50 Drumfad Road, Drumfad, Millisle, Newtownards, Co Down, BT22 2JA

This is a single-storey, gabled house likely dating from the late 18th century, significantly extended and modernised in recent years. Situated on the southwest side of Drumfad Road, approximately one mile northeast of Carrowdore, the house was originally a simple, rectangular structure. It now has a roughly ‘H’ shaped plan due to a large extension built at the rear.

The original northeast facade features a recently constructed gabled porch centrally positioned, with a timber-sheeted stable door incorporating a small glazed upper panel. A small window with a modern frame is situated to the southeast of the porch, and another modern timber casement window with diamond-shaped leaded lights is to its right, alongside two further windows of similar appearance. The gables are currently blank. A single-storey gabled return is attached to the rear, connecting to a large, single-storey gabled extension roughly the same size as the original house. Both the return and the rear extension have modern timber windows and doors, varied in size. The facade presents a mix of rough cast and a mock rough render intended to imitate the appearance of whitewashed rubble walls. Four rendered chimney stacks remain on the original portion of the house. The roofs are pitched and covered in a combination of concrete tiles and Bangor blue slates, with PVC rainwater goods.

According to the current owner, the house was built in 1787 and originally belonged to the Dunbar (Woburn) estate. A 1797 estate map indicates a dwelling on this site, then occupied by a James Stewart. The house is also shown on Ordnance Survey maps from 1833/4 and 1858-60. Both the porch and the large rear extension were added after 1989. Historical records from the Public Record Office of Northern Ireland (PRONI) corroborate the house’s presence from the 1830s onwards and include estate maps, valuation records, and Ordnance Survey maps. The building demonstrates vernacular characteristics.