford, "An Ards Farmer, or An Account of the Life of James Shanks, Ballyfounder, Portaferry", in 'Journal of the Upper Ards Historical Society', Nos.4 & 5 (1980 & 81), pp.18-24 & 26-33

Criteria for Listing

Architectural Interest

A. Style B. Proportion C. Ornamentation D. Plan Form H-. Alterations detracting from building I. Quality and survival of Interior J. Setting

Historic Interest

X. Local Interest

Evaluation

Large, two storey farmhouse of perhaps c.1850, with an extension group of outbuildings that form an interesting group. Despite some obvious changes this group form an impressive composition.

General Comments

Date of Survey

08 August 1997