50 The Brae, Ballygowan, Co. Down, BT23 5TJ

This is a small, single-storey house located in the townland of Ballygowan, County Down, dating to the 1840s. The property has been significantly extended to the rear and thoroughly modernised throughout, resulting in an awkward front composition due to the addition of a centrally positioned, hipped-roof porch with PVC windows and a matching front door, and two hipped roof dormers.

The original section of the house faces southeast and is rough casted with quoins to the front. It has a Bangor blue slated roof punctuated by three unevenly spaced, rendered chimney stacks, and two Velux windows to the rear. The southwest gable features a large PVC conservatory, while the northeast gable has a small window. A substantial, full-height gabled extension dominates the rear, linked to a long, sprawling extension that may incorporate elements of a former outbuilding. All extensions are finished in rough cast with slate roofs and feature modern PVC windows and doors, substantially increasing the property’s size. A sheeted door and window are situated on the rear of the original house, mirroring the front facade.

The layout of the building is somewhat organic, necessitated by a large rock outcrop at the rear, which the extensions were built around. Historical records, including an Ordnance Survey map from 1834, show a structure on the site of the current rear extension. By 1858, the southeast portion of the present house had been constructed. Valuation returns from around 1863 indicate that the property was occupied by a Mary Burgess, with the earlier building serving as an outbuilding. The house remained largely unchanged until recent extensive extensions incorporated what might have been the original outbuildings.