Historic Building Details

HB Ref No:
HB24/01/105

Address :
Portaferry House Ballymurphy Portaferry Newtownards Co Down BT22 1PP

Townland:
Ballymurphy

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Survey 2:
B+

Date of Listing:
07/09/1976 00:00:00

Date of De-listing:

Current Use:
Country House

Former Use
Country House

Conservation Area:
No

Industrial Archaeology:
No

Vernacular:
No

Thatched:
No

Monument:
No

Derelict:
No

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OS Map No:
206/8

IG Ref:
J5923 5172

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Owner Category

Private

Exterior Description And Setting

Large, three storey, hipped roof country mansion in a restrained classical style, built c.1750, extended in c.1790, but which assumed its present form in 1818-20. The building is set within an extensive demesne, a half mile drive from Deerpark Road through rough pasture and mature copses of mainly indigenous trees. The front (S) façade is symmetrical and is in three bays. The central bay has three storeys. Flanking it are broad canted, hipped roof bays, which are equal in height to the central section, but only contain two storeys. In the middle of the central section is a flat roofed projecting porch. Double three panelled timber doors are flanked either side with two attached columns and corner pilasters, all with cushion bases and Ionic capitals. These support an entablature. The side walls to the porch each have a sliding sash window with no astragals. Either side of the porch are two tall sliding sash windows with Georgian panes. The first floor of the central section has five windows, that to the centre being a tripartite window surmounted by an elliptical relieving arch with key stone and in filled tympanum. This is flanked either side with two sash windows as ground floor. The second floor of this section is similar to the first, but without the relieving arch over the tripartite window. The centre section first and second floor windows rest on a cill course. The three sided outer bays each have sash windows similar to before. The entire elevation is line rendered. All windows have moulded architraves and all (except the ground floor bays) rest on cill courses. The walls are topped with a projecting frieze cornice. The west elevation of the main block is two storey. The ground and first floors both have three unevenly spaced windows. Frieze cornice, window bands and surrounds etc. are all as front elevation. A six pot chimney stack rises on the parapet, above the cornice. The façade is mainly rendered but has plain stone quoins. A small window has recently been inserted below the level of the first floor between the first and second windows. The east elevation to the main block is three storey, as the ground level falls away at this side to reveal the semi-basement. The basement level has four equally spaced openings, each with double timber French doors leading on to a stone flagged terrace. The third opening is covered with a Victorian style wooden conservatory. The first and second floors each have four equally spaced windows, with surrounds. Frieze etc. as front elevation. The second floor windows rest on a cill course while there is a string course between the ground and first floor openings. The rear elevation has a functional appearance. It comprises various flat roofed, lean to and pitched roof extensions of varying height (two and three storey) and age. To the left is a relatively large two storey hipped roof return, which (to the S) links to a much larger three storey hipped roof return which extends from the main block. To the immediate W of these is a (relatively) small two storey flat roofed section. To the W this links to a very large three storey block, which itself is in several bays and is part flat roofed, part hipped roofed. This whole elevation has windows of varying size. The large three storey block to the W has mainly sash windows, with those to its left side large stairwell windows. The small flat roofed two storey section has modern looking window openings with modern frames. All the windows have either Georgian or Georgian-like panes. The facades of each return/extension/bay are mainly covered in lined render. Below the window cill to the grand staircase is a small well weathered plaque with the Savage/Nugent coat of arms. The main roof is hipped and covered in Bangor blue slates. There appear to be seven chimney stacks, all of which are rendered and relatively plain looking with simple cornicing and string courses.

Architects

Lilley, Charles Farrell, William

Historical Information

The original (central) section of Portaferry House was constructed c.1750, by Andrew Savage, the then head of that important local family, on land granted to his ancestor, Patrick, by King Charles I in 1628. This original building, which comprises the central and eastern portion of main block of the present house, was by all accounts a relatively simple three storey building. In 1789, with money reportedly won in a wager with Robert Stewart of Mount Stewart, Patrick Savage had plans drawn up by Dublin architect Charles Lilly for extensions and improvements to the house. These consisted of the addition of a west wing, the three sided outer bays and changes to the rear. Though the west wing was built, it is uncertain to what extent these plans were followed through completely, for instance the east bay does not appear to have been added at this point. In 1814, due to the proceeds of the will of his great uncle Nugent of Dysart, Andrew Savage (who was required to change the family name to Nugent in accordance with the same will), employed William Farrell to draw up new plans for further extending and remodelling the house. Work began in March 1818. The east wing was largely rebuilt to include public rooms to the front, a servants' wing (with classroom) to the rear and an extended basement floor. Bays were added to both wings. In the centre of the house the old staircase was removed and what had been the old stairwell, hall and drawing room were combined to form a large reception hall. A new grander staircase was built to the north of the new hall and extensive plumbing work (including the addition of a new water closet) was carried out to the entire building. At this point the farmyard was also enlarged and kennels built to the north side of the demesne. A threshing mill/horse walk was built to the north east of farmyard. The work to the house was completed in April 1820 at a total cost of £7,140.4.4. Portaferry House remained in the Nugent family until the 1980s, by which time sections of it had fallen into disrepair. The present owner has done much to restore the building. [For a comprehensive history of Portaferry House and its evolution see
references below, especially secondary source No.1 (by Dick Oram) and No.2 ('Archaeological Survey…').] References- Primary sources 1 PRONI D.552/B/3/1- Savage/Nugent Papers [This section of The Savage/Nugent Papers contains plans and elevations by architects Charles Lilly and William Farrell showing their proposals/alterations to Portaferry House. There are also other drawings relating to further improvements to the house and outbuildings.] 2 PRONI OS/6/3/32/1 OS maps, 1st ed., 1834, Down sheet 32 3 Ordnance Survey Memoirs of Ireland Vol.7: Parishes of County Down II, ed. Angelique Day and Patrick McWilliams (QUB 1991), p.14 4 PRONI VAL/1B/36 1st valuation, Ardquin, c.1838 5 PRONI OS/6/3/32/2 OS maps, 1st rev., 1860, Down sheet 32 6 PRONI Second ('Griffith's') valuation, 1861 [In print.] 7 PRONI OS/6/3/32/3 OS maps, 2nd ed., 1899-1900, Down sheet 32 Secondary sources 1 G.F. Armstrong, 'The Savage Family in Ulster' (London 1906) 2 'Archaeological Survey of County Down' (Belfast, HMSO 1966), pp. 379-381 3 Dick Oram, "Some Notes on the Evolution of Portaferry House and its Household" in 'Journal of the Upper Ards Historical Association No.13' (1989), pp.8-13. 4 G. Philip Bell, C.E.B. Brett, Sir Robert Matthew, Ulster Architectural Heritage Survey: Portaferry & Strangford (Belfast UAHS 1969) 5 Karen Patterson, "To the manor reborn- Portaferry House survives" [Newspaper article from 27th December 1990- actual paper unknown. Copy available in EHS.]

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 K. Group value

Historic Interest

V. Authorship X. Local Interest

Evaluation

Large, three storey, hipped roof country mansion in a restrained classical style, built c.1750, extended in c.1790, but which assumed its present form in 1818-20, when the front façade was remodelled, the grand stairwell added and the east wing largely rebuilt, all to designs by William Farrell.

General Comments

Date of Survey

01 July 1997